Blue Spruce

[Dwight]

Found this at Lowes ( yes Will , I hear you ). I picked it up cause it was a twin trunk then found a third trunk part way up the primary trunk. I know nuthing about spruces so I just gave it an arm pit shave to see what I had. I've dug around in the soil and found a couple of major roots but have not really tried to find the nebari. The primary trunk is right at an inch and the secondary is about half that. Don't know if this is junk , landscape material or potensai so help is definately needed. Hell , I don't even know if I can keep it alive !

 

[Anonymous User]

Found this at Lowes ( yes Will , I hear you ).

Lol, I am an avid believer in finding good stock where it is and make no claims that the box stores are useless, in fact I have defended them on this very forum. I also occasionally crawl through the big box isles. The mugo below was purchased for $4.95 at Home Depot. (yeah, the stone sucks)


One thing you'll find out about spruces is that they like the direction "up" and will always fight to remain in that orientation. That shouldn't stop you because they do make interesting bonsai. Vance Wood has a Blue Spruce that is remarkable (it took best of show in our club show this year) and that tree has always been my favorite since the first time I seen it.

It is very hard to see what is inside that Spruce as the foliage blocks the branch structure and trunk movement. Is there a way you could open it up and possibly scape a bit of the soil off so we can see the Nebari?

At first glance I would venture that you may have been better off by leaving all the branches on the left trunk and eventually getting rid of the trunk on the right. This would have left you with a good truck base and a trunk with movement as well as decent taper. This trunk would be far easier to wire and bend as well.

Even as a twin trunk, the left trunk would do well to have a lower branch on the left side.

You may consider in the future with stock such as this to leave all the lower branches instead out cutting them off. They would serve a sacrifice branches, thickening the trunk until such time as the design nears completion.




Will

 

[Dwight]

Yes , the rock does suck.

All the branches I removed were either badly damaged , cut at the nursery or very very small ( pencil led ). What about losing the left trunck and using the fork in the right trunk to get some movement , then repotting at an angle ?

 

[Vance Wood]

Just for arguments sake and coming from a point of view of making a weird decision and having it work; how about losing the right trunk? Have you thought about the possibilities with the left trunk? The trunk is thinner, but the base will now become broader by comparison. The thinner trunk may be bendable and give you better options. I know it is difficult for some people to discard the largest portion of a tree, been there a couple of time myself, but sometimes this makes a better bonsai. However; only you can examine all of the branching to see the possibilities. If only one thing comes of this the option to more closely examine the less obvious is a great lesson to learn.

 

[Dwight]

Will , just a sugestiopn but when you tell a " student " what he should have done after it's too late to do it you can discourage them. It's kinda like saying they screwed up. I still love ya though.

Question : How well will this varmit air layer ?? That seems a good way to loose the right trunk , which from the TWO responses seems to be the way to go. Then I'd possibly end up with a true twin trunk as well as a informal upright. Right now I'm thinking of putting it into a box this fall and let it just grow a year or two unless someone says different.