Creating branches on cork oak bonsai can be a fun process. I wire the shoots that will form the primary branches and remove all other shoots.
Instead of wiring the branches all the way out to the tips, I focus on creating one or two curves near the trunk as I plan to reduce these branches once they’ve thickened.
I also keep a few extra branches on the tree in case something happens to the primary branches.
Here’s what this process looks like on two old oaks with relatively young branches.
Large cork oak before wiring
After cutback and wiring – 45″
The second tree isn’t as far along as the first tree, but I expect it to catch up within one to two years.
Informal upright cork oak
After cutback and wiring – 25″
May or June is a good time to do this work. Depending on how much the trees grow this summer, I may prune and wire again in September.
Bay Area Suiseki and Shohin Show This Weekend!
The San Francisco Suiseki Kai, California Suiseki Society, Bay Area Shohin Society, California Shohin Society and members of other Bay Area Bonsai clubs are thrilled to present an all new show representing artists from the San Francisco Bay Area.
The event will be held at the Lake Merritt Garden Center in Oakland, California, this Saturday (11-5) and Sunday (11-4).
In addition to the show, the event will feature a room full of bonsai and stone vendors along with local clubs selling trees, stones, tools and other stone and bonsai related items.
I’ll be there with a selection of shohin bonsai and shohin-sized pots (and a few tools) so drop by and say hello if you come to the show!
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Lars Grimm says
Hi Jonas, great looking material. Can you talk about your plans for the apices of these trees. I don’t see any shoots wired upwards for a new apex.
Jonas Dupuich says
Hi Lars! I don’t plan a single apex for either tree. To preserve some oak-like feeling in these trees with very traditional informal upright trunks, I plan for the trunk to divide into several branches that together form a rounded apex. The smaller tree has yet to develop these branches. As for the larger tree, I may go with the young shoots that are already there, or I may cut back the apex a bit to give the apex a less slender shape.