How big is your Trunk

[Smoke]

I look at all the new posts each night and all I see are threads about cuttings, little tiny trees from mail order houses. Scrawny trees dug up from the woods, fruit trees with trunks barely 1/2 inch across.

Now please use common sense and only post replies that have to do with "bonsai". You know, trees that are well established and fit the definition of what bonsai is. Ramified branches that are well defined. Residing in a bonsai pot and ready to be displayed in an exhibit. I understand that people may have smaller trees that are being grown out and even starters in 4 inch cups. That's not what I'm interested in. I just see a trend here and would like to see how this breaks out.

If you only have one tree that is 2 inches across, thats OK.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Quite a few around 3.5”...

 

[Clicio]

This "mine is bigger than yours" competition is sort of...
Childish?

 

[just.wing.it]

Earlier pic, no tape and not show ready, but not a stick!
Pot is 18" wide.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

This "mine is bigger than yours" competition is sort of...
Childish?

It could be seen that way...if you didn’t read the original post:

Now please use common sense and only post replies that have to do with "bonsai". .
If you only have one tree that is 2 inches across, thats OK.

Some threads need time to develop...

 

[justBonsai]

Thickest one I got. Did major root work, hot bagged it, and basic structural pruning a few weeks ago. 40+ years from acorn from a local bonsai enthusiast. My nandina and coast oak I've posted a lot before are pretty up there too. Nandina has been potted in a smaller container and had a second round of structural pruning but no updated pictures yet.

 

[Dav4]

I wonder what Freud would say...

 

[TN_Jim]

Aside from general aesthetic, do you think that larger trees provide overall greater advantages than smaller ones, or more of a challenge?

I have been weary of collecting larger material - largest base is ~3.5'', am extremely happy with this find, but it seems daunting. For example, growing that new leader to match a size ratio below a big chop with fluidity is a puzzle of time and my inexperience.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Aside from general aesthetic, do you think that larger trees provide overall greater advantages than smaller ones, or more of a challenge?

I have been weary of collecting larger material - largest base is ~3.5'', am extremely happy with this find, but it seems daunting. For example, growing that new leader to match a size ratio below a big chop with fluidity is a puzzle of time and my inexperience.

Bigger trees are more forgiving, but take a lot more time to accomplish each refinement task (pinching, wiring...). Small trees have no margin for error, both horticultural and stylistically, but you can clean them up pretty quick.

 

[Smoke]

BONSAI
You know, tree with sculpted branches and look beautiful in the correct pot. More finished trees. Not pictures of stumps in pots. Stumps in pots mean nothing. Hell I didn't even ask for pictures, just post in the poll. Of course you have to be honest with yourself.

I already know how @Clicio feels about his material....Maybe I should have started with "larger than 1/4 inch"

 

[justBonsai]

BONSAI
You know, tree with sculpted branches and look beautiful in the correct pot. More finished trees. Not pictures of stumps in pots. Stumps in pots mean nothing. Hell I didn't even ask for pictures, just post in the poll. Of course you have to be honest with yourself.

I already know how @Clicio feels about his material....Maybe I should have started with "larger than 1/4 inch"

Jeeze, I thought the picture bit was a little implied. A little hard to to describe trees purely with text. Well I've only been in the game for 4 years and have been developing all my trees from scratch. You were the first person to give me advice when I joined this forum, and it was pretty nice considering how crappy the tree was that I shared. I've come a long way since then.

I suppose I can't even participate?

The trees below are my most refined trees. If these aren't even passable I will refrain from participating in this thread. I am pretty limited by the number of years I've been in bonsai so it's the best I got.

This my furthest in development tree I developed from only a trunk. Coast live oak. 3 years into it so far. It got put in a terra cotta pot this year. Maybe after 3 more years of development I'll put it in a over sized bonsai pot. Not sure if this qualifies.



Here's my ficus I've developed from mallsai type cutting grown material. A bit over 2.5 inch trunk. One of my first trees with 4 years into it.



