my small shohin Pomegranate progression thread

[BoostedBonsai]

so i bought this lil tree at Grove way bonsai nursery in Hayward, CA. on december 7th, most my plants at that time were dormant but these were from LA i was told so were a bit late


these were taken middle of January

so after i pruned it during winter, ive only been doing this a lil over a year so any help n tips be helpful

before

after
kind of going for a sort of broom natural style on it but we will see


so this is today after a bit of light pruning nd re wiring after a bit of springs growth which i did not get as much budding as i wanted can very well be my lack of pomegranate knowledge and i cut too much or something (did leave a sacrificial brannch on the back off tree as u can see)

before

after
took off dead branches, nd was able to bend the branches a tad bit lower

 

[River's Edge]

so i bought this lil tree at Grove way bonsai nursery in Hayward, CA. on december 7th, most my plants at that time were dormant but these were from LA i was told so were a bit late
View attachment 296169View attachment 296170

these were taken middle of January View attachment 296167View attachment 296173

so after i pruned it during winter, ive only been doing this a lil over a year so any help n tips be helpful

beforeView attachment 296171

after
kind of going for a sort of broom natural style on it but we will see
View attachment 296172

so this is today after a bit of light pruning nd re wiring after a bit of springs growth which i did not get as much budding as i wanted can very well be my lack of pomegranate knowledge and i cut too much or something (did leave a sacrificial brannch on the back off tree as u can see)

beforeView attachment 296174

after
took off dead branches, nd was able to bend the branches a tad bit lowerView attachment 296175

I suggest you keep in touch with Johnny at Grove Way and stop in for some lessons. He is very knowledgeable. I have enjoyed visiting his nursery off and on over the past fifteen years when in the area. He is also a great source for reasonable priced Akadama and Kyru as well as Bonsai tools, used pots!

 

[rich815]

Nice trunk on that pomegranate.

I’ve got three myself. One I got at last year’s East bay bonsai society auction, and two others rescued from a local nursery’s dumpster who threw them out when they were poorly cared for on the sales shelf. That was last fall. They are coming back very nicely this spring.

With that trunk and some good care and styling the next year or so you’ll have something pretty good soon. Keep us posted.

 

[BoostedBonsai]

I suggest you keep in touch with Johnny at Grove Way and stop in for some lessons. He is very knowledgeable. I have enjoyed visiting his nursery off and on over the past fifteen years when in the area. He is also a great source for reasonable priced Akadama and Kyru as well as Bonsai tools, used pots!

i visit whenever im around but i am about 4 hours away! its a good place to go to forsure

 

[BoostedBonsai]

Nice trunk on that pomegranate.

I’ve got three myself. One I got at last year’s East bay bonsai society auction, and two others rescued from a local nursery’s dumpster who threw them out when they were poorly cared for on the sales shelf. That was last fall. They are coming back very nicely this spring.

With that trunk and some good care and styling the next year or so you’ll have something pretty good soon. Keep us posted.

ahh u save their lives i like pomegranate i will see how this goes and same for you!

 

[River's Edge]

i visit whenever im around but i am about 4 hours away! its a good place to go to forsure

Fours hours is nothing, I drove 16 hours from Canada each way to my teacher Boon in Alameda for intensives. It helped to have a camper van. Seriously though, Johnny Uchida, the owner is a very well known and respected Bonsai person in California. In the back left section of his nursery are many cutting grown excellent pre-bonsai. Not always labelled so take time to explore! And in the back porch were always some interesting old Bonsai pots to pick through.

 

[BoostedBonsai]

Fours hours is nothing, I drove 16 hours from Canada each way to my teacher Boon in Alameda for intensives. It helped to have a camper van. Seriously though, Johnny Uchida, the owner is a very well known and respected Bonsai person in California. In the back left section of his nursery are many cutting grown excellent pre-bonsai. Not always labelled so take time to explore! And in the back porch were always some interesting old Bonsai pots to pick through.

damn you are a savage, and yeah i need to go back soon he does have good stuff nice trees and good person to talk to

 

[rich815]

damn you are a savage, and yeah i need to go back soon he does have good stuff nice trees and good person to talk to

I live not too far from there. Will definitely check it out once Shelter in Place is lifted.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@Shoshinsha
Nice pomegranates. Nice starts. There is huge potential there.

