my first yamadori, douglas fir

[PiñonJ]

Here’s mine. I collected it May 2019 at about 9500’. I did the first structural setting early summer 2020 - removed a fair amount of foliage, so I didn’t want to push it any further. It responded beautifully with many healthy back buds, so it will go into a bonsai pot this spring. What you can do just depends on what the tree is showing you.

 

[River's Edge]

Here’s mine. I collected it May 2019 at about 9500’. I did the first structural setting early summer 2020 - removed a fair amount of foliage, so I didn’t want to push it any further. It responded beautifully with many healthy back buds, so it will go into a bonsai pot this spring. What you can do just depends on what the tree is showing you.
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Nice work on the stabilizing wings for the smaller grow box. What are the current dimensions after the initial work?
Powerful, mature base on this tree. Nice find.

 

[Lazylightningny]

I may be about to take the plunge also on a Randy Knight doug fir. As far as pruning techniques, can I assume we treat it much the same as spruce?

 

[PiñonJ]

Nice work on the stabilizing wings for the smaller grow box. What are the current dimensions after the initial work?
Powerful, mature base on this tree. Nice find.

If I remember my last measurement correctly, it’s 37” (94 cm) to the top of the foliage (not the jin). The trunk is about 4” (10 cm). It was around six feet tall prior to the work.

 

[PiñonJ]

I may be about to take the plunge also on a Randy Knight doug fir. As far as pruning techniques, can I assume we treat it much the same as spruce?

In spring, yes. In fall, no - according to Ryan Neil. In his experience, if you prune to an immature bud in fall, it may not open for another year-and-a-half. Whereas, if you prune immediately after new growth hardens off, the bud will open by the following spring.

 

[misfit11]

Nice material, Catfish! I look forward to seeing what you're able to do with it.

Also, I'm with @ghues , great to see you posting on here again. While it's always nice to see newcomers to the forum, it's also great to see some of the old-schoolers from the early days of BNut. I dropped out for a while myself but there are lot of the same folks still regularly posting their trees on here. Best bonsai forum on the internet, IMO!

Cory

 

[catfish chapstick]

Update

The tree has put on some new growth but is still weak. I'm feeding with Biogold and it gets full sun. I have only removed one branch so far. I'd like to repot it to get a look at the base and also remove the remaining field-soil. I'd like to cut off most of the upper branches too. I know that the trunk makes another sharp turn, below the soil line, and continues to widen so the planting angle will likely change.

do you think I can repot and wash the roots this fall if I don't remove any foliage or roots? is the tree simply too weak or would this help?

 

[Colorado]

do you think I can repot and wash the roots this fall if I don't remove any foliage or roots? is the tree simply too weak or would this help?

Absolutely not! No! No on the timing and no on the technique of “washing the roots.”

 

[Colorado]

When was the tree collected and when was it last repotted?

 

[River's Edge]

do you think I can repot and wash the roots this fall if I don't remove any foliage or roots? is the tree simply too weak or would this help

I would continue bringing the tree back to a healthier state with stronger foliage. I would not recommend washing roots on a conifer unless it was very robust and lush with growth. Repot would help if the current situation does not drain properly and there is no longer room in the pot for root growth. otherwise it is best to let it continue to regain strength.

 

[RKatzin]

Your first styling move should be setting structure, which includes eliminating branches that are going to cause structural flaws. For example, where the trunk gets thinner and goes vertical before changing direction, there are bar branches. You should remove the thinner one on the inside of the curve (on the right) before it causes swelling and inverse taper. Then, there’s a small branch emerging right above the thicker one on the left. That smaller branch is of lower quality and should be removed. Next is a pair of branches emerging from the same point in the front. One of them should be removed. One of the two leaders can be reduced, removed, or jinned. Then decide on the length of your branches, reduce branchlets to alternating twos and wire it all out. Do this in spring, just as the buds are swelling. All of this assumes that the tree has good back buds and has had sufficient time to recover from its last repotting. Also, if you want to change the planting angle, do it with blocks under one side of the pot and keep it at that angle during the growing season.

As I looked it over I thought exactly what you said. Well put!

 

[RKatzin]

Well hell! I may as well change feet and jump in on this. I will make my recommendation and take the blows as they come. Yar! You need to up pot this tree into something like (my favorite) an Anderson Flat. Low profile, but wide enough to get a good full spread on the roots. I prefer 1/8"-1/4" pumice. So Doug firs. Anything similar, lava rock, scoria, pine bark, all good. Okay, big container, nice chunky, fast draining mix and let her rip for a few seasons of good food and water.
Okay, do this in spring. Do not flush the roots. Pick them out and gently remove as much old soil from under and around the root ball, saving the central mass. Plant to appropriate depth so the base is just below the top of the box. As you do this rake out the remaining center mass soil out and mix it in with your mix and backfill the center mass with your mix.
I have a fir that I collected three years ago and this season new extensions are 4"-6"! Hey I've never seen anything like it either, but that's one happy Dougie!