A lot of people didn't like this tree when I first posted it. One of my first trees with 3.5+ years of development into it. After the second cycle of refining and a full rewiring it improved greatly. The base is 1.25 inches but the sub trunks are small at only .5 inch max. The tree has done very well in Southern California and I see it thicken a little bit each year. After 10 years this tree will start becoming real nice.

 

[Smoke]

I suppose I can't even participate?


Not sure if this qualifies.



After 10 years this tree will start becoming real nice.

I picked out the relevant lines:


I suppose I can't even participate? You answered your question in the third line I picked. You have made a decision to make this tree something and you put a time frame on it. I feel you are about correct in your assessment of the material In ten years this will indeed be relevant.


Not sure if this qualifies. You know if it qualifies. asking the question is a cop out on your own confidence. If asked to participate in a really good Southern California Bonsai Exhibit, would you choose this tree to exemplify your skills as an artist. However you choose to make that decision shows how far you have come.


After 10 years this tree will start becoming real nice. You didn't come by this because you are a bonsai guru or something, you have read here and else where, hung around with highly skilled people and come to realize that it takes time to do good bonsai. That is truly something to feel proud of.

Thanks for posting, this made my evening....[/QUOTE]

 

[wireme]

I do have a few less than half inchers that I’m quite fond of though...I really enjoy sitting with this one, hopefully will be more nice in time even though she’s skinny.

 

[Adair M]

I

I think this one qualifies:




I don’t know if it’s worthy of showing at a Southern California show. It’s been in one in Northern California. And it will shown at a little show in upstate New York in a couple of months.

 

[justBonsai]

I picked out the relevant lines:
Thanks for posting, this made my evening....

[/QUOTE]

I suppose I can't even participate? You answered your question in the third line I picked. You have made a decision to make this tree something and you put a time frame on it. I feel you are about correct in your assessment of the material In ten years this will indeed be relevant.
If the 3rd line is my answer I'm 10 years from being able to participate..?

Not sure if this qualifies. You know if it qualifies. asking the question is a cop out on your own confidence. If asked to participate in a really good Southern California Bonsai Exhibit, would you choose this tree to exemplify your skills as an artist. However you choose to make that decision shows how far you have come.
Well no, of course it is many years from being in an exhibition. I feel that the structure and image is getting refined to the point the end goal of the tree can be envisioned but it still has some time before it gets there. I only have a few more primary branches to set and secondary branches are set on all the existing primaries.

After 10 years this tree will start becoming real nice. You didn't come by this because you are a bonsai guru or something, you have read here and else where, hung around with highly skilled people and come to realize that it takes time to do good bonsai. That is truly something to feel proud of.
This is a complement? lol It did take me 2 years into my bonsai career to recognize that it takes time to produce good trees. The way I saw it starting out is that I only have 3 more years of consistent, stable living conditions (enough so to keep bonsai). After graduating college who knew what I'd do. Heck I would of never guessed that I'd be moving to Japan to apprentice. I wanted trees that could be "finished" within that time span. Clearly it takes more than 3 years to "complete" a tree though and I recognized that as I got deeper in the art.

My hinoki is among my favorite trees because I developed it 100% myself with no help or advice. I think it has good potential and as the bark ages along with the trunks thickening up it will look really good.

 

[Smoke]

I think this one qualifies:
View attachment 189183

View attachment 189184

I don’t know if it’s worthy of showing at a Southern California show. It’s been in one in Northern California. And it will shown at a little show in upstate New York in a couple of months.

New York....that explains it... I didn't even know they had a topiary division.

 

[Adair M]

New York....that explains it... I didn't even know they had a topiary division.

Lol!! They don’t. And this ain’t topiary!

 

[Smoke]

Lol!! They don’t. And this ain’t topiary!

Subjective opinion.....

 

[justBonsai]

Well I completely missed this part of the original post. I guess there is my answer.

Ramified branches that are well defined. Residing in a bonsai pot and ready to be displayed in an exhibit.

 

[Smoke]

At this rate I'll crack 9800 by morning.

Maybe I could start a thread about the 2018 BIB exhibit.....that would be a hoot! I think I came home with 7 pictures. That was the only seven good trees in the exhibit and I been going to that for 20 years. What the hell happened!!!!