First Trident

[Smoke]

Is it OK to repot after wiring those branches?

Dave

I have no clue about your weather.....but, I like how this tree is coming along.

Nice, Al

 

[Brian Underwood]

Agreed, pretty nice chop choices and branch selection. Its perfectly fine to repot after wiring as it doesn't stress the tree out much (especially trident), just make sure it is the right time of year in your area for repotting. I think that was the question....

 

[HotAction]

Brian and Al, Thankyou very much, glad you like it. Yes Brian, you are correct. My concern was not with the weather, but with the multiple abuses in a short period of time. So, it looks like i can go ahead and do some root work. Thanks for the replies.

Dave

 

[HotAction]

Ok got it planted into the next training container. there were some roots i wanted to make sure stayed moist, so i added a "fence" to keep the soil a bit higher around the base.

 

[noissee]

I like it a lot. Good job making something good with what you had.

 

[HotAction]

Ok, snapped a quick shot of this one with some foliage. The top part of the tree needs to get chased back in a few spots, and I will address it when the time is right.

Dave

 

[bonsaiTOM]

Dave,

Some of us may not know the term "chased back". What's your plan?

Tom

 

[mcpesq817]

Hey Dave, your tree is working out very nicely. Thanks for sharing.

As an aside, tridents are one of my favorite deciduous trees to work on. They are incredibly responsive, bud back well, insect and disease resistant, and are pretty much bulletproof

 

[HotAction]

Dave,

Some of us may not know the term "chased back". What's your plan?

Tom

Tom, it is when you cut back to a spot to force buds and shoots to break further back along the branch/trunk, and then cut back to those new shoots. This process is repeated untill you get what you were going for. At least that is what I am refering to when I say that phrase.

Dave

 

[HotAction]

Snapped a couple quick pics today.

Dave

 

[october]

Excellent work on this tree..very nice

 

[Smoke]

Hey, that looks like a tree.....

 

[bonsaiTOM]

1st trident - lookin' good!

 

[daygan]

my thoughts

While I have barely two months of experience working with potential bonsai, I'll like to offer my thoughts:

I actually like the side that you have made the back side as the preferred front of the tree. the callous in the front, I think, gives it character.

Also, I think now might be the time to think about the movement of your tree. The main trunk has some movement that you might want to work with as you develop it's shape. viewing it from your preferred front, it sort of curves left, and then, with the new apex that you're developing there, back right. My thought is that you might want to emphasize that leftward arch (which might require removing that new top branch that you've got there and developing another that moves leftward), something like this (except in these drawings the curve is right because we're seeing it from the opposite side):

Anyway, just an idea.

Also, have you defoliated it yet? If not, you might want to consider doing that in mid-summer to decrease leaf size.

 

[catfish chapstick]

nice little tree. certainly some hot bonsai action

 

[HotAction]

Thanks for the nice replies everyone. Glad you nuts like it. It is going to a display at an art festival over the July 4th weekend, and then I plan on defoliating.

Dave

 

[daygan]

defoliating

Cool. Defoliating should help to encourage back-budding and develop ramification[SUP](correction: not stratification)[/SUP] on the branches as well.

 

[HotAction]

Ok, I took off the leaves and the wire. I also still need to chop a few branches back, but I wanted to look at it for a day or two before hand.

Dave

 

[bonsaiTOM]

AWESOME!

A lot of folks from the exhibit would love to see what you've done.
Question - do you recommend fertilizing soon after defoliating - or not?

 

[rosieface]

Really beautiful. Thanks for continuing to post your progress--I am learning a lot from this thread!