 

[chicago1980]

Update
View attachment 381330
The tree has put on some new growth but is still weak. I'm feeding with Biogold and it gets full sun. I have only removed one branch so far. I'd like to repot it to get a look at the base and also remove the remaining field-soil. I'd like to cut off most of the upper branches too. I know that the trunk makes another sharp turn, below the soil line, and continues to widen so the planting angle will likely change.

do you think I can repot and wash the roots this fall if I don't remove any foliage or roots? is the tree simply too weak or would this help?
[/QUO

Update
View attachment 381330
The tree has put on some new growth but is still weak. I'm feeding with Biogold and it gets full sun. I have only removed one branch so far. I'd like to repot it to get a look at the base and also remove the remaining field-soil. I'd like to cut off most of the upper branches too. I know that the trunk makes another sharp turn, below the soil line, and continues to widen so the planting angle will likely change.

do you think I can repot and wash the roots this fall if I don't remove any foliage or roots? is the tree simply too weak or would this help?

If this was my tree, I would not repot, and I would not cut off any branches.

I would feed heavily and let it continue to grow.

Looks to have a decent amount of new growth this year.

Nice trunk movement.

 

[clem]

Here’s mine. I collected it May 2019 at about 9500’. I did the first structural setting early summer 2020 - removed a fair amount of foliage, so I didn’t want to push it any further. It responded beautifully with many healthy back buds, so it will go into a bonsai pot this spring. What you can do just depends on what the tree is showing you.
View attachment 351261View attachment 351264View attachment 351262View attachment 351263

hi, can you explain why you collected it with a so small rootball ? is it a particular technic of yours ? The rootball is so mall.. surprising for me ^^

 

[PiñonJ]

hi, can you explain why you collected it with a so small rootball ? is it a particular technic of yours ? The rootball is so mall.. surprising for me ^^

I always try for a compact root ball, but this one was definitely on the small side. It’s just where I was able to chase the roots back to and still feel like there was enough to support the tree. It has been a strong grower and the compact root mass made repotting much easier. Here are some photos from early May, when I got it into a bonsai pot. I recently did a post- flush pruning, but I don’t have those photos with me.

 

[Cadillactaste]

I do BioGold. Then every two weeks Peter's...and once a month fish emulsion. I'm feeding my JBP to get it stronger with rehabilitation mode. Doing absolutely nothing but that. No styling just offering it the best care I can offer. Maybe up your game in feeding as well.

I wouldn't work a weak tree.

 

[catfish chapstick]

I do BioGold. Then every two weeks Peter's...and once a month fish emulsion. I'm feeding my JBP to get it stronger with rehabilitation mode. Doing absolutely nothing but that. No styling just offering it the best care I can offer. Maybe up your game in feeding as well.

I wouldn't work a weak tree.

when you say "Peter's"
do you mean the 20-20-20 stuff? I do feel that I'm not feeding any of my trees enough...

Well hell! I may as well change feet and jump in on this. I will make my recommendation and take the blows as they come. Yar! You need to up pot this tree into something like (my favorite) an Anderson Flat. Low profile, but wide enough to get a good full spread on the roots. I prefer 1/8"-1/4" pumice. So Doug firs. Anything similar, lava rock, scoria, pine bark, all good. Okay, big container, nice chunky, fast draining mix and let her rip for a few seasons of good food and water.
Okay, do this in spring. Do not flush the roots. Pick them out and gently remove as much old soil from under and around the root ball, saving the central mass. Plant to appropriate depth so the base is just below the top of the box. As you do this rake out the remaining center mass soil out and mix it in with your mix and backfill the center mass with your mix.
I have a fir that I collected three years ago and this season new extensions are 4"-6"! Hey I've never seen anything like it either, but that's one happy Dougie!

I have it planted in pumice and akadama. I would need a very large anderson flat if this were going into one. like 30 inches across! do they make those?

 

[Cadillactaste]

when you say "Peter's"
do you mean the 20-20-20 stuff? I do feel that I'm not feeding any of my trees enough...

I have it planted in pumice and akadama. I would need a very large anderson flat if this were going into one. like 30 inches across! do they make those?

That is exactly what I'm using.

 

[catfish chapstick]

update. considered a semi-cascade but the tree is so heavy that it would need a different pot shape with more stability. I also considered having a bonsai-professional design it for me... I just feel like I won't like it if I don't do it myself, for better or worse. I would love to get opinions on this. does it look like it's headed in the right direction at least? does it look natural enough? do you think its too young?

 

[Mike Westervelt]

Nice work, looks great, only comment is the big C curved branch at the top left is a jarring to my eye.

Looks like there are 2 branches coming from the same place on the trunk, is it possible to replace the loopy
one with the lower branch, the lower one is smaller and comes off the trunk at an angle more consistent with
all the other branches.