I’ve had this ume bonsai for a long time. Several years ago, the tree lost all but a single branch due to fungus. The branch survived, and I’ve been letting the tree grow freely so it can regain some vigor. Now that the tree is strong again, it’s time for some cutback. Semi-cascade ume One […]
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.
Pinching spring buds on Japanese maple
Spring is a busy time for keeping after refined Japanese maples. In order to keep internodes short, I pinch new shoots as soon as they emerge. Shohin Japanese maple – 6.5″ tall, 13″ wide Because the buds open at different times, I check this tree daily to see if there are new shoots to pinch. […]
Removing the last sacrifice branch
Once the trunk on a pine in development reaches the desired size, it’s time to focus on the branches. After 13 years in development, the pine below is now ready for the refinement stage. 13 year-old black pine The branches are quite undeveloped at this point, but the basic trunk is set. Here’s a better […]
Replacing a sacrifice branch
I have a number of Japanese black pines that are transitioning from the development stage to the refinement stage. The trunk has thickened to the desired size and I’m starting to focus on branch development. As for the tree below, I’m happy with the trunk, but need to encourage the future leader to thicken. To […]
Creating cascade Japanese black pine
After creating many Japanese black pines in a variety of styles, I realized, last year, that I hadn’t made many cascade pines. When it came time to wire a batch of young trees, I wired several trunks downward. A year later, they looked like this. Young pine The first thing I noticed when I sat […]