Bonsai tree: Fishing for Bonsai Muscle

European olives are often resplendent with character as well as muscle and this one is certainly no exception (to say the least). I found it on flickr and then, one thing led to another (see Gone fishing below) and to the conclusion that this tree belongs to Luis Vallejo (though I couldn’t find evidence on his very attractive but oh-so-slow site).

Bonsai muscle

There’s something grand about bonsai with thick, powerful trunks. Assuming that I’m not the only one that feels this way, here are three exceptional bonsai (that also happen to be quite muscular) for your enjoyment.

Gone fishing

This post started as a bonsai fishing expedition that landed quite unexpectedly in Portugal, a country know for fishing. The flicr photo of the magnificent Olive above came with three bits of information: the species, Museu Bonsai Alconbendas (the results there weren’t too promising, maybe you’ll come up with something better) and, as you can see, kintall.blogspot.com, which is where the juice turns up. Kintall belongs to Rodrigo Sousa and is a bonsai gold mine, in which a little digging turns up the tree above, the two trees below and much more (that’s enough, you can take it from here if you’re interested).

Myrtus communis by Rui Ferrreira. I’ve never seen a Common myrtle with a heavy trunk, let alone one as massive as this one. The photo is from the EXPOS PORTUGAL – 3º Congresso Federação Portuguesa de Bonsai – Ericeira 2011. You can find it on Kintall’s home page).

Muscle with nine (?) trunks. This Trident, by Jose Machado, shows a nebari kind of muscle, but still, muscle it is. Also from EXPOS PORTUGAL – 3º Congresso Federação Portuguesa de Bonsai – Ericeira 2011, on Kintall’s home page).

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Bonsai tree: Big cut – crape myrtle

Source: Bonsai Tonight
Big cut – crape myrtle

Greg recently brought a crape myrtle to a Bay Island Bonsai workshop. The tree has a large trunk and good roots. It also has a big first branch. Boon recommended removing it.

Crape myrtle – front

Crape myrtle – left side

Crape myrtle – right side

Because the branch was so large, Boon recommended making the cut in stages. Greg could cut most of the way through today, and complete the cut next year.

Proposed cut – left side

Proposed cut – right side

Removing the branch in stages speeds the time it takes for the wound to heal over. It’s also less stressful for the tree.

Making the cut with a sharp saw

Cut complete

After making the cut, Greg cleaned the edges of the cut with a grafting knife. Even sharp saws tend to leave rough edges. Cleaning the cut with a grafting knife will help the wound to heal quickly.

Cleaning the cut

After cleaning the cut, Greg covered the wound with cut paste. In one or two years, the cut will have healed significantly and the rest of the branch can be removed.

I first learned about this technique in Japan at Ebihara’s garden. Here is a photo of a Japanese maple undergoing a similar treatment.

Healing a large wound on a Japanese maple

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