From Only Everyone My Interest Needs Assistance

[sorce]

January 17 17.


Current.

Finding one side of the base rooty and interesting....
And the other side bare, or lower....

Repot?.

Argh!

Sorce

 

[sorce]

In looking at these roots....


With this @Gdy2000 like option branch directly opposite....

And no roots found for at least a 2 tree inches down that left side....

I'm thinking this...

As a new trunkline....

@herzausstahl this is what I was thinking about when talking about baseball bats.

If your CO Blue is so vigorous...
Do you have a 4 wheeler?
A sledge hammer?
A rubber padded log splitter?

With the "bit bigger" you have to go with the Blues....
I think you still have options....

But you gotta treat it like a Hyena treats a baby impala...

Or the way a lion treats a baby hyena...

Or the way a coyote did my guys Chihuahua...

Or the way Matt Spiniken....the Old Matt Spiniken does a seal pup....

Or how M.Zilla does Japan....

Or how everyone thinks Vance is doing someone until they realize Vance is just funny as hell!

I'd go with climbing it with a 4 wheeler until you

"hear it snap"

Lol...
But for real!

Sorce

 

[my nellie]

Looks like you have the magic touch @sorce
Will you please let me post a question here...?
Thank you in anticipation!

... ...The Black Hills Spruce will survive very low humidity, dry air, high heat, and dry soils much better than White Spruce or Dwarf Alberta Spruce.
... ...but it is one of the most drought tolerant of spruce species around.
... ...Black Hills Spruce will tolerate low humidity and dryer soils.

The environment that you describe correlates to my place conditions in summer.
I always wanted to grow a Picea but never started, knowing other bonsai friends are facing difficulties and their trees die after some time.
Do you know of a variety (by its scientific name) which might survive conditions similar to the above. Which is the scientific name of Black Hills Spruce?
Picea pungens glauca is one of the imported cultivars that can be found here in nurseries.

 

[sorce]

Them holes held driftwood for Fish tank decor....
I think I barely cover the left one...
This could work.

?

Sorce

 

[sorce]

The environment that you describe correlates to my place conditions in summer.
I always wanted to grow a Picea but never started, knowing other bonsai friends are facing difficulties and their trees die after some time.
Do you know of a variety (by its scientific name) which might survive conditions similar to the above. Which is the scientific name of Black Hills Spruce?
Picea pungens glauca is one of the imported cultivars that can be found here in nurseries.

@Leo in N E Illinois
That quote was for you...

Sorce

 

[StoneCloud]

Nice progression on this one, it's grown a lot! interested to see the next chop

 

[sorce]

the next chop

Strikes me as odd that we are reasonably talking about this like it is deciduous!

But here we are....
2 years..2 big reductions...

And if it gets more vigorous than this....
I May faint....

A.....May Fainting...if you will...

April showers bring...
Me passed out dun knocked my knog on that prehindsighting not so good idea large stone garden edging!

But it Was free!

Lolololol!

It ain't showing any signs of "please don't!".

Sorce

 

[StoneCloud]

Strikes me as odd that we are reasonably talking about this like it is deciduous!

But here we are....
2 years..2 big reductions...

And if it gets more vigorous than this....
I May faint....

A.....May Fainting...if you will...

April showers bring...
Me passed out dun knocked my knog on that prehindsighting not so good idea large stone garden edging!

But it Was free!

Lolololol!

It ain't showing any signs of "please don't!".

Sorce

You never know what a tree will bring!!!

Now that is a new use for garden stones.....although I wouldn't recommend it HAHA!!!

Hope you are ok...or as ok as you can be

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Looks like you have the magic touch @sorce
Will you please let me post a question here...?
Thank you in anticipation!The environment that you describe correlates to my place conditions in summer.
I always wanted to grow a Picea but never started, knowing other bonsai friends are facing difficulties and their trees die after some time.
Do you know of a variety (by its scientific name) which might survive conditions similar to the above. Which is the scientific name of Black Hills Spruce?
Picea pungens glauca is one of the imported cultivars that can be found here in nurseries.

