Choose a front please.

[Maloghurst]

I thought I had a front but I’m not so sure now.
commemts welcome.
First choice (roughly current front) has good nebari and branch placement but leans away from the viewer although it does start to come back at the top.
Second choice has better movement and branch placement but nebari is mostly hidden.
I haven’t done much wiring because I am letting it recover after repotting it from nursery last year.
What is your vote?

 

[Shibui]

Is that really nebari or just a tangled mess of roots?
It is rare to have everything you want in the same place so usually we need to make some changes to improve the problems. If your trunk leans away try tipping the tree forward slightly. That often makes enough difference. Try bending the trunk a little to bring the apex forward. This one looks quite thick so bending may not be an option. Use a lower branch growing near the front to replace the current trunk. The branch will usually be pliable enough to bend into better placement.
option 2 is to use the other side which you say already has better trunk and branches so maybe some work on the roots to give better nebari. Look for roots already there but buried. May be possible to lift the tree a little more and expose good nebari on this side. If current roots are not suitable consider layering or root enhancement techniques to get better roots where you want them.

Any of these fixes will take time but the current branches are still quite raw and also need a few years of careful management to look better so you can do any other work while the branches ramify. Rarely an instant fix in bonsai.

 

[Kenneth]

I would choose number 1 and develop it as a slant-style where apex moves right but a strong counter balance in terms of nebari and left bottom branch to anchor the idea of tree slanted to left.

Personally,number 2 may have better movement but feels less cohesive in design principles.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I would pot your tree lower. Low enough to bury all the exposed roots. Typically the nebari should be a radial arrangement of roots much like the spokes of a wheel. You have a tangled knot, which to my tastes does not qualify as "nebari". There is nothing stable, anchoring or particularly natural looking about those roots.

If you bury the nebari you can use side 1 as your front. When you repot lean the tree forward. If you bury the trunk to where the first roots appear, in time, usually 2 or 3 years, new roots will form. You can develop a new nebari.

If you really like the look of the exposed roots. Just repot and lean the tree forward to use the first front.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Presently can not. Tree needs angle change to expose all surface roots 360 degrees. Only then can front be properly chosen.

 

[jaco94]

Hello ,

on the first choice , the first half of the tree had a strong taper but on the upper half the trunk is almost the same diameter and the apex goes backwards .

That's why , I prefer the second photo .
Maybe you can tilt the tree more to the left that the first part of the trunk is about vertical .
A little bit this way :



I find the curve softer and more pleasant with this angle .

 

[Maloghurst]

I repotted and I like these views better for sure. Does the base leave something to be desired, yes.
Im ok with fused root base in the first photo. To me it achieves taper and anchoring and is ok. It has some character imo as well. Won’t win a show but I’m more concerned about branch development on this tree.

1st view: better base imo, tree curves away from viewer at base then curves towards the viewer. Scar in center of trunk.


2nd view: good taper, base is non-existent, silhouette is better? Movement better? Branching more natural and hides the taper less top better.
tree curves towards then away from viewer.

I’m leaning towards view number two. Maybe ground layer in the future

 

[Kenneth]

Ooo i love view number 2 nice wide flare at the base, the crossing root, if im not wrong, might be a problem in the future to your goals of gaining a nice nebari.

 

[sorce]

2 before, 2 still.

Though I liked the swoop before.

Sorce

 

[Maloghurst]

2 before, 2 still.

Though I liked the swoop before.

Sorce

DOH!

 

[sorce]

DOH!

It's still there!

Developing it in this stance could add great beauty to the final stance, that may have never existed without this rendition of potting.

Cheers!

Sorce

 

[Maloghurst]

It's still there!

Developing it in this stance could add great beauty to the final stance, that may have never existed without this rendition of potting.

Cheers!

Sorce

Well the rabbit hole just gets deeper because I like the movement in the first one too. And in the second the curve at the top is not seen in nature very often if at all. The apex just turning after a straight trunk is off putting to my eye. I think I’m going to adjust it some then leave it alone. It does seem the 2nd view is most liked so I’ll stick with that and possibly ground layer in a couple years once established.

 

[sorce]

Well the rabbit hole just gets deeper because I like the movement in the first one too. And in the second the curve at the top is not seen in nature very often if at all. The apex just turning after a straight trunk is off putting to my eye. I think I’m going to adjust it some then leave it alone. It does seem the 2nd view is most liked so I’ll stick with that and possibly ground layer in a couple years once established.

Fwiw, there is a thing about the other side, that Root, the line across it creates will not bring YOU internal joy. Of course I'm not saying you must seek joy from a tree, bit the other, to convey an uneasy feeling, must be captivating to hold a viewer, this line is off-putting, which is why the joy will never come.

The dance floor he curve does in the other.

Doesn't it make you feel something inside?

It's joyous enough for me to forget about any branch flaws. Flaws are fixable.

Base first Anyway, blur that line in your mind and see how it makes you feel.

Sorce

Sorce