@AlainK look at post #2 : i made a virtual to show were i plan to cut the branches (to do clip & grow). I think with time and thickening of the branches and trunk, the curves will become less and less visible. Look at the branches now and look at the branches 2 years ago, you'll see that the movement are attenuated. That's why Ryan Neil himself advises to make more pronounced movements in the branches with wire, because with time thoses curves will become less and less visible
Anyway if you take a look at the "natural" shape of pines in Nature, you'll see mainly slanted and chokkan style. If you look at Bonsai pines in expositions, you'll see all styles of trunks (a lot of curves, massive trunks, shari, gnarled trunk etc). If you look at deciduous trees in Nature, you'll most often see a vertical & thin trunk but if you look at deciduous Bonsai in expositions, you'll see some trees with much more movements in the trunk, and a bigger base, and much more tapper in the trunk. We don't have the obligation to represent exactly the trees in Nature, we can also represent trees with a different shape, trees that we would love to contemplate in our garden. I would love to have this awesome big oak in my garden, but i can't lol so i will try to make a maple Bonsai that reminds me this fantastic oak.
It is said in Japan, that a good Bonsai needs to have a lot of character (mature bark, impressive shari, big trunk, ramifications etc) or a lot of movements in trunk and branches. It is also said that the much rarer Bonsai with an old looking & movements in the trunk are very good.
Anyway everybody can do trees that they like
Can’t believe I hadn’t seen this thread before. Very nice work.
What are you using for soil/substrate? What kind of fertilizer(s)?
Thanks.
I use a mix of substrate (3 - 6mm) . It is akadama (50%) + pumice & pouzzolane & kanuma (50%).
I fertilize with solid organic fertilizer (not the great and expensive solid Japanese fertilizer, just the solid organic fertilizer you can find in supermarket with an N-P-K = 5-5-5 or 6-6-6) that i put in tea bags with sphagnum moss (to keep the fertilizer humid for a longer time). I let those bags all the growth season, i don't change them untill next year
I also fertilize with liquid organic fertilizer like BioGrow (once a week), and i add liquid oligo-elements once a week (chelated iron , magnesium, etc) in my watering can.
I also put long lasting chemical fertilizer (Osmocote Fertiligene) to boost the growth. From time to time, i also water with HB-101 and other products like biogold vital solution (amino-acids and vitamins). I love to add some products to make trees healthy but i dunno if it is really necessary ^^
I water my palmatum with a water from my pitt whose PH is too high (7,8). So i add a PH down solution (phosphoric acid in the PH-down solution) to get a water with PH6. With PH6, normally, the grees grow more because they can absorb easier the micro-nurtiments. I water as soon as the soil particles start to dry out, so i water between 1 and 3 times a day now in summer.
My deciduous trees stay all year long in a openned greenhouse were the T° can grow up to 40°C or more. But they still grow and they prefer hot T° than wind. I leave near to the sea, so i have often some wind and palmatum don't like wind. When the T° is very high (45°C) during heat waves, the extermity of the shoots have little black spots (sun burn) so now i will put the trees out if there's another heat wave coming.
When the tree starts to grow in spring, i don't put fertilizers and i water every 2 days only, to keep (or try to keep ) short internodes, as much as possible, on the interior branches because those interior secondary branches will be the prolongation of the big primary branches (clip & grow on the branches).
What i do on my palmatum is not supposed to be the best lol, i'm just sharing what i do, i'm an amateur, and i just cultivate palmatums since 2 years and a half, so it may change
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