Bonsai tree: Growing Better Roots & Trunks

In addition a one of the most perfectly developed crowns you’ll ever see, with its amazing profusion of tiny leaves; this Trident maple provides one of the best examples of trunk and surface root (nebari) development you’ll see anywhere. Neither are overstated; providing a welcome relief from overdeveloped trunk taper and nebari that you sometimes see in Trident maples. But then, you might expect perfection from this tree, it’s from the Grand Master Saburo Kato’s collection (Kato-sama’s most excellent book, Forest, Rock Plantings and Ezo Spruce Bonsai is offered by Stone Lantern).

The photo is from a series of photos on Morten Albek’s Shohin-Europe website, titled Mansei-en 2011. Mansei-en is the name of Saburo Kato’s bonsai garden and Morten Albek is the author of Majesty in Miniature, Shohin Bonsai (Stone Lantern Publishing). Mr. Kato died in 2008 (Phoenix Bonsai has an excellent biography). Morten is, as far as I know, alive and well in Denmark .

Growing better shohin roots and trunk

Morten Albek has just posted a practical guide to growing better roots and trunks. It’s for Shohin bonsai, but you can apply the techniques to larger bonsai as well.

One of a series of photos by Morten Albek on growing better shohin roots and trunk.

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Bonsai tree: Refining trident maple

Source: Bonsai Tonight

I’ve been working to develop the ramification on my trident maple for several years now but the progress has been slow. This year I’m trying something different to see if I can speed up the process.

I usually let new shoots run a bit before trimming them and I defoliate the tree 2-4 times a year depending on its vigor. This year I’m going to keep new growth in check by maintaining the tree’s silhouette throughout the growing season. To do this, I will trim all vigorous shoots as they emerge, even if this means working on the tree every few days.

That’s the plan anyway – it’s early April now and I’m already behind! You can see in the photo below that the apex has rounded out some and a few shoots are breaking away from the silhouette.

Trident maple – healthy apex

I cut back all shoots that were leaving the general silhouette and left the interior branches alone. When the new leaves harden off, it will be time to defoliate – another opportunity to cut elongating shoots.

After removing the new shoots

I’m hoping that keeping the vigorous shoots in check will improve the tree’s balance. If, however, I don’t see much progress by the end of the year, I’ll look to try yet another approach next spring.

Read more!

Bonsai tree: Weekly Wire: Bonsai Surperstar, FREE Fertilizer, Making Uro, Spring!

Goyo-matsu (Japanese white pine) from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum.

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FREE FERTILIZER! We are giving away our favorite fertilizer over on Stone Lantern.

Just for the fun of it (and to encourage you to place an order and to  feed your bonsai!)

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Happy white Easter from Walter Pall. This morning Walter posted a whole bunch of photos a lot like this. There’s even some scary photos that shows fully and partially leafed out maples covered with snow. Here’s the good news from Walter: “While I am posting these photographs it has stopped snowing and even the sun is coming out. It seems that this nightmare is over and has caused no harm.”

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Marco is coming to Montreal. Marco Invernizzi, Italian bonsai superstar, will be at the Vendredi le 4 mai, à l’auditorium du jardin botanique à 19 h 30 (that’s the Botanical Garden auditorium, May 4th at 7:30pm, for us linguistically challenged folks).

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Delicious! I think we posted something about this a while back, but now I can’t find it. Anyway, as you can see, it’s a mame bonsai pot. The artist is Horie Bikoh. The photo is from Albek Bonsai Studio, which is Morten Albek’s blog. Morten is, among other things, the author of our Majesty in Miniature, Shohin Bonsai.

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Restarting a Trident maple by Peter Tea. From bonsai pot, back to training pot.

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What’s a uro (besides an overpriced currency)? If you like to find out what a uro is and how to create uro on your deciduous bonsai, bonsai4me has an excellent post on the subject.

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Celebrating Spring (snow, rain or sun). New England Bonsai Gardens 25th annual Spring Members Day Celebration is coming very soon. And you don’t have to be a member to go.

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Bonsai Hungary blog

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In our last Weekly Wire I originally posted the wrong dates on this one. I corrected it soon after it was posted, but just in case: the dates are June 21-24.

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Much more than just corn, soy and pigs. The Iowa State Fair Bonsai Show will be held July 1 in Des Moines.

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Speaking of eccentric bonsai. From Cliff Chong’s photo album.

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Source: Bonsai Bark Read more!

