Let's see those dwarf Alberta spruce jams

[sorce]

Late summer repot. Lets see what happens.View attachment 156748

The one I eff rooted and stuck in a basket...
It been doing fine on the ground in the shade.
I put it on a stand for a day and it started dropping needles.

But....

I'm noticing needles drop on others too..
Like old needles are beginning to shed.

Anyone else notice old needle shed yet?

Sorce

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I do a lot of summer repotting. Remember to protect summer repotted trees from extreme cold over the next winter, give them a chance to recover.

 

[Soldano666]

The one I eff rooted and stuck in a basket...
It been doing fine on the ground in the shade.
I put it on a stand for a day and it started dropping needles.

But....

I'm noticing needles drop on others too..
Like old needles are beginning to shed.

Anyone else notice old needle shed yet?

Sorce

I have one I styled hard last winter, it bounced back but fairly week thru the season. It looks as if its going to drop a bunch of inner needles any day now

 

[sorce]

I'm not starting a thread for this till it gets better established in something smaller. (Superstition)

I dug down to see the roots and found a squatting dog thing.

I figured the only way to possibly make this believeable is to make that undercut ball of wood to hang out of a "rock pocket ", as if the return to root traffic was interupted, creating the ball.

Trying to seperate these roots a bit to grasp what will be the soil further up the cliff.









Observations?

Reverse taper, thick spots.

Branches cause it...yes...

But on these younger nursery joints....

When the "trunks" we will use are young and with needles still...

Pay attention straight away to removing the needles from those trunks.

I'm noticing even where there are tiny buds only,

The needles on the old wood cause it to thicken in particular spots as much, or more! Than branches....

So from now on...

When I first grab one.

Clean up will include high attention to the amount of needles left on what will be my trunks.

We can utilize them to fix, tame or create reverse taper.

But only early when they are still there!

I could have fixed a problem on one of mine a long time ago had I realized this then.

Still studying.

Sorce

 

[Soldano666]

I'm not starting a thread for this till it gets better established in something smaller. (Superstition)

I dug down to see the roots and found a squatting dog thing.

I figured the only way to possibly make this believeable is to make that undercut ball of wood to hang out of a "rock pocket ", as if the return to root traffic was interupted, creating the ball.

Trying to seperate these roots a bit to grasp what will be the soil further up the cliff.

View attachment 160012

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View attachment 160015
View attachment 160016
View attachment 160017


Observations?

Reverse taper, thick spots.

Branches cause it...yes...

But on these younger nursery joints....

When the "trunks" we will use are young and with needles still...

Pay attention straight away to removing the needles from those trunks.

I'm noticing even where there are tiny buds only,

The needles on the old wood cause it to thicken in particular spots as much, or more! Than branches....

So from now on...

When I first grab one.

Clean up will include high attention to the amount of needles left on what will be my trunks.

We can utilize them to fix, tame or create reverse taper.

But only early when they are still there!

I could have fixed a problem on one of mine a long time ago had I realized this then.

Still studying.

Sorce

Nice looking progress, I like the layout. I repotted a couple this summer, dam n near bare rooted em and seem to be doing fine back out in full sun. Similar roots to what you have found. Kind of a mess. Nice observation too @sorce

 

[sorce]

Nice looking progress, I like the layout. I repotted a couple this summer, dam n near bare rooted em and seem to be doing fine back out in full sun. Similar roots to what you have found. Kind of a mess. Nice observation too @sorce

All the needles spare one inch of one small shoot are gone off mine...

But the buds are still ok.

All cuz of that one Damn day in the full sun I swear.

Thanks.

Sorce

 

[Timbo]

All the needles spare one inch of one small shoot are gone off mine...

But the buds are still ok.

All cuz of that one Damn day in the full sun I swear.

Thanks.

Sorce

/shurg...I put mine in full sun. Sometimes even sideways in the sun when the pot falls over.
I lost one this year trying to make a forest...i guess i will try and see if they have a sale this Christmas.

