Why yes! Mine is bigger than Adair's!

[hemmy]

Awesome tree!

There is an interesting branch training technique for olives documented in the one of the Mistral Bonsai magazines. It is online from various sources, just search Mistral Bonsai and "olivos que parecen olivos" (olives that look like olives).

The idea is to wire branches tip down in spring to stimulate backbudding, then select from those 2nd shoots and wire them down creating a 3rd backbudding. Remove unwanted shoots, but don't shorten the branches. Keep all 3 phases of growth through the fall to increase the branch diameter.

 

[markyscott]

Quite the find with a good history. Old and rugged - nice! I can see at least one spot carved right through. Would love to see this one defoliated down the road for certain. How does that back brace work out for you? I have the same collecting dust as it "seems" it would be to restrictive.

Grimmy

Hi Grimlore. You'll be waiting a long time for that, LOL. I rarely if ever defoliate completely any tree. Sometimes a few weeks before a show so I have perfect foliage, but in most cases never - especially a tree in development.

Not sure how well the back brace works, other than to remind me to be careful when I'm lifting the heavy stuff. A bad lower back comes with being tall and getting old, I'm afraid.

Scott

 

[markyscott]

Awesome tree!

There is an interesting branch training technique for olives documented in the one of the Mistral Bonsai magazines. It is online from various sources, just search Mistral Bonsai and "olivos que parecen olivos" (olives that look like olives).

The idea is to wire branches tip down in spring to stimulate backbudding, then select from those 2nd shoots and wire them down creating a 3rd backbudding. Remove unwanted shoots, but don't shorten the branches. Keep all 3 phases of growth through the fall to increase the branch diameter.

View attachment 154945

Thanks Hemmy. I'll check out the article. Appreciate the reference!!

Scott

 

[GrimLore]

Hi Grimlore. You'll be waiting a long time for that, LOL. I rarely if ever defoliate completely any tree. Sometimes a few weeks before a show so I have perfect foliage, but in most cases never - especially a tree in development.

Not sure how well the back brace works, other than to remind me to be careful when I'm lifting the heavy stuff. A bad lower back comes with being tall and getting old, I'm afraid.

As I said on the foliage "Down the road" At your rate could be in as little as three years

I fit the requirements for the brace

Grimmy

 

[Giga]

Isn't that an ugly one. I love it

 

[my nellie]

Four very well known Bonsai Masters : Josep Maria Miquel, Thierry Font who passed away lately, Alain Arnaud and François Jeker, known for his work with deadwood have contributed in writing the best (to my opinion) manual on collected olives trained to be bonsai.
Very comprehensive and most detailed work! Contained is also a full monthly calendar of working on the Olives.
It is released in Spanish and French but even if one doesn't know the language can very well understand the images, very eloquent.
I have been working on translating this into English for our club, but I have not yet completed my work...
The good thing is it can be accessed on the internet in pdf : https://es.scribd.com/doc/29095851/Los-Olivos-en-Bonsai
It is worth your time looking into this!

 

[markyscott]

Four very well known Bonsai Masters : Josep Maria Miquel, Thierry Font who passed away lately, Alain Arnaud and François Jeker, known for his work with deadwood have contributed in writing the best (to my opinion) manual on collected olives trained to be bonsai.
Very comprehensive and most detailed work! Contained is also a full monthly calendar of working on the Olives.
It is released in Spanish and French but even if one doesn't know the language can very well understand the images, very eloquent.
I have been working on translating this into English for our club, but I have not yet completed my work...
The good thing is it can be accessed on the internet in pdf : https://es.scribd.com/doc/29095851/Los-Olivos-en-Bonsai
It is worth your time looking into this!

Thank you MN. I definitely will. Appreciate the reference.

Scott

 

[PaulH]

Nice one! Love these gnarly olives. I've collected a bunch with Sam and I think I helped on this one if it came from Carmichael, Ca. If so I've got some of its siblings.

