I’m working on a number of five and six-year-old pines. Several look like the tree below, with vigorous growth on the top half of the tree and smaller shoots below. Five-year-old red pine – 27″ I’d like to slow down the top half of the tree to encourage the bottom half to become more vigorous. […]
Bonsai Development Series
The Bonsai Development Series is a group of posts describing techniques for creating quality pre-bonsai.
For an overview of the complete bonsai development process, see "How to grow bonsai from seed or cutting."
Bonsai Development Series #6: Sacrifice branch basics
Few trees in my garden better demonstrate the use of sacrifice branches than the pine below. Black pine – six-years-old from seedling-cutting The large branch that grows up and to the right is the sacrifice branch. The small tree at the base of this branch is the future bonsai. The future bonsai As I noted […]
Bonsai Development Series #5: Selecting a new trunk line
One of my fourteen-year-old pines is a lot bigger than the others. Beyond some selective pruning the last few years, I’ve mostly let the tree grow freely. This year, it’s time to select a branch to continue the trunk line. Why this year? After looking at the options for the future front of the tree […]
Bonsai Development Series #4: Removing the sacrifice branch
The basic idea of sacrifice branches is a simple one: develop sacrifice branches in order to thicken the trunk and then remove them when the trunk reaches the desired thickness. The application of this idea is where things can get tricky, so let’s start with a simple example. My goal for the pine below has […]
Bonsai Development Series #3: Evaluating field grown material
There’s a lot to try to keep in mind when shopping for field grown material. It can be easy to focus on the lower part of the trunk and think, “This looks nice, I can fix the rest later.” The fix may not, however, always come easily. At a glance, the pine below has a […]