JBP raw stock styling

[Adair M]

What you have here is a start on creating good "starter stock". No way even close to "final branches".

Now, this is the part that gets hard. How to develop a thick trunk and still keep nice, short internoded, branches down low?

This does involve letting some branches grow up unchecked, letting g it get tall, and build wood. While keeping the branches below healthy.

The best examples I can point you to are in Eric Schraeder's thread "A Few Pine Seeds Six Years Later". It's on this forum. He started it several years ago, and he continues to update it.

Another good resource is Jonas' blog www.bonsaitonight.com. He has grown hundreds of JBP this way, and has documented the process.

Each tree will need to be evaluated separately. What you need to do for one tree might not be appropriate for the one sitting next to it!

So pick one, take a picture from all 4 sides, and post them here. Please remove the weeds first! So we can see the trunk.

 

[namnhi]

Adair,

I am aware of the thread created by Eric as well as Jonas' blog. By final branches, I was referring to the branches the I will keep. The question was, since I don't have to have big huge trunks, should I go ahead and pick the 'final branches now and remove all the extras. Most of my starter stock do not have the kind of taper Eric and Jonas strike for. I like small trees that has subtle movement in the trunk. Knowing what my goal is... should I decandle and cut off all the branches that I don't need? I think am at the point that I need to do that so the trunk don't bulk at the whorl (spelling??).

NN

 

[Adair M]

Well, if you don't want thick trunks, removing branches will be the way to go. Less branches means less foliage. Less foliage means less food to build trunk.

Of course, that's pretty much contrary to the way JBP are traditionally styled. But, if that's your goal, removing branches will keep those trunks thin.

I, on the other hand, prefer the fat trunked JBP:

 

[namnhi]

Well, if you don't want thick trunks, removing branches will be the way to go. Less branches means less foliage. Less foliage means less food to build trunk.

Of course, that's pretty much contrary to the way JBP are traditionally styled. But, if that's your goal, removing branches will keep those trunks thin.

I, on the other hand, prefer the fat trunked JBP:


View attachment 110214

That is definitely a beautiful tree.!!

 

[Adair M]

It's a work in progress.