Pollarded Bonsai

MrWunderful

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I should have clarified, I think thats why its not common, because generally swollen knuckles are not desirable in traditional bonsai form. I think having a smaller tree would exaggerate the knuckles.
 

penumbra

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That would be more along the lines of a fairy garden or some sort of miniature landscape. I hate pollarded trees as a rule because it is such a horrible and unnatural thing to do to a tree, and yet I love bonsai. But have no problem if someone wants to miniaturize the affair.
 
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I had a feeling I’d get some not so enthusiastic responses 😈

Well this is an artform and you can pollard a tree if you wish to express it in that light. Every pollard tree on google images looks so ugly though. Inverse tapper, no branching structure. It's just not something that is pleasing to the eye so it will be very rare for any trees to undergo that technique.
 

wireme

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Pollarding as in the pruning style. People either love it or hate it. I’m in the former as long as it’s done right. Has anyone done this style in bonsai?


I used to have a bonsai book by Colin Lewis that had a nice pollard willow that he created. I liked it. Lost that book many years ago though and don’t even recall the name of it anymore. I’m working on a sort of pollard Amur maple but it will be a while yet before there’s anything meaningful to show.
 

Potawatomi13

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because it is such a horrible and unnatural thing to do to a tree

Not a great thing in traditional Bonsai nor natural/Yamadori Bonsai kind. However neither is "traditional" Bonsai styling:oops:.
 

BobbyLane

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you mean 'trunk chopped' bonsai...or branches that have been drastically reduced!
for those saying it looks ugly, many a great bonsai have been developed from chopped stumps.
what the op is describing really isnt much different from how the zelkova brooms are developed is it...
pollarded ash vs chopped zelkova.the difference with bonsai is that the resulting branches or 'knuckles' are developed with taper20190711_085617.jpg
 
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Jzack605

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Great post @BobbyLane. The zelkova almost looks as if it were, dare I say, copiced to attain that development.

Although not quite my inquiry.
Morus, and my favorite for the style London plane
Lines-of-pollarded-mulberry-trees-Morus-spp-in-the-Po-river-plane-Italy-The.png


1539154568sky-line-tree-surgery-pollarding-services-for-devon.png


pollarded-plane-trees-in-winter-montpellier-france-EFBAWW.jpg


It is hard to find good images and a pollarded tree would have to be more refined I think in bonsai. I would like to experiment eventually.
 

BobbyLane

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so you want to create branches with no taper. just chop a stump down low and when it back buds, rather than rub off all the clustering buds from each node. you keep them and embrace them, until eventually you get all these swelling knuckles up n down the branches that you desire. looking forward to seeing you pull it off. what kind of material are you starting with?
 
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