Bonsai tree: Refining trident maple

Source: Bonsai Tonight

I’ve been working to develop the ramification on my trident maple for several years now but the progress has been slow. This year I’m trying something different to see if I can speed up the process.

I usually let new shoots run a bit before trimming them and I defoliate the tree 2-4 times a year depending on its vigor. This year I’m going to keep new growth in check by maintaining the tree’s silhouette throughout the growing season. To do this, I will trim all vigorous shoots as they emerge, even if this means working on the tree every few days.

That’s the plan anyway – it’s early April now and I’m already behind! You can see in the photo below that the apex has rounded out some and a few shoots are breaking away from the silhouette.

Trident maple – healthy apex

I cut back all shoots that were leaving the general silhouette and left the interior branches alone. When the new leaves harden off, it will be time to defoliate – another opportunity to cut elongating shoots.

After removing the new shoots

I’m hoping that keeping the vigorous shoots in check will improve the tree’s balance. If, however, I don’t see much progress by the end of the year, I’ll look to try yet another approach next spring.

Read more!

Bonsai tree: Weekly Wire: Bonsai Surperstar, FREE Fertilizer, Making Uro, Spring!

Goyo-matsu (Japanese white pine) from the Omiya Bonsai Art Museum.

�

FREE FERTILIZER! We are giving away our favorite fertilizer over on Stone Lantern.

Just for the fun of it (and to encourage you to place an order and to  feed your bonsai!)

�

Happy white Easter from Walter Pall. This morning Walter posted a whole bunch of photos a lot like this. There’s even some scary photos that shows fully and partially leafed out maples covered with snow. Here’s the good news from Walter: “While I am posting these photographs it has stopped snowing and even the sun is coming out. It seems that this nightmare is over and has caused no harm.”

�

Marco is coming to Montreal. Marco Invernizzi, Italian bonsai superstar, will be at the Vendredi le 4 mai, à l’auditorium du jardin botanique à 19 h 30 (that’s the Botanical Garden auditorium, May 4th at 7:30pm, for us linguistically challenged folks).

�

Delicious! I think we posted something about this a while back, but now I can’t find it. Anyway, as you can see, it’s a mame bonsai pot. The artist is Horie Bikoh. The photo is from Albek Bonsai Studio, which is Morten Albek’s blog. Morten is, among other things, the author of our Majesty in Miniature, Shohin Bonsai.

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Restarting a Trident maple by Peter Tea. From bonsai pot, back to training pot.

�

What’s a uro (besides an overpriced currency)? If you like to find out what a uro is and how to create uro on your deciduous bonsai, bonsai4me has an excellent post on the subject.

�

Celebrating Spring (snow, rain or sun). New England Bonsai Gardens 25th annual Spring Members Day Celebration is coming very soon. And you don’t have to be a member to go.

�

Bonsai Hungary blog

�

�

In our last Weekly Wire I originally posted the wrong dates on this one. I corrected it soon after it was posted, but just in case: the dates are June 21-24.

�

Much more than just corn, soy and pigs. The Iowa State Fair Bonsai Show will be held July 1 in Des Moines.

�

Speaking of eccentric bonsai. From Cliff Chong’s photo album.

�

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Source: Bonsai Bark Read more!

Bonsai tree: Spruce On Nylon Board

The day after my Seasonal students left I was so intrigued by what we had done with the Mountain Hemlock from last week’s post that I put this Engelmann spruce on a plastic slab as well. While the first day with five students it had taken all day to figure out, I did this one by myself in only two hours. Knowing what the heck you’re doing works marvels.

I also include a couple shotgun shots around my yard in this post—

Engelmann spruce on nylon board.

Closeup of the root mass over the nylon board. I hope the moss will eventually grow over the edge and it will be essentially invisible, floating a bit.

Some of the range of styles and trees I enjoy having around. Traditional, powerful black pine next to the ethereal feeling native vine maple. There's a wisteria to the left bursting with flowers (I took 2/3 of them off, it was nuts this year.) The boxwood to the right you might remember from International Bonsai many years back.

The companion plant bench... just beginning to grow. A couple are flowering already, such as cow pie and the indomitable miner's lettuce. If anyone knows what 'cow pie' really is let me know. From Japan, big leaf, white flower. The majority of these companions are Northwest natives.

This narcissus was blooming three months ago, potted in one of the first bonsai pots I ever made. The drainage holes are 1/4" wide. I had a lot to learn. Last year the flowers were 10" high, this year they were 6"--- plants reduce fast in a pot! Bit too flamboyant to display with a tree but fun on its own.

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