Jaboticaba

[Joel Osteen]

Hello,
I am new to this species but found this beauty at a nursery and had to try one.

I am looking for styling tips, I have been told not to wire this species. How should I move my branches?

This tree will be near the ocean for about 6 weeks. Will it survive with the saltwater breeze?

my goal is to accent the movement in the trunk and maybe create a windswept movement. Looking for any advice for this exciting new species for me!

 

[penumbra]

They are nice trees but not nice first bonsai.
Post where you live. Don't know your climate. It is a tropical plant.
It is tough to wire without damage. I used guy wires on mine. You can't tell now because I just cut it back hard.

 

[Joel Osteen]

They are nice trees but not nice first bonsai.
Post where you live. Don't know your climate. It is a tropical plant.
It is tough to wire without damage. I used guy wires on mine. You can't tell now because I just cut it back hard.

It will be in Ohio most of its life. This is not my first tree but I am a beginner. I have an indoor greenhouse for winters. 9 years old

 

[penumbra]

It will be in Ohio most of its life. This is not my first tree but I am a beginner. I have an indoor greenhouse for winters. 9 years old

That is good. It will need a lot of light and heat in the winter. Where light is weak, dieback is strong.
It develops a beautiful trunk renascent of Crepe Myrtle.

 

[coh]

You can definitely wire them. The only issue is the branches can thicken fast and the wire will cut in, so keep an eye on it.

 

[penumbra]

If you are going to wire it, stick to small branches. Use guy wires on thicker ones.
You absolutely don't want the wire to bite into the larger branches or you will have scars for years.

 

[coltranem]

I second the comment that they thicken fast.

 

[canadianlights]

Does anybody have advice on this guy here? I'm also looking for some styling advice, and it is growing quite top-heavy.


Also, should I be removing the wire and going for guy wire instead?

 

[Joel Osteen]

If you are going to wire it, stick to small branches. Use guy wires on thicker ones.
You absolutely don't want the wire to bite into the larger branches or you will have scars for years.

I’ve been told to try wiring them down and using a turn buckle. Thoughts On that? This is a pretty mature tree With thick branches but they need to be moved.

 

[Joel Osteen]

You can definitely wire them. The only issue is the branches can thicken fast and the wire will cut in, so keep an eye on it.

I’m debating drilling holes in the pot and using a turnbuckle to wire down the branches. I love this tree but it’s a little overwhelming for me atm

 

[Forsoothe!]

IMHO, abandon the top half of the tree. Leave it there to hasten growth for now, but redesign the bottom half of the tree to be the keeper tree. Wire lower, thin branches with heavy wire with big loops circling branches so as to guide them through a path like a branch in the centrer of a big spring where there is no real pressure on the branch (they are long twigs now in the picture). Skinny branches will go anywhere you want with this kind of mickey mouse wiring, but it won't leave scars. Chop out of the top section whatever won't spread out where you want it later when you're getting good growth on the whole tree.

 

[leatherback]

I would do nothing to the tree untill you have it at its new spot. Moving it around will be enough stress.
Once it reaches Ohio and you feel it is still completely happy, I would consider a light repot to find out what the rootball looks like. Maybe give it a light all over trim to keep the canopy open. Then in winter loko at it and make your initial styling at the start of the growing season next year so it has a good summer to bounce back.

remember the hare and the turtle. Slowly and steady wins the race.

 

[leatherback]

Note: Recent Jabuticaba ownermyself; See https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/jabuticaba-care.40360/

Mine responded really well to a serious cutback and is now ont its way to set a canopy. I did a loose wiring of the your shoots. I think a trim to the primaries and perhaps secondary branches could help the tree forward, but as said, I would not do that untill you have repotted it so you can look at the roots and decide upon optimal planting angle and alternatives with all the info needed.

If you have some pictures from multiple sides of the tree with the nebari exposed against a plain background I am sure there will be some people helpfull with suggestions for styling.

 

[Joel Osteen]

Note: Recent Jabuticaba ownermyself; See https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/jabuticaba-care.40360/

Mine responded really well to a serious cutback and is now ont its way to set a canopy. I did a loose wiring of the your shoots. I think a trim to the primaries and perhaps secondary branches could help the tree forward, but as said, I would not do that untill you have repotted it so you can look at the roots and decide upon optimal planting angle and alternatives with all the info needed.

If you have some pictures from multiple sides of the tree with the nebari exposed against a plain background I am sure there will be some people helpfull with suggestions for styling.

Appreciate your help. I’m very thankful for this community and how generous people are to give suggestions. I love the trunk movement and what I can see if the nebari on this tree. I know I need to thin out the tree and make it shorter at the top with these strong branches going straight up. But I’m discouraged because I cannot get a vision as to how.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Post a plan view photo (taken from directly over the top of the tree, straight down.) (over a plain background)
You can pull each side down ~30°, as here...

and grow it to this...

 

[canadianlights]

Post a plan view photo (taken from directly over the top of the tree, straight down.) (over a plain background)

Thanks for the virt Forsoothe! I really appreciate the advice and I love that plan.

Will post a picture of the top when I get home from work.

 

[Joel Osteen]

I would do nothing to the tree untill you have it at its new spot. Moving it around will be enough stress.
Once it reaches Ohio and you feel it is still completely happy, I would consider a light repot to find out what the rootball looks like. Maybe give it a light all over trim to keep the canopy open. Then in winter loko at it and make your initial styling at the start of the growing season next year so it has a good summer to bounce back.

remember the hare and the turtle. Slowly and steady wins the race.

It has to make it back in the car with me. So trimming is necessary sadly. I’m going to do minimum possible. I’m wiring the smaller branches now. I fear wiring this tree but it needs it

 

[canadianlights]

@Forsoothe! Here is the plan view. It's kind of hard to see because of the amount of foliage, so I took a picture that best showed the branches. Also attached are some side views to help. I truly appreciate the styling help.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Post #4678 shows a perfect plan view of wiring that you need to do to your Jaboticaba. The branches radiate out from the trunk to cover as much space as possible in flat, horizontal planes that have some curves added so they are not straight like arrows. Ideally, your major branches ascend the trunk like a spiral staircase, each stair a separate flat plane, not directly over or under the cloud/stair-step immediately before it or after it. All new growth will point up at the sun no matter what you do, so you don't have to worry about the empty air space between branches. The smallest branches, which are easy to wire, need to be wired to radiate out from the bigger branches in the same flat plane so that each major branch takes up as much space as wide as possible now and you will proceed with clip & grow to keep them separate clouds that will fill in and develop an appropriate thickness over time. You only need to make branches zig-zag to the extent that they need to fill the space of the individual clouds. This is unusual because you don't have a lot of branches and twigs, unlike the Pine in post#4678.

 

[canadianlights]

Sounds good! I'll try and post an update if all things go well. Thanks @Forsoothe!