Tycoss
Chumono
I collected this pieces glauca early this April, as soon as the ground was fully thawed here in southern Alberta. It has a lot of nice dark flaky bark near the base, which is about 3.5" in diameter. It was along a path and had been cut down about 12" from the ground. This led to a bunch of branches competing to become the new leader, what Walter Pall calls the "candelabra effect". There is some new tissue starting to heal the old wound.
The tree was put in a grow out box with a bunch of lava, bark chips and oil dri as well as a lot of the soil it was collected in. Though some older needles browned and were shed (as always happens here in the fall), it put on lots of new growth, including some backbudding on old wood. There is some of the soil it was collected in on top of the bonsai mix which will have to be washed off when the tree is re-potted.
I know this will be a very long term project, but had some questions about how to proceed from people with more experience here. I plan to give the thing another year to grow without major work, then shorten the main trunks to their desired height the following year. I would re-pot it the year following (perhaps still leave it its grow out box). The year following that (5 years from collecting) it would get it's first proper full styling. Does this sound reasonable. I really like this tree and want it to do well. I also want to know if I can safely cut back some of the new growth in early summer when they are hardened off, as is often done with spruce. This would help to encourage back budding so I have something to cut back to when I do a major pruning. I'll give you my very tentative styling plans once you guys have had a chance to comment.
The tree was put in a grow out box with a bunch of lava, bark chips and oil dri as well as a lot of the soil it was collected in. Though some older needles browned and were shed (as always happens here in the fall), it put on lots of new growth, including some backbudding on old wood. There is some of the soil it was collected in on top of the bonsai mix which will have to be washed off when the tree is re-potted.
I know this will be a very long term project, but had some questions about how to proceed from people with more experience here. I plan to give the thing another year to grow without major work, then shorten the main trunks to their desired height the following year. I would re-pot it the year following (perhaps still leave it its grow out box). The year following that (5 years from collecting) it would get it's first proper full styling. Does this sound reasonable. I really like this tree and want it to do well. I also want to know if I can safely cut back some of the new growth in early summer when they are hardened off, as is often done with spruce. This would help to encourage back budding so I have something to cut back to when I do a major pruning. I'll give you my very tentative styling plans once you guys have had a chance to comment.