 

[twisted trees]

Post again when most of those become decent bonsai. I'll wait.

 

[Timbo]

You could say that about any tree. I doubt any of my trees will look that great in 10 years...I don't really care though.

 

[bonsaichile]

I've had this one for 2 years. It has been in a colander since I got it, and the rootball is coming along nicely. I decided to try my hand not at a formal upright with this one, but a literati. So I pruned most of the branches last March and wired it in late september, putting some movement in the trunk. I pinched the new shoots in summer and got lots of new buds, so it is beginning to ramify nicely. Still 4 or so more growing seasons before filling the pads and put it in a pot. For now, it is one of my favorite trees.
Unfortunately, I dont have a before pic, only the ones I took while styling it. But you know how they come: a conic mess of branches!

Right before wiring

putting some movement in the trunk

lowering the first branch

foliage pad wired

 

[sorce]

Post again when most of those become decent bonsai. I'll wait.

The other thread....
"They don' respond well to bonsai techniques"

I agree....

But believe they respond well to regular techniques as bonsai. They are dwarfs. No need to dwarf a dwarf IMO.

Sorce

 

[Soldano666]

J dog

 

[Timbo]

The other thread....
"They don' respond well to bonsai techniques"

I agree....

But believe they respond well to regular techniques as bonsai. They are dwarfs. No need to dwarf a dwarf IMO.

Sorce

I'm not really a fan of the spiral or poodle look, but i guess it shows you can shape them to whatever you want.

 

[gallina1594]

Mine is pretty boring as well, I'm pretty sure it's an Alberta spruce... It was labeled boxwood

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I think this tree may hold the record for the tree that I killed the fastest Bought it on a "Christmas tree" sale. Pruned and style it in January. Did nothing else to it. It was dead by May(?) Our dry heat just gobbled it up. I have since been experimenting with spruce and have been much more successful if I keep them under heavy shade cloth 8 months out of the year.

 

[Vindeezy]

I think this tree may hold the record for the tree that I killed the fastest Bought it on a "Christmas tree" sale. Pruned and style it in January. Did nothing else to it. It was dead by May(?) Our dry heat just gobbled it up. I have since been experimenting with spruce and have been much more successful if I keep them under heavy shade cloth 8 months out of the year.

View attachment 168068

View attachment 168069

Not so bad when it’s 70%off lol

 

[M. Frary]

I think this tree may hold the record for the tree that I killed the fastest Bought it on a "Christmas tree" sale. Pruned and style it in January. Did nothing else to it. It was dead by May(?) Our dry heat just gobbled it up. I have since been experimenting with spruce and have been much more successful if I keep them under heavy shade cloth 8 months out of the year.

View attachment 168068

View attachment 168069

Did that to one once.
It made it through summer but winter killed it.
They're not as cold hardy as you would think. People plant them here and in spring they are freezer burnt. The little ones do O.K. because they are completely under snow but everything that sticks above the snow dies.

 

[sorce]

Not on sale but this and a Co Blue took me into no interest for 12 months!

Got that proper 3 70ft runs a #6 for the kiln though.

And she knows!

And I'm Alive!

Sorce

 

[miker]

Did that to one once.
It made it through summer but winter killed it.
They're not as cold hardy as you would think. People plant them here and in spring they are freezer burnt. The little ones do O.K. because they are completely under snow but everything that sticks above the snow dies.

Pretty surprising really for an "Alberta" spruce, dwarf or otherwise.

I have a super dwarf from Iseli that I put in a little forest planting. It is about 6" high and cone shaped. Will post a photo here.

 

[M. Frary]

Pretty surprising really for an "Alberta" spruce, dwarf or otherwise

I think our winters here are just as cold. But I believe what gets them is wind. People put them out in the open where they aren't protected from it. They arent like the spruces that grow around here naturally.
Another tree that is supposed to be cold hardy is ginko. But plant one here and it slowly gets smaller every year.