KIWI’S “This is not a contest” Telephone Pole JUNIPER

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Hi all,
I have been doing Bonsai for a year or so, and Horticulture for too many years.
So here is the start point.

I have had this Juniper a year or so, trying to learn how to wire and grow pads.
BUT like other newbies I am struggling big time for a design.
Lol, a telephone pole for trunk, no taper, and no movement.

My only thinking at this early stage is possibly a slant style with one of the bottom branches one side and thin out the number of pads/branches to 5-7 instead of 10-12 to be on the other side. Sorry no virtuals, as on my phone etc.
I guess the I can shrink the length of the pads and the height by 1/3 or more.

I am looking forward to this 4 year thread with lots of progression photos etc.
Also, the most important part is everyone’s help and opinions/guidance from the experienced heads here.
Charles

 

[twisted trees]

Hi all,
I have been doing Bonsai for a year or so, and Horticulture for too many years.
So here is the start point.

I have had this Juniper a year or so, trying to learn how to wire and grow pads.
BUT like other newbies I am struggling big time for a design.
Lol, a telephone pole for trunk, no taper, and no movement.
View attachment 183965
My only thinking at this early stage is possibly a slant style with one of the bottom branches one side and thin out the number of pads/branches to 5-7 instead of 10-12 to be on the other side. Sorry no virtuals, as on my phone etc.
I guess the I can shrink the length of the pads and the height by 1/3 or more.

I am looking forward to this 4 year thread with lots of progression photos etc.
Also, the most important part is everyone’s help and opinions/guidance from the experienced heads here.
Charles

You have the beginnings of a very good classical informal upright design. The only thing lacking is 15 years of proper techniques applied consistently over that time. There seems to be no hurrying that process.

 

[Sn0W]

Could maybe make it into a raft

 

[sorce]

Something about this one looking almost exactly the same as the Cypress is leaving me to believe there is something in your "landscape brain" that hasn't quite switched off.

This is the same thing we talked about before, so I know you are on your way....

Maybe you can give yourself an ultimatum..
If you can sell it as a landscape tree at all...in any manner....DON'T CHOOSE IT.
This may help you begin with better material...

But...

You know I ain't against anything and believe everything has potential...
So I am looking forward to seeing you break a bit more shell with your approach to This one, quite challenging material!

Perfect!

Sorce

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Something about this one looking almost exactly the same as the Cypress is leaving me to believe there is something in your "landscape brain" that hasn't quite switched off.

This is the same thing we talked about before, so I know you are on your way....

Maybe you can give yourself an ultimatum..
If you can sell it as a landscape tree at all...in any manner....DON'T CHOOSE IT.
This may help you begin with better material...

But...

You know I ain't against anything and believe everything has potential...
So I am looking forward to seeing you break a bit more shell with your approach to This one, quite challenging material!

Perfect!

Sorce

Hi Sorce,
Yep you are so very right. I can’t get past the fact that most of my pre pre-Bonsai trees follow a predictable pattern of the “Informal Upright”.

That is why this NOT contest will be invaluable for me to learn from this tree, and either change its design completely or learn more techniques to create a better overall design.

Lots to think about - I am pondering 1-2 thread grafts low on the trunk to shorten the image (if I stick with InformalUpright design), but that doesn’t solve the “lack of taper issue.

Got any design ponderings for me to ponder over? Or just sit and look at it until an image jumps up etc.
Charles

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

You have the beginnings of a very good classical informal upright design. The only thing lacking is 15 years of proper techniques applied consistently over that time. There seems to be no hurrying that process.

Hi twisted trees,
Thank you for your support and comments. Any thoughts on improving design within this Informal Upright shape?
Charles

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Could maybe make it into a raft

Hi SnOW,
Great idea, as I hadn’t even contemplated this move. Build a big box, tip it over and create a multi trunk design?
Is that the kind of what you had in mind?
Charles

 

[GailC]

A raft would be cool if you could get it to root along the trunk. Those nice thin branches would be great individual trees.

 

[sorce]

ponder

Because I love to ponder!

At first I thought a raft would be a bad idea cuz the roots are so far disconnected to the image....but this too...is doable as is every other plan so far....within 15 years or so...

Which is Excellent and completely fine and Arguably the very reason this contest exists...to think 15-20 years out...

So choosing a telephone pole...
And having a proper super lomg term plan for it...is setting yourself up for mad success! In awesome fashion!

The very fact that it is typed in the title, let's me know you already know and are not lying to yourself about what you have...which is a clear sign you are far more likely to make excellent decisions....

This...."do not lie to yourself"...
That's the stage "thin skin" doesnt allow folks to get to...
Thin skin IS the "Human Plague"..

Search if you dare connect those dots!

Anyway....

I've contemplated everything from a long jin and buildimg the tree with one low branch, to bending it down all nuts and using EVERYTHING to start something completely different...
And everything in between
.....

For me...all of these options are great and fall into the same 10-20 year time frame.

That's this tree for real for me...
I just hope I'm around in 20 years to see it!

Sorce

 

[Victorim]

I vote cascade. I'm not joking.

 

[twisted trees]

Hi twisted trees,
Thank you for your support and comments. Any thoughts on improving design within this Informal Upright shape?
Charles

Let it grow for a few years to develop side branching. Trim those ends so they don't steal all the vigor. Any thing more is just rearranging the deck chairs.

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Hi again,

So RAFT wins my vote. Now I have 11 trunks and not one.
I won’t be doing any work on this for at least 4-5 months, so I happy if anyone wants to share their raft ideas on this one.
I did a google search and found this one as a place to start my design etc.

Charles

 

[Victorim]

New shopping list for me.. pole juniper, bicycle innertubes and cable ties.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Raft...good direction!

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

New shopping list for me.. pole juniper, bicycle innertubes and cable ties.

Hi Victorim,
Just trying to figure out how your Cascade idea was going to work, then you hit me with the bike inner tubes lol
Just curious as to how you were going to use the stretchy rubber?
Charles

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

New shopping list for me.. pole juniper, bicycle innertubes and cable ties.

Ok lol, you building a raft, . Missed that boat first time round.
Charles

 

[Victorim]

Ok lol, you building a raft, . Missed that boat first time round.
Charles

Cascade. Inner tubes are to wrap the trunk.

 

[Victorim]

Ok this was more fun and interesting than expected.. most pole looking I could find was this "Kaizuka" var standard.


Bit more cleaning.. has sort of a base.. can work on that.

And the bend..



As I say.. sparking interest so will spend some time on it in the next few days when this stomach bug has shifted.

 

[Joe Dupre']

I'd have a tendency to use it as a test mule. Nothing teaches like experimentation and , maybe, failure. I'd go for broke and split it down the middle from the tip to about 2" from the base, wrap it with raffia and wire with a big hulkin wire. Put some dope ( as sorce would say) twists and bends in it. It may live or die............either way you'll have a story to tell in 5 years.

 

[Victorim]

Not trying to hijack Charles If not for the moment of insperation, this would have just been a back of the mind thought. Cheers pal.