The only thing I noticed is the potting media looks a little like soft clay in the photos. Muddy rather than sharp & granular. You are in the Central Valley, of California, so your environment is very different than my rather cool summer climate. Up north we must use an open media that breathes well in order to keep our pomegranates from suffering root rot. The only suggestion I have is that you look into a media that has a higher percentage of pumice and less fine material.

Sift your potting media to eliminate fines.

You will get better root growth and as a result more vigorous vegetative growth.

I made the above recommendations just based on a photo, if I am off base, I apologise. Just trying to help.

I believe @bonhe is somewhere in your area, or a similar climate. He has a fabulous collection of pomegranates. He has a thread describing his work and another describing his more general work. Contact him if you want specific advice.

My pomegranate collection

Because I have more than 15 pomegranate at this time, I like to create its own topic to help me organize better! It is beautiful New Year day with lot of sunshine, cool and dry here. It is the best time to perform trimming on the pomegranate. The reason is that its leaves are all gone, so it...

www.bonsainut.com

My year around bonsai work in the Inland Empire, CA

The Inland Empire is one of the hottest spots in Southern California with very little rain! It is super dry and hot in the summer! The difference of temperature between day and night is about 20 degrees F ! I like to create this post so that I could show you whatever I work on my bonsai...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[BoostedBonsai]

@Shoshinsha
Nice pomegranates. Nice starts. There is huge potential there.

The only thing I noticed is the potting media looks a little like soft clay in the photos. Muddy rather than sharp & granular. You are in the Central Valley, of California, so your environment is very different than my rather cool summer climate. Up north we must use an open media that breathes well in order to keep our pomegranates from suffering root rot. The only suggestion I have is that you look into a media that has a higher percentage of pumice and less fine material.

Sift your potting media to eliminate fines.

You will get better root growth and as a result more vigorous vegetative growth.

I made the above recommendations just based on a photo, if I am off base, I apologise. Just trying to help.

I believe @bonhe is somewhere in your area, or a similar climate. He has a fabulous collection of pomegranates. He has a thread describing his work and another describing his more general work. Contact him if you want specific advice.

My pomegranate collection

Because I have more than 15 pomegranate at this time, I like to create its own topic to help me organize better! It is beautiful New Year day with lot of sunshine, cool and dry here. It is the best time to perform trimming on the pomegranate. The reason is that its leaves are all gone, so it...

www.bonsainut.com

My year around bonsai work in the Inland Empire, CA

The Inland Empire is one of the hottest spots in Southern California with very little rain! It is super dry and hot in the summer! The difference of temperature between day and night is about 20 degrees F ! I like to create this post so that I could show you whatever I work on my bonsai...

www.bonsainut.com

ahh okay ima read his stuff , and yes the soil is shit its like mud and sand and i would love to switch soil but wasnt sure if its the right time after been having worked on it you know, but i would repot today if i can? just dont mess with roots much? since im a noob im always scared to repot haha

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I understand.
Don't panic. Pomegranate are tough, resilient trees. Take your time to read up on ideal potting media for your area. What works well in the Central Valley might not be what works well in my area.

Once you decide on what mix you would like to use, obtain enough to repot your pomegranates, and only repot if the season is favorable for repotting. I would avoid repotting during the high heat of summer. Even in poor soil, they won't "drop dead", you have time to get to a good window of time for repotting. I'm not going to tell you when that is, because I don't live in the Central Valley, or the Imperial Valley. See when local bonsai growers do their repotting. Peter Tea has his nursery east of Sacramento, he might be a good one to contact if you don't get good help from Bonhe or elsewhere.

 

[BoostedBonsai]

I understand.
Don't panic. Pomegranate are tough, resilient trees. Take your time to read up on ideal potting media for your area. What works well in the Central Valley might not be what works well in my area.

Once you decide on what mix you would like to use, obtain enough to repot your pomegranates, and only repot if the season is favorable for repotting. I would avoid repotting during the high heat of summer. Even in poor soil, they won't "drop dead", you have time to get to a good window of time for repotting. I'm not going to tell you when that is, because I don't live in the Central Valley, or the Imperial Valley. See when local bonsai growers do their repotting. Peter Tea has his nursery east of Sacramento, he might be a good one to contact if you don't get good help from Bonhe or elsewhere.

yeah thanks man, most people repotting rn in spring, its beginning to get hot its 81 today so i might do today and keep in shade for a bit

 

[bonhe]

yeah thanks man, most people repotting rn in spring, its beginning to get hot its 81 today so i might do today and keep in shade for a bit

