JBP 'Thunderhead' Progression

0soyoung

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I”ve posted much of this in bits and pieces as part of discussions in other BNutter’s threads. In this thread, I am simply trying to assemble the whole history for my reference and for noobs to see an example of how the bonsai adventure goes sometimes. For the rest of you, I am always receptive to having my ego massaged - feel free. :p

Back in 2010 I found a nice little ‘Thunderhead’ JBP in a local garden center’s annual ‘Lemon Sale’. Since I was an air-layering maniac at the time, my initial action was to attempt layering off the top. Armed with Bonsai4me’s advice, I applied a wire tourniquet instead of cutting a girdle and made some notches in the bark just above it. I dusted them with 3000 ppm IBA, and wrapped it in damp sphagnum covered with a split plastic storage bag.

After a year, the stem had swelled quite nicely above the wire, but there was no hint of adventitious roots. So I re-cut the notches through the bark, closed it back up, and waited another season. In May 2012 I found the beginnings of a few roots, so I cut some more notches and dusted them with IBA powder. Near the end of June I found more roots and replaced the bag of sphagnum with a pot of Turface.

Finally, in early Sep 2013 I harvested the layer. I posted this picture of the layer and remember receiving lots of advice (as well as being immersed in one of my first BNut pissing contests which are still a cherished BNut tradition!).



The bottom half was still stuck in the same nursery soil it had been in since long before I bought it. 2013-09-19 12.13.05.jpg I bare rooted it, like I had several mugos and other things before, in early May2014. Shortly thereafter the needles started to rapidly turn brown, 2014-03-20 14.51.34.jpgbut I held on, against reason, until they were all brown and the buds had turned hard, brown, and were easily flicked off. Lesson #1 learned (HBR thunbergii, don’t totally bare root them from sticky dirt/soil).


Obviously, I was left with the top, my thunderhead on its own roots. I repositioned like this on 7 Apr 2014.


The following Oct I trimmed off quite a lot, trying to find a basic tree for the future and resolved to let the trunk run to fatten it up.


It grew and grew but never really thickened. See that bit of wire I applied to hold that descending branch? It never bit-in, in any way, in three years of growing!



So I chopped it off, kinda liking what I found. I moved it to a different pot this spring, and this is what it looked like after cleaning it up a bit, less than a month ago.


Other than experimenting with select branches, I haven’t ever decandled it. This, of course. is the heart of my plans for the next few years - to see what I’ve got with some further development and a dash of refinement. I think there is hope for it and for me getting it there.
 

Adair M

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Oso,

After 8 years of struggle, you still have a mess.

You can spend your time however you like, but Thunderhead just doesn’t have good bonsai characteristics.

I’m not trying to be rude or condescending, but this is a perfect example of someone beating their head against a wall. Had you spent the time on a “non-Thunderhead” JBP, you would have much better results.
 

0soyoung

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I'm sure you're right, @Adair M. But it is what I do.

Back sometime before I bought this, I was a noob reading articles at evergreengardenworks.com and in one of them @Brent discussed how he thought 'Thunderhead' was a good, but underutilized, variety for bonsai. So here we are.


Bang your head - wasn't that Quiet Riot? :D
 

0soyoung

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I actually like this tree! If it was mine, I would do literati for it.
View attachment 213227
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One would need to regrow that top internode as it is gone.
While it could be done, I just don't see an interesting literati in it.
I might give it to you after a few more years. ;)
 

bonhe

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One would need to regrow that top internode as it is gone.
While it could be done, I just don't see an interesting literati in it.
I might give it to you after a few more years. ;)
Thank you for your offer.
One’s trash, another’s treasure! ?
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Orion_metalhead

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This tree has quite the story. Its amazing what youve done with it so far. The straight trunk above the first branch is an onvious flaw. Have you considered a different angle?
 

0soyoung

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This tree has quite the story. Its amazing what youve done with it so far. The straight trunk above the first branch is an onvious flaw. Have you considered a different angle?
I did, but many years ago and I didn't find one that appealed to me. I gave some thought to lopping off the trunk just above the first branch and using the one seen on the left to develop the second trunk section. It is still a possible future for this tree.

Meanwhile, I'm doing what I'm doing with it. My vision for this tree is pretty well ossified. I'm not likely to change. Nevertheless, I'm interested in the possibilities you apparently have in mind. Let's discuss :)
 

Orion_metalhead

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I was thinking the current fromt view, slanted towards the left, then rotated 180 degrees, so the apex is once again pointing up.
 

0soyoung

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I was thinking the current fromt view, slanted towards the left, then rotated 180 degrees, so the apex is once again pointing up.
There is a problem with what is now the back, as I lost a branch and there is only one. It comes from that lowest whorl and would be close to a near-ground eye poker. The tree would be an open-kimono bared trunk. With some time, foliage could be developed and moved toward the trunk to close the kimono. On the other hand, if it was simply slanted to the right, we'd be looking at the backside of what you envision and would already have the foliage in front. The difference, though, is which way it flows, left or right. We all have our innate preferences for what feels right/correct/proper/as-it-should-be.

You've sparked a thought for another possibly interesting design I hadn't considered before. Tilt to the right to the point that the lower trunk is almost touching down, like a tree fallen and hanging over a cliff side. The right branch is then pointing down and becomes a foliage cascade. The now-apex and two left side branches are developed as tree forms - raft-like.
 

Adair M

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0so, I’m curious about your pot choice. Square pots like that are usually used as cascade or semi- cascades. What are your reasons for choosing this pot?
 
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