Help style this challenging Yew

[leatherback]

Do you have some knowledge as to how to proceed safely in creating my design? The hollow I’m envisioning is entirely artificial and into living tissue, instead of an already rotting section of dead wood

Once established in the pot and healthy, yews take A LOT of abuse. As long as you have decent connected bark to the roots, you can do this sort of work without a lot of risk.

All these cuts were made in one go and the tree never even blinked

 

[Bonsai Forest]

Once established in the pot and healthy, yews take A LOT of abuse. As long as you have decent connected bark to the roots, you can do this sort of work without a lot of risk.

All these cuts were made in one go and the tree never even blinked

View attachment 533793

When would you say is the optimal time for pruning/removing interior needles to promote back budding for Yew?

 

[leatherback]

One thing I can’t find information on is whether there is right time and a wrong time for doing this procedure. Or does it not matter when you perform needle plucking?

I normally allow mine to grow for a bit. Then around june, july when I prune, I pluck, thin and wire. Normally, before summer ends, part of the new backbuds have started to extend.

 

[JRBonsai]

Once established in the pot and healthy, yews take A LOT of abuse. As long as you have decent connected bark to the roots, you can do this sort of work without a lot of risk.

All these cuts were made in one go and the tree never even blinked

I normally allow mine to grow for a bit. Then around june, july when I prune, I pluck, thin and wire. Normally, before summer ends, part of the new backbuds have started to extend.

Excellent, thank you for filling both those gaps in my knowledge!

Given my location (de Achterhoek), my tree’s circumstances will be quite similar to yours, which makes you a very reliable source of information.

 

[leatherback]

de Achterhoek

you are spitting distance!

(Well.. When I am on a tower, wind in my back and there is a hurricane, but, yeah relatively)

 

[JRBonsai]

you are spitting distance!

(Well.. When I am on a tower, wind in my back and there is a hurricane, but, yeah relatively)

That’s a pretty hilarious image

believe it or not - I’ve actually studied at your faculty back in 2018. It’s a small world sometimes.

 

[JRBonsai]

UPDATE 20-03-2024
ID: Taxus Cuspidata, acquired from the nursery of Danny Use


Last weekend, after receiving some nice new dremel bits bought from bonsai4me, I went and did a first rough carving.
Also applied a first layer of lime sulphur and tinted it darker for the hollow areas.
I'll now let the tree rest the remainder of the season and not perform any major procedures. We'll see how the deadwood ages!

Before + after:




Some more angles:

 

[leatherback]

Nice work.

For aging of the deadwood it can be helpfull to not apply limesulphur for the first years (In fact, I find that yew wood deteriorates very slowly if it is not in contact with permanently wet substrate)

 

[JRBonsai]

Nice work.

For aging of the deadwood it can be helpfull to not apply limesulphur for the first years (In fact, I find that yew wood deteriorates very slowly if it is not in contact with permanently wet substrate)

Thanks Jelle. You’re right, yew wood is extremely tough.
No wonder they were used for longbows back in the middle ages.

I think I’m better off ‘aging’ it artificially with some more refined carving and sanding, and perhaps some burning and tinting.
Some of the markings I’ve made are now still a bit too stark and need more subtlety, but I’ll first need to acquire some more carving bits to be able to do this.