opinions wanted

serpentsgarden

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Shinpaku as of today. We have a better easier time with climate living along the pacific rim in the willamette micro climate. Winters temps at a low of for two days 20 degrees most night well above 40 and days about 50 to 60 with high humidity. Trees thrive here like no other. So we dicided to continue in the workshop with this tree and this is the progression so far. The concept is an alpine setting with sparse rocks and ground covering moss to mimic alpine grasses. When i found the tree it was severly root bound and stressed but i chose to reduce foliage and began branch slection a month ago. Inital wiring started then to get a jump on the hardening of the wood. A few branches were eliminated then to get the air and light to the main trunk. It was a mess of gangly lost branches. My bonsai club saw a tree that had years of reduction and regrowing to achieve any real impressive results but after a careful selection and good pruning a reppotting the minds changed. Now its life will be set into a twisted upright a few branches will develope near the current apex to have a secondary tier of balnced growth. The tree stands about 14 inches tall and plan to end of in about the 22 inch area perhaps. Trunk caliper is about 2 1/4 inches and taper can improve with time easily. Tell me your thoughts on the material. BE RESPECTFUL
 

Smoke

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We have a better easier time with climate living along the pacific rim in the willamette micro climate. Winters temps at a low of for two days 20 degrees most night well above 40 and days about 50 to 60 with high humidity. Trees thrive here like no other. BE RESPECTFUL

How do you guys do with olives and pomagranites there?

Respectfully, Al
 

serpentsgarden

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about trees

poms do well here but olives rot. We have a lot of saturation effects from humidity alone. I imagine if cared for better it would fare well but the attempts i have seen have not but a lot of poms do well here so long as they are potted up. I have never seen ground plantings of either here. Elevation is average 30 to 300 feet above sea level. With the cascades to the east it puts us in a lot of wetlands versus the natural water table. Willows do awesome here but deemed invasive....
 

Smoke

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Trees thrive here like no other.

So then respectfully speaking, trees that grow in your area thrive there, but not all trees. Would that be safe to say? I know in my own micro climate I could not say that I can grow mountain hemlocks, but I can grow pomagranites and olives like no ones business. So respectfully speaking, trees that grow well in your area thrive while trees that grow well in my area thrive. We cannot interchange species due to our microclimates.

Respectfully, Al


P.S. still weighing how much respect will be needed to comment on above tree................
 
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Smoke

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While I weigh my prospects on how much respectfullness needed to comment on tree I can make a factual comment on measuring trunk size.

A trunk is measured across the wood. That measurement is made at the waist of the trunk, above the flare. If the base is to be commented on, it will be said as "the tree has a 2.25 inch base at the soil and the trunk measures 1 inch at the waist.

That way you respect the forum as to what you are actually measuring.

Respectfully, Al
 

serpentsgarden

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Again

How about you dont and just skim past my post from now on smoke. Know it all overly corrective is not an opinion. If you want to tear another down then look in the mirror. Good bye and do not respond to my posts thank you. If you have to weight respect then dont bother it is a lost cause your opinions will be hallow anyway. So May I strengthen the point i would like some artistic opinion about my work. So perhaps we can focus on the subject at hand rather than being snide. Thank you
 

Jason

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Excuse me, (with all due respect) how can you ask for honest feedback on your tree but then get upset when the feedback is negative....?
 

Smoke

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How about you dont and just skim past my post from now on smoke. Know it all overly corrective is not an opinion. If you want to tear another down then look in the mirror. Good bye and do not respond to my posts thank you. If you have to weight respect then dont bother it is a lost cause your opinions will be hallow anyway. So May I strengthen the point i would like some artistic opinion about my work. So perhaps we can focus on the subject at hand rather than being snide. Thank you

You are right Mr. Serpent. I was up last night while you were composing your new threads. I read the first one which contained the line" if you wish to just post a reply to this thread and tear me down, then click off your computer ". Later you deleted that line and added "BE RESPECTFUL".

So in the spirit of being a nice guy lets just say I was having fun with you. Forget what I said about Northern Washington State being conducive to the best bonsai tree growing weather on earth, and also it is clear that you know how to measure a trunk. I think you are on the right track with this one and it is clear that wire has really improved the movement in the trunk. The branches are a little long but I am sure that is part of the plan for the twisty upright you plan to make.

