Four years ago I made a few cryptomeria from air layer (see “How to air layer cryptomeria” and “Cryptomeria from air layer“). I’ve worked little on the trees in the intervening years and only began initial styling this summer. As the goal is to make formal upright bonsai, it’s important to make sure the trunks […]
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.
Yaupon holly cutback
It can take a long time to get a tree into rough shape, especially when making primary branches from scratch. Refining from takes even longer. Now that my Yaupon holly has the basic silhouette I had in mind for it, the current goal is to create more mature looking branch pads. This is done through selective […]
Redirecting growth on pines
Decandling and cutback are great techniques for redirecting growth on black pines. Here are some examples. Tree #1 After eleven years, the trunk of the tree below has reached the desired size. Any further significant growth and the curves would begin to disappear. The goal for this stage of development is to reduce investment in […]
Distinguishing old growth from new growth on junipers
A recent hot spell left its mark on a number of trees in my garden. On the day temperatures peaked, brown needles appeared on some Sierra junipers. Brown needles on Sierra juniper While brown needles can be scary, it really depends on which needles turn brown. If the old needles turn brown, it’s good to […]
Decandling shohin black pine
The steps are simple. 1) Remove spring shoots. Shohin black pine – 21 years old After removing spring shoots 2) Remove extra needles. After removing extra needles 3) Perform light cutback as needed. The first branch on the right is long After shortening the first branch on the right That’s it. In all I removed 14 […]