Shohin white pine work

[october]

** update on page 4 **

Hello all.. I purchased this tree last year. It was originally meant to be a cascade. Howevr, it was not a very good one. I thought the side of the tree made a better front. Also, chopping off the cascading branch and eliminating a couple of others, the tree might be a nice shohin. I did the chops in roughly 2 sessions. The first pic shows the first chops in red and the second in yellow. The next couple are after wiring and pruning. The tree will need a few more years to develop.

Unfortunately, one of the main branches at the top snapped. I think it will be ok since it was not a complete break. However, if I lose that branch, the design might be ruined. I think this tree might be ready for a pot this season.

Rob

 

[Poink88]

Nice! I love it.

 

[catfish chapstick]

it looks really nice. i like the trunk a lot. does the tree lean back a bit? hard to tell in the photo

 

[JudyB]

Ok, so who saw that coming??? Wow, I never would've gone there, but it's really good.
Another example of less is more. Great eye man...

 

[october]

Nice! I love it.

Thanks Poink.. Lots of work for a little tree. Let's hope the tree is forgiving.

Rob

 

[Paulpash]

Plan B if the apex cops it ?

Great tree by the way -- hope plan A succeeds

 

[october]

it looks really nice. i like the trunk a lot. does the tree lean back a bit? hard to tell in the photo

Hello and thank you catfish.. Yes and no.. Since I changed the style it adopted a trait that many pines from Japan have. That is the drastic sweep forward. The bottom half of the trunk does not really lean back. However, the middle swoops back and them forward. Of course, if I had my choice, I would prefer the trunk to not have such a drastic swoop.

Here is a side view.

Rob

 

[october]

Ok, so who saw that coming??? Wow, I never would've gone there, but it's really good.
Another example of less is more. Great eye man...

Thanks Judy.. There are/were a ton of these at the nursery. Don't know what made me pic this one up. When I picked it up, the side view presented a nicer image.

 

[berobinson82]

Rob,

You're on fire right now with styling these trees. Did you suddenly come into a large new crop or are you finding many of your pieces maturing to the point of styling all at once?

Excellent white pine. I'm rooting for it to live long and prosper.

 

[october]

Rob,

You're on fire right now with styling these trees. Did you suddenly come into a large new crop or are you finding many of your pieces maturing to the point of styling all at once?

Excellent white pine. I'm rooting for it to live long and prosper.

View attachment 33247

Hello berobinson82.. Thanks..Well, a combination of things..First, I have decided that for bonsai to be more enjoyable to me I will need to start buying better material and being really selective. Going to have to start shelling out some money. Also, I am getting away from the cheap so so pre material and then working with it for 7-8 years to make something out of it. Also, my eye is changing and I am seeing much better images for my trees.

Last year, I had the worst season ever in bonsai. Fungal diseases and scale etc...as I watched about 1/4 of my collection dying a slow death. I was at a cross roads. I thought, why am I going through all this, when something like this happens and can just wipe out my collection. I thought, I spent so many years training these trees and now , If I lose them, they weren't even finished. Basically, instead of throwing in the towel, I went in the opposite direction, more focused than ever. Going to work with better material. Which will yield nicer images. Also, I will not have to wait 8 years to have that nice image. Not rushing, just more workable material.

I am not saying that if I see that $30 tree diamond in the rough that I will not buy it though. Old habits are hard to break.

Rob

 

[october]

Plan B if the apex cops it ?

Great tree by the way -- hope plan A succeeds

Hi Marie ..thanks.. Unfortunately, there is no plan B. Here is where it split. It actually split at a fork, so I think we might be ok. However, with enough top growth, maybe in 6 years or more, I could replace that area.

Rob

 

[coh]

Glad you perservered through last years difficulties...losing 1/4 of my trees might just push me out of bonsai altogether. I'm having enough trouble watching several of my tropicals slowly weaken, but fortunately spring is just about here and there are plenty of hardy trees that need attention.

Like the new styling of this pine. I think making a good cascade out of it would have been very difficult. Hope that top branch survives!

Chris

 

[Adair M]

Plan B would be to graft on a replacement branch.

 

[Nybonsai12]

Rob,

You're on fire right now with styling these trees.

Exactly my thoughts.
Is this a NE bonsai tree? Looking forward to future updates.

 

[october]

Plan B would be to graft on a replacement branch.

Sounds good.. Lets make that plan B and the plan to wait for it to fill in in 6 years plan C

I do not quite know what I am in for as far as the upcoming repot. It would be nice if the root system cooperates.

Rob

 

[october]

Exactly my thoughts.
Is this a NE bonsai tree? Looking forward to future updates.

Yes, it is an NE Bonsai tree. Around that time. I looked through all the other pines to see if there was another one that, through a completely different view, might be a nice potential tree. However, no luck.

Rob

 

[bougie nights]

Good work. Blew me away.

 

[jkd2572]

Ugly duckling turned into a swan. Nice work.

 

[october]

Thanks boogie and jkd...I'll post new pics if it goes into a bonsai pot this season.

Rob

 

[fourteener]

Hello berobinson82.. Thanks..Well, a combination of things..First, I have decided that for bonsai to be more enjoyable to me I will need to start buying better material and being really selective. Going to have to start shelling out some money. Also, I am getting away from the cheap so so pre material and then working with it for 7-8 years to make something out of it. Also, my eye is changing and I am seeing much better images for my trees.

Last year, I had the worst season ever in bonsai. Fungal diseases and scale etc...as I watched about 1/4 of my collection dying a slow death. I was at a cross roads. I thought, why am I going through all this, when something like this happens and can just wipe out my collection. I thought, I spent so many years training these trees and now , If I lose them, they weren't even finished. Basically, instead of throwing in the towel, I went in the opposite direction, more focused than ever. Going to work with better material. Which will yield nicer images. Also, I will not have to wait 8 years to have that nice image. Not rushing, just more workable material.

I am not saying that if I see that $30 tree diamond in the rough that I will not buy it though. Old habits are hard to break.

Rob

Good choice. Better material will always make better bonsai. If you can't afford it then find it in the wild or landscaping that people are getting rid of. Choose the best stuff, because we only have so much time. I am growing in my appreciation of small material . Nice trunk, nice movement. Lots of visual interest. It will be fun to check out your potting options in the future.