My new literati JBP

[Wilson]

Amazing movement! Enjoy bringing this one back to its full potential. You have got some great advice from the good folks here!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Oh I somehow doubt “Bananaman” is a run-of-the-mill troll.

You basicly nailed it.?

 

[JudyB]

Trunk is wonderful, hope you can get it healthy again. Great find.

 

[Dav4]

You basicly nailed it.?

I’m embarrassed that I didn’t see this sooner... but I am on vacation so there’s that??.

Good tree, by the way. I’d be tempted to decandle as well.

 

[ihaveaspaceship]

Pruned some candles and opened it up a bit.



Might repot into this drum down the road.

 

[Adair M]

Pruned some candles and opened it up a bit.
View attachment 201088


Might repot into this drum down the road.
View attachment 201089

You did a good job cutting back. The wiring is so-so. But you pointed all the tips up. Which is not the way you want to do it.

I created a thread about how to wire pads for JBP, and I used as a model a JBP I had just decandled. So, you can compare your tree’s pads to mine:

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/advanced-wiring-using-fishhooks.23797/

 

[Djtommy]

Really nice tree with good potential.
I would partially decandle, if it was my tree I’d probably let the lower left branch extend and develop as key branch.

 

[ihaveaspaceship]

The wiring is so-so./

I'm working on it

Really nice tree with good potential.
I would partially decandle, if it was my tree I’d probably let the lower left branch extend and develop as key branch.

Thanks! Yeah I decandled the top mainly, and a couple in the middle section. The bottom branch has a whorl of like 5 branches (hard to see in the picture) so I decandled a couple that I plan on removing during the winter for the back budding purpose.

 

[Adair M]

I'm working on it



Thanks! Yeah I decandled the top mainly, and a couple in the middle section. The bottom branch has a whorl of like 5 branches (hard to see in the picture) so I decandled a couple that I plan on removing during the winter for the back budding purpose.

I’m not sure I understand that lady bit...

But whorls of branches are to be avoided if possible. The rule of thumb is to choose two to keep and eliminate the rest. There’s exceptions, of course, but “keep two” rule will steer you right 99% of the time.

For help with wiring, Colin Lewis has a free tutorial on www.craftsy.com. You have to register, but the class is free. Once in, search on “bonsai”, you’ll find it.

I’ve referred many to that class, and I’ve never heard anyone say it was anything other than excellent.

 

[Saddler]

I’ve referred many to that class, and I’ve never heard anyone say it was anything other than excellent.

It saved me time, it saved me money in wire, it improved my wire holding the branch in place and it looks nicer. So, yea, it was an ok video.

 

[Bonsai Beech]

I would carefully watch the watering; this is too good a tree to lose.
You could try using a moisture meter to get the watering bang-on.
If you have one with a scale of 1 - 10 only water when the soil mositure-level drops to 3 or below.
If the scale is 1 - 4 as some are, only water when it drops to 1.2 or below.
Check it every day.

 

[ihaveaspaceship]

I never really updated this thread. I had went ahead and emergency repotted this tree back in August 2018 into the drum I had off-hand. It works nice for now, but I still might want to get it into something smaller. The pot it was in was much too large and the soil was much too organic for my taste. It seems to enjoy it's current home.

In 2019 I decandeled late june, then branch selected in the winter and worked up a decent styling. I'll decandle again late June/early july this year again.





tons of back budding happening this year.

 

[Colorado]

I love how the design is progressing. Very nice!

Perhaps a more shallow pot?

 

[ihaveaspaceship]

I love how the design is progressing. Very nice!

Perhaps a more shallow pot?

Thanks,Yeah I think more shallow and just a hair smaller in the diameter.

 

[Colorado]

Great tree

 

[ihaveaspaceship]

Had a great time candle cutting all my trees this year. This one is coming along nicely.

Before


After


Here is another angle of the trunk I like. Shows off more of the neck and still has some decent lines. The current stance seems more powerful to me though. What do you all think?

 

[River's Edge]

I think the best front is likely somewhere between the two you posted! The base is better to ground the tree in the first, the trunk has better movement and interest in the second.
Arial roots create a distraction in the second photo, would explore removal or different planting angle.
In the first, the trunk loses some interest.
The first approach I would try is planting the tree lower, adjusting the root ball and rotating towards the second photo orientation.
Just some random thoughts!

 

[AndyJ]

Love this JBP, Spaceman. I’m by no means an expert, but to me, this is an almost perfect image of a pine literati. Will be watching as it continues to develop

 

[ihaveaspaceship]

Love this JBP, Spaceman. I’m by no means an expert, but to me, this is an almost perfect image of a pine literati. Will be watching as it continues to develop

Thanks for the kind words. Yeah it was a pretty rare find. The original owner created some nice movement in this trunk.

 

[Djtommy]

I think the best front is likely somewhere between the two you posted! The base is better to ground the tree in the first, the trunk has better movement and interest in the second.
Arial roots create a distraction in the second photo, would explore removal or different planting angle.
In the first, the trunk loses some interest.
The first approach I would try is planting the tree lower, adjusting the root ball and rotating towards the second photo orientation.
Just some random thoughts!

agree with the above