The official name for Black Hills spruce is Picea glauca var densata, this is the ecotype that will tolerate low humidity and drought better than any of the spruces. Reminder, even though they are found in proximity to the Dakota Badlands, which are quite dry, the are found ABOVE the Badlands, at elevation above 7000 feet, about 3000 meters elevation. There is more moisture available at these heights, but it is still relatively dry compared to where white spruce, Picea glauca nominate form, is found. Possibly the same or slightly less moisture available than most blue spruce, Picea pungens habitat.

Blue spruce, pungens, and glauca var densata are the two most tolerant spruce for low humidity and dry soils. Warning, bone dry soils will damage them, they are not cacti, or pomegranates, but they will tolerate more time at nearly, but not quite dry than other spruce species. They love water when they can get it, grow better with consistent watering. Just saying there is a somewhat wider margin for error.

 

[my nellie]

@Leo in N E Illinois thank you very much for the useful info.
Not sure though if I can find any of those here.... Labeling plants in nurseries is such a mess in Greece... You can never be confident what is it you have bought...

 

[sorce]

Mad dead roots on this....

Good news, there was a good Matt of feeders in the top couple inches.



Sorce

 

[Tieball]

Mad dead roots on this....

Good news, there was a good Matt of feeders in the top couple inches.

View attachment 156736 View attachment 156737 View attachment 156738 View attachment 156739 View attachment 156740 View attachment 156741

Sorce

The tree has excellent character...and ready to tell a story to the viewer. Excellent starting points. Excellent work!

 

[sorce]

Excellent work!

This was mostly accidental or circumstantial!

Maybe it was Karma!

Thanks Tieball!

If it lives it will be Karma sure!
And I will THEN work my hardest to make it dope for you!

Sorce

 

[VAFisher]

Looks sweet dude. And looks really green and healthy too! I would have been tempted to go more upright with it based on one of those photos above. But I like the direction you're going.

 

[defra]

Nice just read the whole thread
Amazing how this tree grew in this relative short period!

I see semi cascade no?
Looking forward to this progression!

 

[sorce]

I see semi cascade no?

Yeah...I was intending to use that thinner front branch.

That bigger one that now hangs down, this is the first time It's looked any good.

I layed it down like so, otherwise the base wasn't going to make much sense.

I may try to incorporate everything in the design.

But time and health will tell!

Thanks bros!

Sorce

 

[just.wing.it]

Very nice @sorce, very cool!
I love the progression!
When are you gonna wire it out?

 

[sorce]

wire it out?

If it looks as vigorous in spring...
I'm gonna remove one or two more unusable trunk extensions and prune for structure all year 18..then wire it in fall 18.....

Maybe.

Sorce

 

[Tieball]

If it looks as vigorous in spring...
I'm gonna remove one or two more unusable trunk extensions and prune for structure all year 18..then wire it in fall 18.....

Maybe.

Sorce

I look forward to seeing the progress, changes and wildness you'll bring to the tree. The tree is making a growth statement....creating movement....it's not quietly sitting in the soil.

 

[Vance Wood]

You need to understand that most of the people on this site are very much like I am, stumbling around in the dark about mastering Spruce. Most of us grade our mastery of the tree by how many times we have walked into the thing while looking at something else. Spruce are not so user friendly, the do not take top wiring well, you can wire them, and bend them, and mark them with a B, and throw them in the oven for baby and me. OOPs that a differnet subject but not by much. When you are done with all of this they tend to go right back to before you touched the tree. If you decide to wire don't expect the tree to cooperate in one or two years. You must continually rewire the tree.

Probably the best thing is use guy wires when practical. I don't mean guy wires where you loop around a branch and torque it to another branch, with another loop. You should use screws and drill through holes that can be left in place for years if necessary. Do not cut branches off flush, leave stubs of at least an inch on small trees and longer on larger trees. Remember it is better to jin an ugly stub than it is to try and deal with a really ugly scar. One major rule in my way of doing bonsai is; if you cannot make what you do look invisible make sure the evidence of your activity looks natural, jined stubs, sticking out of holes look like acts of nature, use your imagination.