Drastic re-style of my first collected tree. A pitiful tree at that.

[Hartinez]

Collected this tree a year or two after getting in to Bonsai. 2013 I believe. Pretty sure it’s an RMJ as it was collected in northern New Mexico at around 8000 ft.

I was super pumped it survived at styled it as a formal upright. As I learned more, I realized how plain the tree truly was. A stick in a pot with a handful of branches with Pom Poms. I kept trimming g it back each year but eventually threw it in a random round pot and left it alone. I couldn’t bring myself to getting rid of it. And even when neglected grew well. Very leggy, but well.

I decided that as my trees and benches get better that my space is precious and it’s either going to be. Nice tree and something to hold on to or it’s got to go.

cant say it’ll survive the work but this tree was on the chopping block, so not a big loss if it dies. I removed about 75% of the foliage soooooo. Yeah there’s that. But I did little to no root work on a pretty well developed pad of roots. It’ll always be leggy, but it just may be worth saving at this point. Went for a bunjin mindset.

first photo is the oldest image I could find. A screen shot from a video I took in 2017, right before I let it go.
Next shot is from before styling.
Next shot is today.
Thoughts??

 

[cheap_walmart_art]

Really great to see how your vision for the tree changed between then and now. Looks good, I'll hope that it recovers well from the work for you!

 

[Hartinez]

Really great to see how your vision for the tree changed between then and now. Looks good, I'll hope that it recovers well from the work for you!

Thanks Clay. It is pretty wild looking at what I did and what I do now. Not that I’ve got it figured out, but I feel I’ve come along Way.

 

[michaelj]

Thanks Clay. It is pretty wild looking at what I did and what I do now. Not that I’ve got it figured out, but I feel I’ve come along Way.

It is quite a dramatic improvement.

 

[sorce]

Yeah nice.

This is a great real life progression.
It shows not giving up on some shit people might have said to.
Realizing it needs a drastic change to be good.
(This next one is the important part)
Finding a path that actually has a future.
And doing the work to go there.

I don't think this rendition is the rendition that this tree finds its potential in, but it is absolutely what was necessary to find it.

Excellent path.

Sorce

 

[Hartinez]

forgot I did a little 360 vid.

 

[Tieball]

You created a vast improvement over that stick in a pot that it was way back then. It has an exciting potential now to get even better over the next years. It seems that simplicity won the battle of what to do. I like the naturally elegant rugged appearance. The tree looks like it weathered the storms and came through with a new course of vigor. Nicely done. Well carried out. Mighty fine!

 

[Hartinez]

Yeah nice.

This is a great real life progression.
It shows not giving up on some shit people might have said to.
Realizing it needs a drastic change to be good.
(This next one is the important part)
Finding a path that actually has a future.
And doing the work to go there.

I don't think this rendition is the rendition that this tree finds its potential in, but it is absolutely what was necessary to find it.

Excellent path.

Sorce

It’s one of those also where I can’t quite bring myself to parting with this tree. I was so excited when I first dug it and it survived, my mother in law whose house I dug it from thought I was a bit crazy. But you know...welcome to crazy.

 

[Hartinez]

You created a vast improvement over that stick in a pot that it was way back then. It has an exciting potential now to get even better over the next years. It seems that simplicity won the battle of what to do. I like the naturally elegant rugged appearance. The tree looks like it weathered the storms and came through with a new course of vigor. Nicely done. Well carried out. Mighty fine!

Thank you! Hopefully it will survive the foliage reduction, but it’s been tough as nails up to this point.

 

[Tieball]

Thank you! Hopefully it will survive the foliage reduction, but it’s been tough as nails up to this point.

Always fun....you’re at the point where to a great deal you have to step back and wait for results. The really cool feeling is when you see new growth, new shoots and new buds begin to show and develop. The payback for your patience and care. Then the battle to keep it healthy follows.

 

[Cosmos]

Very cool story. I’d look for penjing bunjin trees for inspiration (figurine optional ). I don’t think you should rule out a perfectly straight, upright trunk.

 

[GGB]

good for you, I quit on all my original attempts on the grounds that they were too small. I wish I had the foresight to start bigger and hang onto all the seedlings I bailed on. I think the new style looks about as good as it could considering the material. I mean that in a nice way.. sounded backhanded, but it's not.

 

[Hartinez]

good for you, I quit on all my original attempts on the grounds that they were too small. I wish I had the foresight to start bigger and hang onto all the seedlings I bailed on. I think the new style looks about as good as it could considering the material. I mean that in a nice way.. sounded backhanded, but it's not.

No offense taken. Calling a spade a spade. It was crap material. It’s the nostalgia of it that’s got me keeping it. And with the new design I think I’ll hold onto it for another 7 and see where it goes.

 

[plant_dr]

Was wiring the jin at the top necessary?

 

[Hartinez]

Was wiring the jin at the top necessary?

I had wired out all of the fresh jins to place each dead branch where I wanted it. I also wired out the top Jin to also try and add a bit of movement. Was able to bend it just a bit, but not as much as I would have liked. It’ll come off soon.

 

[SilverShoe99]

The tree finally smiled back at you. (Not my line...that's Walter Pall, right?)

I love this transformation. I, too, have a particularly shitty, pom-pom bullshit stick-in-a-pot formal upright juniper. This gives me hope it might just become something some day.

 

[AaronThomas]

I like the angle... AND the tree.

 

[Japonicus]

I had wired out all of the fresh jins to place each dead branch where I wanted it. I also wired out the top Jin to also try and add a bit of movement. Was able to bend it just a bit, but not as much as I would have liked. It’ll come off soon.

How long has it been since you stripped the bark, is there any sap still in it?
Next time you have such a Jin try the fire method. It may take 2 people, but it works.
This one is up high so one person certainly could roast the bending point with an adjustable
lighter passing the flame back n forth until it bends, beyond the desired point, and hold
in place till it cools and the sap sets, but there has to be sap 1st.

This project is very reminiscent of one I’ve seen. Dejavu? Nice turn around

 

[Hartinez]

How long has it been since you stripped the bark, is there any sap still in it?
Next time you have such a Jin try the fire method. It may take 2 people, but it works.
This one is up high so one person certainly could roast the bending point with an adjustable
lighter passing the flame back n forth until it bends, beyond the desired point, and hold
in place till it cools and the sap sets, but there has to be sap 1st.

This project is very reminiscent of one I’ve seen. Dejavu? Nice turn around

Hadn’t heard of that method! But it makes sense on freshly jinned branches. This one was partially dead already with another section that was freshly stripped. I may eventually wrap the top with wet paper towels to get it nice and wet, but I’m also not sure I will keep this angle long term. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Japonicus]

Hadn’t heard of that method!

The reason I say 2 people is not due to the size of a jin, but one to hold some sort of heat deflector
particularly foliage above the flame, while the stylist performs the work. I've used needle nose pliers
on smaller jins to put some really nice bends into an otherwise boring straight branch or accentuate existing curves.
Then sand if needed (if you're careful, you just need to heat the sap to the point the branch moves just beyond desired position,
not burn the wood best you can) and treat with lime sulfur.