Hi Shoshinsha,
Yeah, it looks like we have same weather: hot and dry. I’d like to make some suggestions:
- this tree need more branch development , I would not wire the new branch at this time. I would let the new growth unchecked until the end of Spring, then I either lock the long branches down ( please read my posts which Leo gave you the links for more info) or wire branches down. When all the leaves drop in Fall, I would prune back to 2-3 nodes on the long branches after removed the wires
- I use pumice: mini pine bark (mini orchid seedlings) :fir ground with 1:1:1 ratio. I add active charcoal to above mix with 10:1. Also scatter humic acid granule when mixing above soil .
- I never change soil when the new leaves are coming out. It is too dangerous to do that in our area ! If you just slip pot, it should be fine
Thụ Thoại

 

[BoostedBonsai]

Hi Shoshinsha,
Yeah, it looks like we have same weather: hot and dry. I’d like to make some suggestions:
- this tree need more branch development , I would not wire the new branch at this time. I would let the new growth unchecked until the end of Spring, then I either lock the long branches down ( please read my posts which Leo gave you the links for more info) or wire branches down. When all the leaves drop in Fall, I would prune back to 2-3 nodes on the long branches after removed the wires
- I use pumice: mini pine bark (mini orchid seedlings) :fir ground with 1:1:1 ratio. I add active charcoal to above mix with 10:1. Also scatter humic acid granule when mixing above soil .
- I never change soil when the new leaves are coming out. It is too dangerous to do that in our area ! If you just slip pot, it should be fine
Thụ Thoại

ahh okay do you suggest taking wire off then at least on the new shoots? also, i make a couple calls to local bonsai club members and decided to slip pot it today although even though i carefully took the soil out, i had little roots left by the time most of it fell out, i looked through soil and couldnt see much roots so i know i didnt mess the roots myself theres even a side of tree that has like NO roots coming from it (i have picture) but i reckon itll be fine if i leave under shade and look after it i hope at least

as for the soil i use akadama/red lava/ and bit of pine bark and peat as this my 1st year into bonsai i got onto the akadama hype in the beginning so i had bought some bags of it and so i use it and lava rock with some organic for our hotass summer i think that will me because last summer my 1st summer with bonsai i struggled with plants drying way to quick

 

[bonhe]

ahh okay do you suggest taking wire off then at least on the new shoots? also, i make a couple calls to local bonsai club members and decided to slip pot it today although even though i carefully took the soil out, i had little roots left by the time most of it fell out, i looked through soil and couldnt see much roots so i know i didnt mess the roots myself theres even a side of tree that has like NO roots coming from it (i have picture) but i reckon itll be fine if i leave under shade and look after it i hope at leastView attachment 296706View attachment 296704

as for the soil i use akadama/red lava/ and bit of pine bark and peat as this my 1st year into bonsai i got onto the akadama hype in the beginning so i had bought some bags of it and so i use it and lava rock with some organic for our hotass summer i think that will me because last summer my 1st summer with bonsai i struggled with plants drying way to quickView attachment 296705

Yes, in Fall, remove the wire and prune back these branches .
With this amount of root, it should be fine. You are right, place it under the shade, and bring it to morning sun when you see the new shoots are not wilting any more. Remember not fertilize the tree until it is stronger in a month.
Could you tell me what they ratio of the soil is. Thanks
Thụ Thoại

 

[BoostedBonsai]

coo and i could tell u about my soil as idk how you tell it but i use like equal parts of akadama and the lava and the peat/bark although i do tend to go lighter with my hand on the peat/bark, so i guess like u can say like 1:1:1?

 

[bonhe]

coo and i could tell u about my soil as idk how you tell it but i use like equal parts of akadama and the lava and the peat/bark although i do tend to go lighter with my hand on the peat/bark, so i guess like u can say like 1:1:1?

It should be fine. After summer, you will know what the best of soil content ratio is for the next transplant .
Good luck
Thụ Thoại

 

[BoostedBonsai]

It should be fine. After summer, you will know what the best of soil content ratio is for the next transplant .
Good luck
Thụ Thoại

forsure i will hopefully for all my plants! thanks alot man

 

[bonhe]

forsure i will hopefully for all my plants! thanks alot man

Not at all.
Thụ Thoại

 

[MrWunderful]

I didnt know Johnny was still selling trees. I went by a year or so ago and he told me he was trying to sell most everything off. I will have to go by and see him after lockdown and pick up some pots or something. All of my first “real pre-bonsai” is from Grove way.