Coast Redwood, SUSVIVOR

Mike Page

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Coast Redwood, SURVIVOR

Another stunted Redwood from Mendocino Bonsai. http://www.mcbonsai.com/

My name for this tree is SURVIVOR. I've been training it for about 5-6 years. Height including Mike Hagedorn pot is 13 inches.

Mike
 

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pauldogx

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Beautiful tree Mike!!! Thanks for posting it.

Gonna have to get a redwood one of these days!!
 

mapleman77

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Very nice tree, so different from many redwoods, but I do agree with Shohin Kid. Maybe a rounded rectangular unglazed one??? ;)
 

Attila Soos

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Mike, nice little tree.

Do you know whether we can get a more compact foliage from these redwoods, after some years in bonsai culture?

I am working on a new generation of redwood bonsai, myself (I got 5 new yamadori from Shimon and Zack), after successfully killing off my last batch, last year. So, compact foliage at this point is not an issue for me, since I am working on the first draft of the design. But I wonder whether the long leaves get any more compact as the bonsai matures. This is important, since it would be good to know whether we need to adapt the design to the long leaves, or the leaves will adapt to our design.
 

Mike Page

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Attila, what happeed to your little redwoods? I realize Southern California isn't the best climate for them, but I suppose you could create conditions for growing redwoods. I would guess that heavy shade cloth with little or no direct sun coming through. Even here, with the often cool and foggy climate, I keep my redwoods in mostly shade. And plenty of water.
Re. foliage. Redwoods will get very compact after a few years of pinching, feeding, and more and more pinching. The one I posted was a scraggly little thing when I bought it.

Mike
 

Attila Soos

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Attila, what happeed to your little redwoods? I realize Southern California isn't the best climate for them, but I suppose you could create conditions for growing redwoods. I would guess that heavy shade cloth with little or no direct sun coming through. Even here, with the often cool and foggy climate, I keep my redwoods in mostly shade. And plenty of water.
Re. foliage. Redwoods will get very compact after a few years of pinching, feeding, and more and more pinching. The one I posted was a scraggly little thing when I bought it.

Mike

I pruned them too much, too late in the season, and left them in the scorching sun.

Well, I learned now, and I have a greenhouse as well, so keeping them moist, shaded, and protected, is not a problem anymore.

But it is high time that someone publishes some bonsai literature about these trees. I have found nothing out there, showing how exactly they need to be trained.

For starter, how do you exactly pinch the foliage, and when. I imagine the pinching off the leaves doesn't do much - but it may stimulate new branches....I have no idea.
So the young branches must be pinched - but when? A new shoot may be pinched when 1 or 2 inches long (very young and not yet lignified), or when it starts lignifying? Again, I have no idea.

So, do we have to make all the mistakes, and re-invent all the techniques, or can someone point to a reference literature? We have a thousand and one books on black pines, but NOTHING on redwood. Besides, there must be many similarities in training the Coast-, Dawn-redwood, and Baldies - although the latters are deciduous. I grow the latters as well, but I am really in the dark when it comes to specific techniques.
 

Mike Page

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I pruned them too much, too late in the season, and left them in the scorching sun.



For starter, how do you exactly pinch the foliage, and when. I imagine the pinching off the leaves doesn't do much - but it may stimulate new branches....I have no idea.
So the young branches must be pinched - but when? A new shoot may be pinched when 1 or 2 inches long (very young and not yet lignified), or when it starts lignifying? Again, I have no idea.

QUOTE]
Attila
I think you can start pinching anytime the branch is the length you want, and it doesn't matter if it's hardened off or not. I made a couple of before and after images by merging photos.

Bob and Zack Shimon should write a book on Redwood Bonsai. They are the experts. Another local expert and friend/fellow club member is Tim Kong of San Francisco.
 

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Bob

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I like what you have ther Mike. What kind of end result are you looking for ?

Bob
 

Mike Page

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I like what you have ther Mike. What kind of end result are you looking for ?

Bob

Bob,I did a virtual illustrating how I hope it might look in a couple of years or so. Mainly filling in and following the present basic outline.

Mike
 

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