 

[PaulH]

Mine is bigger that both yours and Adair's

 

[markyscott]

Nice one! Love these gnarly olives. I've collected a bunch with Sam and I think I helped on this one if it came from Carmichael, Ca. If so I've got some of its siblings.View attachment 154976 View attachment 154977

I'm not sure if it came from Carmichael - I'll ask Sam the next time I see him. If it did, it thank you - it's a great tree and I've really enjoyed working on it.

Scott

 

[markyscott]

Mine is bigger that both yours and Adair's
View attachment 154978

LOL- you win!

Scott

 

[markyscott]

As I said on the foliage "Down the road" At your rate could be in as little as three years

I fit the requirements for the brace

Grimmy

Thanks Grimmy - you're too kind. And've no doubt you know, but I always like to make my position clear so someone with less experience who might read this doesn't read something unintended into our exchange. I've never defoliated an olive, but I asked Boon about it. He said it could be done if needed for the show, but I probably wouldn't need to do it for a tree this size. I have a shohin as well. That's another matter.

@Adair M? Have you ever defoliated your shohin olive? I think mine is smaller than yours, by the way.

Scott

 

[justBonsai]

Did you buy this tree on ebay by chance? I remember around that time of 2016 a seller listed a bunch of really nice old mission olive stumps at a steal of a price. Premium material at 1/4 of what the seller could of charged. Couldn't justify the purchase then but I wish I had.

 

[Adair M]

Thanks Grimmy - you're too kind. And've no doubt you know, but I always like to make my position clear so someone with less experience who might read this doesn't read something unintended into our exchange. I've never defoliated an olive, but I asked Boon about it. He said it could be done if needed for the show, but I probably wouldn't need to do it for a tree this size. I have a shohin as well. That's another matter.

@Adair M? Have you ever defoliated your shohin olive? I think mine is smaller than yours, by the way.

Scott

I have never defoliated an olive. I have two Shohin olives. One is a miniature of my big one, and the other is the little sumo in the yellow pot.

I train mine exactly as you do yours. They develop quickly!

 

[markyscott]

Did you buy this tree on ebay by chance? I remember around that time of 2016 a seller listed a bunch of really nice old mission olive stumps at a steal of a price. Premium material at 1/4 of what the seller could of charged. Couldn't justify the purchase then but I wish I had.

Not from eBay. I've generally been disappointed with purchasing there. I bought it directly from Sam.

Scott

 

[Adair M]

Not from eBay. I've generally been disappointed with purchasing there. I bought it directly from Sam.

Scott

Ditto.

For certain varieties of trees, there's a single best source of material. Sam for olives, Jim Gremel for Atlas Cedar.

 

[Shima]

Awesome tree!

There is an interesting branch training technique for olives documented in the one of the Mistral Bonsai magazines. It is online from various sources, just search Mistral Bonsai and "olivos que parecen olivos" (olives that look like olives).

The idea is to wire branches tip down in spring to stimulate backbudding, then select from those 2nd shoots and wire them down creating a 3rd backbudding. Remove unwanted shoots, but don't shorten the branches. Keep all 3 phases of growth through the fall to increase the branch diameter.

View attachment 154945

I don't see why this radical info couldn't be used on certain other vigorous material.

 

[MrBeto]

@markyscott I have a little olive on its way to Houston. I've always wanted to have one, but ebay was the only place I could find it. I also got there a sageretia teezans. It is doing great . I bought the sageretia a few months ago. I'll take both next hbs workshop at Heights !

 

[markyscott]

@markyscott I have a little olive on its way to Houston. I've always wanted to have one, but ebay was the only place I could find it. I also got there a sageretia teezans. It is doing great . I bought the sageretia a few months ago. I'll take both next hbs workshop at Heights !

See you there!

S

 

[justBonsai]

Not from eBay. I've generally been disappointed with purchasing there. I bought it directly from Sam.

Scott

Does Sam have a website or contact? Is it possible he has an ebay account too?