Refining old bonsai isn’t always a quick process – especially when the bonsai is a corkbark black pine. With brittle branches, the variety does not lend itself to dramatic restyling. I’ve been fortunate that the pine below has been healthy enough to decandle three years in a row. Many corkbark pines need a year to […]
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Twelve years later
Bay Island Bonsai’s 12th annual Exhibit of Fine Bonsai will be held this coming weekend, January 15th and 16th, at the Alameda County Fairgrounds. The exhibit will feature hands-on demonstrations, an expanded vendor area, an auction of high-quality trees, and nearly 100 formally displayed bonsai. Chinese Elm from BIB’s 2010 Exhibit This year’s exhibit also […]
Cleaning up a corkbark black pine
The yatsabusa corkbark black pine below is almost 17 years old. I’m primarily growing it as a source for future grafting projects, but it’s become a fun project. I pulled the old needles and removed a few shoots that were growing in dense areas. That should do it for this year. Soon I’ll start fertilizing […]
More fall decandling
Last summer, Akio Kondo visited California to work and to teach bonsai. During a Bay Island Bonsai workshop, Kondo made an interesting suggestion for improving one of my pines. The tree looked great from a distance, but he quickly noticed that the tree had no interior buds. Without interior buds, the tree had no future. […]
Fall decandling
I decandled one of my black pines this week. I can’t say it makes much sense on the surface, but I have reason to believe good will come of it. I gave this a try at the suggestion of Akio Kondo. In a couple of years I’ll know more about the technique – for now […]