Pom Pom San Jose Project

rockm

Spuds Moyogi
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This is part one to how I got to a future thread. It will be linked.

First I thought, I would love for someone to show me a picture of a forest tree on this site, that has better started branching than this. I don't believe it exists. Especially with the poor general understanding of good branching we tend to demonstrate.

The only thing half wrong is the bare one sides.
But even the worst one shows off the trunk as we like, perfectly, before having branches near the top.

IMO. Any girths can still be adjusted with care. "Flip flopping" thicknesses to appropriate.

Made me really want to see them all layered and used in a Forest, because what else, is we don't want branching going into closely placed groups.
Making these trees perfect for that as well.

Anywho...
On to my disgust with "occums razor". @rockm I haven't been able to rid myself of these thoughts about it. I had to look it up. And forgive me, but it is by definition, lazy cop-out advice. The simplest solution is usually the best? My my. Please, in all peace and honesty, I believe you are better than believing that garbage from the 15th century!

Leaving this here cuz that thread got cancelled and "occums razor" shouldn't be applied to these trees, well, except to remove that bark of course.

I believe people can take sensible advice from people they respect, then continue applying it to situations, just because they are under that spell of respect.

Those are the thoughts that led me to the thread I'm about to create, it'll be an interesting one.

Trees be with you.

Sorce
Anhoo, your belief in garbage prehistoric moon theories predates the age of logic and rationality--which generally is the foundation for modern science. Cop out advice is in the bias of the beholder.
 

leatherback

The Treedeemer
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I have lost the train of thought here. But why not make it a regular clump-style bonsai. Maybe 3, maybe 5. Probably 3. Bring the individual trunks up over the course of a year, wire the foliage. Let it grow out with loong droopy branches. Done.
 

doctorater

Mame
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I have lost the train of thought here. But why not make it a regular clump-style bonsai. Maybe 3, maybe 5. Probably 3. Bring the individual trunks up over the course of a year, wire the foliage. Let it grow out with loong droopy branches. Done.

Definitely agree that this is a possibility. Just need to make sure that no one can ever look at it and say "oh that used to be one of those pom pom things didn't it." I'm looking at options that might use 2 (the slanting twin-trunk discussed above) or perhaps 3 of the trunks. I don't know how I could make 5 work.

Come early Spring I'll probably end up deciding my view of the best possible choice using 2 or 3 trunks attached to the base and then layer off the rest. After I sever those I'll re-examine what's on the base and see if I can really make it work. If not, I'll layer those off too.

I've been really liking the possibility of a forest, as has been discussed above. While these trunks don't display a lot of movement, most of them are muscular and strong looking in a way that doesn't come through in the photos. Putting them together in a group may emphasize that strength while diminishing the need for the multiple sinuous curves normally expected of juniper bonsai.

Thanks for your comment,
Steve
 

sorce

Nonsense Rascal
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Lol...leaning!

I would take the left tree with the second strongest trunk and swap it with the one right of the main trunk.
Let it stand in the center as second, the Mom if you will.

Even if it's not the second tallest, it seems more appropriate die to the girth.

Looks good!

Sorce
 

doctorater

Mame
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doctorater

Mame
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Lol...leaning!

I would take the left tree with the second strongest trunk and swap it with the one right of the main trunk.
Let it stand in the center as second, the Mom if you will.

Even if it's not the second tallest, it seems more appropriate die to the girth.

Looks good!

Sorce
Thanks for the suggestion. When I get some time I'll rearrange the trees this way on the mockup and post it so you can tell me if I caught your vision right.
 

doctorater

Mame
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Just read back through this thread and thought I should update it. My family ended up moving from Idaho to Prescott, Arizona this summer. In all the mad preparations there was no time this Spring to begin this project and no room to bring the material with me so I just planted it in the yard in Idaho and left it there. Sad, but life happens.

On the other hand, here is a picture taken on a hike just a short distance from our new home...

PXL_20211006_204605854.jpg
 
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