Good luck with this one and keep us posted of the progress as you move along.

Just a little less respect, Al
 
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greerhw

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I respectfully decline to comment just in case I don't say something respectful. Respect has to earned not ask for.

Respectfully,
Harry the respector(is that a word)
 

greerhw

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Oh what the hell, your tree has reverse taper. What can I say, that is one of the biggest turn offs of all. Other than that, it's just gorgeous, gave me a woody. Al is much kinder than I am. If you continue to post pictures here, just remember most people are going to be honest with you. This isn't an atta boy forum, it's a forum to learn. Wait, maybe I can learn something here, how do you plan to reverse the reverse taper ?


Good luck,
Harry
 
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Honest, *Constructive* Opinions were asked for, haughtiness & rudeness were not. Respect other's endeavors and integrity, that makes a true Man.
The Shinpaku in my opinion is a delight and shows great promise for future development. Keep on keeping on ...

XG
 

GerhardG

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This isn't an atta boy forum, it's a forum to learn

Well said:), made me think of a site I visited right at my start, bonsaitreeforums or something like that, couldn't help think it was great for ego, bad for bonsai standards.
:cool:

No offence meant to anybody, and please excuse my comment which is not actually related to this thread.

Gerhard
 

buddhamonk

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I'll post some feedback on the tree itself. The wiring is messy, the main trunk has no taper (a little of reverse taper halfway up the tree), the two branches are two thick for the size of the trunk and should we wired down if they are meant to be branches. The tree is otherwise healthy and in 10 years or so you might have something good to work with. Don't give up, we all started with trees like that and it's all about learning the process.
 

greerhw

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Honest, *Constructive* Opinions were asked for, haughtiness & rudeness were not. Respect other's endeavors and integrity, that makes a true Man.
The Shinpaku in my opinion is a delight and shows great promise for future development. Keep on keeping on ...

XG

Do you really want my constructive opinion, I don't think you do from what I've read so far. Enjoy your Shimp, but whatever you do don't ask my opinion or you just might get it.

Keep it green,
Harry
 

DaveV

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I think Buddha is correct. If this were my tree and had your growing conditions, I would be tempted to chop it just above the first branch on the left and use this left branch as the new top - and let it grown. I would tilt the hole thing to the right so that the botton part of the trunk slants to the right. You could put some twists in the new top to make it interesting. You could also chop it above the right branch, tip it to the right and still make the left branch the new top. Just my thoughts. I do think it is too straight right now.
 

Jason

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I would start a new trunk line with the lowest branch as DaveV mentions above. You could grow out the top as sacrifice branches to thicken the trunk and develop better nebari and trunk taper. Eventually you could use them as dead wood. etc. The whole process could be spead up by growing the tree in the ground for several years (at least 3-4) or by using a grow box (see other discussions). Your wiring technique needs work (so does mine for the record).
 

Vance Wood

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I gotta tell ya, by demanding respect is in itself disrespectful of the members of this forum. It's kind of like showing up at a Hell's Angles convention with armpit high floods, a pocket protector full of pens, thick rimed glasses taped together at the middle and ridding a Vespa. If that were not enough you find it necessary to complain about the body oder. Most members respect beginners, unless you consider the term beginner as disrespectful, and will spend a good deal of time trying to help them understand and grow. Some have pointed out the reverse taper and the nature of the primary branches in size relation to the trunk size as being a problem. Understanding that ShiMpaku Junipers are very responsive and durable, it is not difficult to deal with all of these problems but it will take time and patience. This particular piece of stock could be made to do what I think you have in mind but you are going to have to treat it a piece of raw stock and not a bonsai in the rough needing only a little tweaking to be a show stopper.
 

greerhw

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I would like to make a suggestion. Go to a Bonsai Nursery and spend $125 and come home with something like this piece of material to work on. After one or two days work you will have a bonsai tree and you won't have to wait 10 years. Your shimpaku will never look like this tree in ten years. This tree hasn't been touched yet, so just imagine what you can do with it. Just my respectful suggestion. You ask for opinions, well my opinion is this, if you can't afford $125 for something decent to work on, find another hobby, you're just wasting your time.

The above comments are my own and don't reflect the opinions of others on this board.

Keep it green,
Harry
 

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