• Friday, January 16th, 2009
If you have read my blog for any amount of time, you probably realize I don’t do small trees. So I found myself with a bit of a problem as the Tokonama competition draws near. This means that I better do a small tree, and I better do it fast. I found that small pre-bonsai material is CHEAP. I picked up a small Procumbens Nana today at Home Depot (of all places) foronly $4.oo. It was so dense I couldn’t see the trunk, but I knew I only needed a small tree. So no matter what trunk I had in there it would be fine.
what a mess
Just look how dense that foliage is. It took me a few minutes just to figure out where to start.
I was surprized to see such a large trunk when I started to remove the branches. I had really wanted something a little smaller, and I was hoping to do a cascade. There were many options in there, but I needed to find something that looks like an established tree.
This is how it turned out. Not the cascade I was hoping for, but I’m pretty happy with it. The picture was taken right after I watered it, so it has a shine to it. I’m going to hold off on the pictures of the tree in the Tokonama until after the competition. However the funny thing about it is that this tree, even though it is very small, looks big in the Tokonama. Fun stuff. I may get used to doing little trees after all. Who knows?
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• Saturday, January 03rd, 2009
Nope, it’s not a baby, just a Bald Cypress that I have added to my collection. Actually I purchased this collected tree last year from Mary Madison. However it was in too large of a container and it needed another year to recover and develop roots. Even though Bald Cypress do well as Bonsai, this is one type of tree that requires patience. You can’t rush them or you will certainly lose them.
Bald Cypress rootball
Here is the Cypress as I removed it from the nursery container. The ball is huge and needed to be reduced quite a bit.
- Trunk details
However here is the reason I bought the tree. Look at the interest and age of that tree. Amazing!
Bald Cypress Roots
Not as developed as I would like. However growing in the muck that it has been for the past two years it’s no wonder. A year or two in my bonsai soil mix and we’ll have plenty of roots to deal with.
Big trees need big pots
Well the root system couldn’t be reduced as much as I liked, so I had to borrow a pot for the time being. This one is a bit big, but after a year or two I should be able to get a pot that works with the tree and is smaller in size.
Initial planting - Bald Cypress
Certainly not the right pot for this tree, but it will do for the next couple of years while the roots grow stronger. This year I need to work to develop the main trunk lead to create taper for the trunk. Also I want to begin developing low main branching. By next year I hope to have the basic structure defined. Wish me luck.
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• Saturday, January 03rd, 2009
So for the holiday season I celebrated by buying a nice rock to create a Daiza. My good friend Jason of Schley’s Bonsai and Supplies in Holly Hill Florida had a great selection to choose from. I wanted a larger one than the ones I had done previously because I need something to display in my living room.
Precut rock
This one could have presented some challanges. However I had an idea.
Wetsaw cut rock
Using a wetsaw I removed the rounded unlevel bottom so that the rock would sit flat. This worked very well.
I placed the rock on the piece of Rosewood that I planned to use and traced around it.
Rough Cut
After I routered the base o fthe Daiza the rock fit in pretty easily. This still needed some work but was pretty easy up until this point
Daiza after initial final design
Well it still needs a lot of sanding and a finish, but it looks pretty good. I want to remove more from the underside to give it a lighter feel. There is still too much mass in my opinion. When it’s finished I’ll post an update.
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• Sunday, December 21st, 2008
There are times when things just come together perfectly, and I can officially state that I actually had the right pot for the tree for the first time. I spent much of the morning re-wiring and redefining my Crepe Myrtle. I can’t believe the pictures from last January and how far this tree has come.
Crape Myrtle Thread Grafted
Just look how nicely the pot compliments the bark of the tree. When this tree is leafed out and flowering it will really be something special. When I repotted the tree I found that the roots had been holding a lot of water. so with the new soil it should produce a lot of new growth and be much healthier.
Crape Myrtle Close up
Here is a close up of the tree. This tree is not the easiest tree to wire. I’m using 1mm wire on branches that are about 1mm thick. However if I don’t the branches tend to curl up. I need the branches mid way up the trunk to fill in over the scar. I should be able to achieve that this year. I have a feeling the next time I post this tree it will be a finished Bonsai.
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