Rmj, how much tree to use?

[wireme]

And @sorce, I gotta say I’m so glad I asked you to make a pot. I’ve been watching the FB auction pages for a match and have seen a couple real nice traditional pots for the tree that would work out well but this custom coolness is something that never would have come about otherwise. Someday I may want to swap the tree in a plainish traditional pot to check that out too but this is a perfect pot right now. It’s got friendship and imagination and a story all built right in, unique and cool, can’t wait to put them together!

 

[sorce]

plainish traditional pot

friendship

I totally got you on that too!

When they're perfect!

Sorce

 

[PiñonJ]

Ha, “to see if we even have trees”, so true, I like that.
What gets me is the variables of yearly snowpacks, 15 years or so of wintering bonsai here and I still see new circumstance and challenges. Often in spring the snow gets warm and just dissolves nicely around the trees. This year the melt is so gradual that the pack is just shrinking and dragging everything embedded slowly down along with it. I just helped a spruce out, couldn’t believe the bend in the trunk, way more than I would ever give it, old two inch trunk. The top jinn was flat against the snow by the stick there. Was getting worried and helped free the trunk, risky move could have torn all the branches right off when she sprung free. I think it will be ok, half sprung now, branches still on. Wondering what else I will find. Glad I had the snow support over this rmj and others, they would have been in real bad shape from this spring otherwise. View attachment 186852View attachment 186853

You’re a real innovator, using bears and snowpack to shape your trees. You should open a school and charge people a lot of money to shovel snow and chase bears away when the style is just right !

 

[wireme]

I probably gave Sorce dimensions somewhat larger than ideal here, we’ll see when they go together. This one came out of the mulch already green.

I haven’t decided on a repot date yet, usually I tackle junipers later than others. The short term overnight lows are looking warm for the season though, I’ll keep an eye on them. What’s the moon telling you Sorce?

 

[M. Frary]

What’s the moon telling you Sorce?

It tells me to eat people when it's full.

 

[wireme]

It tells me to eat people when it's full.

That sounds like a problem, I assume you’re able to just get by with the neighbors chickens or something instead?

 

[M. Frary]

That sounds like a problem, I assume you’re able to just get by with the neighbors chickens or something instead?

Cats,raccoons,little things like that.

 

[wireme]

Goin’ in.

 

[wireme]

@sorce

 

[Tycoss]

That's cool. It takes a tree with that much character to pair with a pot like that. Unconventional, but not cheesy either. Well done to the both of you.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Now is distracting problem jin and live apex same height. Really aged original deadwood on jin was asset to keep. Seems great movement of trunk degraded by current styling.

 

[sorce]

Seems great movement of trunk degraded by current styling

Somehow this wording of that thought makes me feel it more.....

But...!

I still love the way the jins are protecting that bit of the tree...especially from the Bear Now.

And it made me realize just now....

How amazing it is that the straight trunks died.....
And the one that gave the most, the one most accepting of the world around it...

That's the one that lived!

That's Powerful.

Internally. And externally.

Thanks for sharing this My Great Northern Friend!

Sorce

 

[M. Frary]

Goin’ in.

What's the weird foot thing?
And why only just one?

 

[just.wing.it]

Tree is looking very nice, well done.
The pot draws my attention away from the really nice tree!
It is interesting though.

 

[wireme]

Repot went quite well, I very nearly stopped as soon as I started because roots were not as active as I expected them to be. White tips just barely emerging, difficult to see hard to differentiate between live and dead roots. In the end I figured less white tips now means less broken off and they are just starting to move so probably perfect. I’m thinking to set up a bottom heat cable to keep those roots warm and growing.
Plenty of room on the long side as it turned out, very tight in the middle of the short side, large roots on the back side that I was not going to cut made it touch and go there for a while but no extreme measures required. I’ll still work on the surfacing a bit today. I also adjusted the planting angle just a little leaning to the left more. Oddly I prefer it that way in person But don’t like the new angle in photo as well as the old one. Oh well.
Shots all around the horn for now in better light. Foliage has been mildly disheveled by winter snow but not bad, again it shows in a photo but looks just fine in life. I’m very happy with the pot.

 

[wireme]

Now is distracting problem jin and live apex same height. Really aged original deadwood on jin was asset to keep. Seems great movement of trunk degraded by current styling.

The height thing is a tricky one. The crown is around the height I’d like it without considering the jinn but I don’t want to mess with the jinn either, the bear break looks geat and considering the existing wood features there’s really not a better place to terminate the jinn. More real life vs photo conundrum here. Pic tells me without question to squash the crown lower, my eyeball want to grow the crown higher to the right. Decisions for another day.

 

[PiñonJ]

You could consider something like this (VERY crude vert):

 

[wireme]

You could consider something like this (VERY crude vert):
View attachment 190677

Yep, pretty rough but I can see it. For some reason I’ve always wanted to progress oppositely along these lines.

I can really easily see reasons your proposal can work better but, dunno, may not jump ship on my plans just yet, got at least a year to think about anyhow. Without your and others suggestions I would have carried on without doubt, now I have to think again, dammit!!

 

[PiñonJ]

Yep, pretty rough but I can see it. For some reason I’ve always wanted to progress oppositely along these lines.View attachment 190684

I can really easily see reasons your proposal can work better but, dunno, may not jump ship on my plans just yet, got at least a year to think about anyhow. Without your and others suggestions I would have carried on without doubt, now I have to think again, dammit!!

Yeah, that thinking is a bear - ha! see what I did there? I think either direction could work. I would just encourage more defined pads and negative space.

 

[Potawatomi13]

What's the weird foot thing?
And why only just one?

Artistic assymetry. Could also consider as flame in which case tree flees in opposite direction.