I thought I was nearing the end of decandling season when I remembered a table of black and red pines trained as exposed root bonsai. My standard approach is to not decandle exposed root pines until the trees are older and the roots are thicker. Of course, the standard approach also entails wiring the trunk […]
Bonsai Development
Bonsai Development posts form the heart of Bonsai Tonight. Learn about varieties like Black Pine, Shimpaku and Japanese Maple, techniques like Decandling and Grafting and Air Layering, and bonsai features like Deadwood.
Bonsai Development Series #8: Removing unnecessary branches
When developing material for bonsai, it’s best to avoid creating straight trunks and branches. Many varieties, however, naturally produce straight growth. This gives us two options: cut or wire. Cutting is often preferable to wiring as cuts can be used to create taper and angular movement. Wiring has its place too as it’s a quick […]
Increasing density on a cork-bark black pine
I’ve been working on an old cork-bark black pine since 2004. The tree has improved a lot over the years, but it still has a ways to go. The main focus at this stage is increasing the branch density. Cork-bark black pine – 23″ The tree is strong enough to decandle most years, but was […]
Follow-up – defoliating a shohin Japanese maple
I fully defoliated a shohin Japanese maple about six weeks ago. Here’s what the tree looked like after removing all of the leaves. Shohin Japanese maple – April 30 After a week, small buds started to appear along the branches. May 10 – new buds appear Tiny back buds The first new leaves waited almost […]
Early stage development on field-grown black pines
Working on field-grown material a few years out of the ground is some of my favorite work. The main objectives for this early stage development are to heal wounds, create the upper sections of the trunk, and develop the primary branches. The black pine below has been out of the ground for two or three […]