Just another Shimpaku

[Eric Group]

This is a tree I bought from Weigert's about 3-4 years ago on a trip down to South Florida... It was at the time one of the first Shimpaku I had owned in quite some time. I had one about 10-12 years ago, it died and I didn't own another Shimpaku for probably 7-8 years til I got this one and a couple others all within the span of maybe a year or two of each other. I now have DOZENS I guess... Still trying to decide if I love this tree or hate it.. I come up with a plan, start putting it in motion and don't like what results, so I change it again. It is a double trunk, and the second trunk winds off the main in a sinuous style I find pleasing... but it doesn't exactly wotk with the rest of the tree... I have one little Jin stump, and I am thinking more and more that a LOT more deadwood is needed on this tree. Deciding what and where to do it is the problem... and selling on an apex is an issue for me with this one as well.. Currently I am letting the top grow unchecked, but most of that will be removed int he sprigg when I plan to prune all My Shimpaku and start the next round of cuttings!

Want to give me some design ideas? Great! Tell me if you think it should be in the "love it" pile or the "hate it" pile?- feel free! I love comments! Most of all this will be the progression thread for this guy though...

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Love it! But...

This is a small tree. You are having small tree problems - one of the greatest of which is that the branches are too thick for the size of the trunk. If you look at the tree you don't see a convincing large tree in nature, you see a small tree styled as a bonsai.

So I would recommend you try to look at the tree with fresh eyes from the nebari to the trunk, ignoring everything else. Once you decide on the trunk line, you are going to have to resolve the branches, and there are only two ways to do so - (1) cut them off in such a way that you don't kill the tree and that you still have small branches to work with or (2) grow that leader out at least 24" and thicken the trunk while keeping the branches their current size.

But hey, it's a shimpaku. What's not to love?

 

[Eric Group]

Love it! But...

This is a small tree. You are having small tree problems - one of the greatest of which is that the branches are too thick for the size of the trunk. If you look at the tree you don't see a convincing large tree in nature, you see a small tree styled as a bonsai.

So I would recommend you try to look at the tree with fresh eyes from the nebari to the trunk, ignoring everything else. Once you decide on the trunk line, you are going to have to resolve the branches, and there are only two ways to do so - (1) cut them off in such a way that you don't kill the tree and that you still have small branches to work with or (2) grow that leader out at least 24" and thicken the trunk while keeping the branches their current size.

But hey, it's a shimpaku. What's not to love?

You nailed it! Branches are too thick for the size of the tree... That is a big part of why I want to remove a bunch and Jin the Hell out of this thing down low...

Instead of removing that Apex I am considering letting it grow and bending it around to be the new first branch of the main trunk the way Neli was always talking about doing... It would be a 180 design turn, but I could sure make some interesting deadwood from what is growing off the low part of the trunk... It would give me an excuse to twist and tie this thing up in a knot and go for a crazy Yamadori style! I have a while to think about it... Wouldn't do any of that until Feb at the earliest.

 

[sorce]

2d sucks!

I think you may be able to come up with a way to ditch maybe one heavy branch, and turn the others into trunks.

Twisty, turny, angly changy,........

But if you can utilize what is there, as trunks in their own right, I think this can become a SMALLER tree, with less issues, real fast.

Time to call the tiny wire fairy!

Sorce

 

[Eric Group]

This is a tree I bought from Weigert's about 3-4 years ago on a trip down to South Florida... It was at the time one of the first Shimpaku I had owned in quite some time. I had one about 10-12 years ago, it died and I didn't own another Shimpaku for probably 7-8 years til I got this one and a couple others all within the span of maybe a year or two of each other. I now have DOZENS I guess... Still trying to decide if I love this tree or hate it.. I come up with a plan, start putting it in motion and don't like what results, so I change it again. It is a double trunk, and the second trunk winds off the main in a sinuous style I find pleasing... but it doesn't exactly wotk with the rest of the tree... I have one little Jin stump, and I am thinking more and more that a LOT more deadwood is needed on this tree. Deciding what and where to do it is the problem... and selling on an apex is an issue for me with this one as well.. Currently I am letting the top grow unchecked, but most of that will be removed int he sprigg when I plan to prune all My Shimpaku and start the next round of cuttings!

Want to give me some design ideas? Great! Tell me if you think it should be in the "love it" pile or the "hate it" pile?- feel free! I love comments! Most of all this will be the progression thread for this guy though...
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Just a quick update... right off the bench- no changes made since the Summer I guess... thinned a few branches to let light in and get some back budding in specific places..

Still wired up at this point obviously... Just been letting it grow out a bit as evidenced by the runners starting off multiple branches.


Removed some wire, added a bit in a few spots there was none and worked on the Jin... not a complete overhaul (with a full time job and two kids, who has time for that???) just another little push down the road...

Little closer on the job and small Shari I started

 

[Derek Beaumont]

Looks much nicer now IMO. Good job on the jin. I like it

 

[Eric Group]

I should post some better pics of this tree... I just realized how bad the color is in the most recent ones.. but mostly I want to show how much this thing has grown over the "winter"! It has been a mild one but generally I still don't see this much growth during the winter months even from Juniper...