Please post some of your trees... :)

[Cadillactaste]

wow! I realise this is MANY years on, but that's kind of necessary in Bonsai. Any updates on this tree?

He's no longer a member...he's a friend of mind on Facebook. I could ask...but, right now I'm out the door. If I don't get back to you in a week...quote me so I see a notification.

 

[Underdog]

@bonhe is no longer a member?? Was here Tuesday?

 

[JudyB]

He's no longer a member...he's a friend of mind on Facebook. I could ask...but, right now I'm out the door. If I don't get back to you in a week...quote me so I see a notification.

I think Darlene must be thinking of someone else. @bonhe is definitely still a member here, and posts updates on his trees regularly. Perhaps look for his threads under his name.

 

[Cadillactaste]

I think Darlene must be thinking of someone else. @bonhe is definitely still a member here, and posts updates on his trees regularly. Perhaps look for his threads under his name.

Original poster was Dario...guess I was confused.

 

[Marlon]

Great! Thanks everyone! I'll look through the threads

 

[fore]

HI Darlene, please tell Dario that I said "Hello" and hope he's doing well.

 

[Marlon]

Hello,

Please bear in mind I am in my third month, approx, of bonsai. Other than that I'd be very happy to hear advice about possible designs. The tree is a duranta repens, dug up from my garden about two months ago. Roots pruned and fully defoliated, which in retrospect was very reckless, as the tree was and still isn't in the best shape healthwise. I also made a rather poor attempt at a deadwood feature, from what I have read so far I should still be able to refine that in time.

oh..also the photos are not that good.

 

[Vance Wood]

You need to locate better material that does not take five to ten years to develop enough so you can start to understand what a bonsai is all about and how the material is developed enough to become a bonsai.. Just because you have a stick in a pot and a lot of time does not mean you are on your way to doing bonsai any time soon. Sadly; by the time you figure this out with material like this you would have wasted many years of valuable time that could have been spent on better material. The big problem is that no one is willing to tell you that you are working with Spinyerwheelsia, and will probably give up bonsai out of frustration.

 

[bonhe]

wow! I realise this is MANY years on, but that's kind of necessary in Bonsai. Any updates on this tree?

Thanks for interesting this tree.
It was on 2/4/18 right after transplant


On 4/15/18

Thụ Thoại

 

[Vance Wood]

You need to locate better material that does not take five to ten years to develop enough so you can start to understand what a bonsai is all about and how the material is developed enough to become a bonsai.. Just because you have a stick in a pot and a lot of time does not mean you are on your way to doing bonsai any time soon. Sadly; by the time you figure this out with material like this you would have wasted many years of valuable time that could have been spent on better material. The big problem is that no one is willing to tell you that you are working with Spinyerwheelsia, and will probably give up bonsai out of frustration.

One of my Shimpaku Junipers.


Hinoki Cypress

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Original poster was Dario...guess I was confused.

I have sent Dario a couple of emails over the last couple of years... but he has never responded. Is he out of bonsai?

 

[Marlon]

Hello @Vance Wood

Thanks for the quick reply. Also that shimpaku juniper, I like very much. I can take the criticism and am here to learn, with just a few months in this kind of input should keep me on the right track.

I want to explain my reasoning for thinking the tree I posted might turn out to be bonsai. So correct me where I am wrong, that way I can make better choices with material down the road. I am enjoying the whole package of learning bonsai frustration included, but getting it right is the aim.

1. First off the tree was readily available, being mine, and also a tropical so less liable to death by rookie.

2. The proportions, the girth of the trunk where it exits the soil is about 12cm, and the tree at its tallest is about 32cm. Perhaps its an issue of presentation?

I am posting some more photos with a tape measure for reference. If I'm still headed the wrong way, let me know. Thanks.

 

[Marlon]

Thanks for interesting this tree.
It was on 2/4/18 right after transplant
View attachment 213209 View attachment 213210

On 4/15/18
View attachment 213211
Thụ Thoại

Hello,

Thanks for posting back about the tree. It is amazing, especially when defoliated and the branches can be seen. The hollow trunk with the live veins flowing into branches. Gives an idea of the time it takes to get a good tree.

 

[kevinlovett86]

Just a humble beginning, had this one for almost a year. Yanked it out of the pavement and slapped it onto a rock. Went to a pottery class and whipped up the rice bowl style pot it’s in

 

[M. Frary]

Spinyerwheelsia

Havent heard of that affliction before.
But it doesnt sound good.

 

[Marlon]

Havent heard of that affliction before.
But it doesnt sound good.

Hmmm i think its more like a species? Either way, doesn't sound good.

 

[Vance Wood]

Hmmm i think its more like a species? Either way, doesn't sound good.

It is the kind of material that demands a lot of time and personal investment in effort and almost never accounts for anything in the way of bonsai. Yes, it is possible to make a tree that can technically be defined as a bonsai ( a tree in a pot) from almost anything but the results are similar to a manure pie; it is still a pie but the end result is far from positive. There are some trees that no matter what you do, the leaves wont reduce, the internodes will not reduce, the trunk will not thicken, and the tree does not well tolerate bonsai culture. In the end you may think that spending years coming to this conclusion is a good idea but on the other side; if you stick with bonsai you may regret the wasted time that could have been spent on better material. In short you are spinning your wheels bonsai, aka Spinyerwheelsai.

 

[Marlon]

It is the kind of material that demands a lot of time and personal investment in effort and almost never accounts for anything in the way of bonsai. Yes, it is possible to make a tree that can technically be defined as a bonsai ( a tree in a pot) from almost anything but the results are similar to a manure pie; it is still a pie but the end result is far from positive. There are some trees that no matter what you do, the leaves wont reduce, the internodes will not reduce, the trunk will not thicken, and the tree does not well tolerate bonsai culture. In the end you may think that spending years coming to this conclusion is a good idea but on the other side; if you stick with bonsai you may regret the wasted time that could have been spent on better material. In short you are spinning your wheels bonsai, aka Spinyerwheelsai.

So, the photos, as promised. I have found close to nothing online for Duranta as bonsai, but the little I did find was quite promising.
https://ricardopaiva.wordpress.com/meus-bonsai-2/duranta-giangante/

The page is in Portuguese but the translate feature works quite well. The leaves of duranta are naturally small, and I have seen some leaf reduction on a few smaller stumps I collected. As I said before I was very rough with this tree and it stood up to the treatment well, with a more practised hand, as you'll see in the link, its decent as a species, for bonsai. That said, I'm hoping the rest of these photos will get a final answer on the viability of this particular tree as bonsai.

Attached some more links with duranta as bonsai

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/170362798377450733/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/326651779221604425/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/576038608567011725/

thanks, for taking the time.

 

[Vance Wood]

So, the photos, as promised. I have found close to nothing online for Duranta as bonsai, but the little I did find was quite promising.
https://ricardopaiva.wordpress.com/meus-bonsai-2/duranta-giangante/

The page is in Portuguese but the translate feature works quite well. The leaves of duranta are naturally small, and I have seen some leaf reduction on a few smaller stumps I collected. As I said before I was very rough with this tree and it stood up to the treatment well, with a more practised hand, as you'll see in the link, its decent as a species, for bonsai. That said, I'm hoping the rest of these photos will get a final answer on the viability of this particular tree as bonsai.

Attached some more links with duranta as bonsai

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/170362798377450733/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/326651779221604425/

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/576038608567011725/

thanks, for taking the time.

So this is the species of tree you are working with? Looks good and worth the time. However you could have mentioned the species of tree up front, that might have helped because what I said still holds to be true.

 

[j evans]

That would be a bit too simple.