Emphasis is often placed on how much we can remove from our trees. Today, I’ll flip that around to emphasize the importance of generating new foliage. Here’s a trident maple after reducing the trunk. Trident maple – June 2017 The idea is to encourage new shoots that in time will form the upper part of […]
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.
Selecting branches to decandle
Two of my young pines are almost – but not quite – ready to be fully decandled. The tree below, for example, looks ready, though you might notice that the upper branches are a bit far away from the relatively small trunk. Japanese black pine – 13 years from seed The upper branches have extended […]
Decandling pines in development
A number of my 13 year-old pines are making the transition from trunk development to branch refinement. During this stage, I’ll often decandle branches that will be part of the final design while letting other branches continue to thicken. Most of the branches on the tree below were decandled this year. The branches that I […]
Developing a young cork oak bonsai
Last year I did some initial cutback and wiring on a cork oak that was one year out of the ground (see “Stimulating new buds on cork oak” for details). The tree has grown well over the past year and is now ready for another cutback. Cork oak The part of the tree I’m most […]
Thinning young cork bark pine bonsai
A few years ago I created some cork bark black pines by grafting. The trees have grown well and are now quite full. Corkbark Japanese black pine Some of the oldest needles have recently begun to yellow which is a tip-off that the interior branches will be yellowing out as well. To make sure that […]