Ponderosa#3 First Styling / Bonsai enthusiasts first "solo" styling..

[Dan W.]

Well here it goes!

This is the first tree I have seriously gone after styling.. . completely without a professionals guidance. I have taken quite a few workshops...as well as tinkered with several trees (ok...a lot of trees). But this is the first one I've wired completely myself (no guidance) and styled without anyone else or a professional doing most of the sryling.

So... I'm well aware that the wiring is not professional (yet... ). And the styling as well.-- I would say that this is probably styled more toward the natural trend than traditional; but I'm curious to hear what you all have to say. Again...I fully admit that I'm just kicking off my serious attempts at styling trees and can take your critique. Please be honest, yet respectful; and I promise to do the same.

Thanks for looking!

I have braced myself for what is to come...


This tree was collected...(by me)... in the spring of 2011. It grew very strong this year. + tons of back-budding!

Here are the before's: (sorry about the poor quality)
............

 

[Dan W.]

And the after's...

Front:
......

 

[Dan W.]

Additional angles...

Back:...Side..?..:...And just for fun...under-side:

Wiring was performed a little over a week ago. Most of the downward hanging needles were cut. Select primary buds were removed...leaving weaker buds and the many back-buds that have formed.

If everyting is going strong the tree may be transitioned into a "next size down" training pot in the spring of 2013... Though I may wait until spring 2014.

 

[Dav4]

Great material, and and I like what you've done with it. Do you think you'll have trouble getting this thing into an appropriate pot when the time comes? Thanks for posting.

 

[Stan Kengai]

Dan, Good job, I like what you've done. However, I like the "back" of your tree as the front because there seems to be much more movement in the trunk (could just be the pictures).

 

[Dan W.]

Thanks Dave and Stan,

Dave, it may take a couple of re-pottings to reduce into a bonsai pot but I don't think it will be impossible. There are no "huge" roots. The reason for the deeper pot is because of the way it was positioned in the rocks-- Two larger roots wents down, stradling a rock witha matt of fine roots inbetween them in the crack. I stuck a pry bar in the crack and the face of the rock just peeled off. So I cut the two roots off where they went into the soil on either side of the rock and it was free... though everything went strait down from the tree. ( These two larger roots will be reduced by maybe a third and they are also quite flexible so I have high hopes

I probably could have found or made a more suitable container in the beginning, but this was one of my very earliest collections and I was more worried about not killing it than anything.. .lol

Stan, Thanks for your input. I wrestled with what side to use as the front quite a bit. I chose this front because of the nebari/bark and in person I don't feel that the trunk movement is nearly as inferior to the other side. I'll see if I can take some pic's to show that better. -- I also tried to leve my options open for the back incase I changed my mind...I was hoping I could get both sides to work as is but I think it's fairly obvious that the foliage is poitioned to make the front.."the front".. for now.

 

[HotAction]

I think all the workshops and "tinkering" have paid off. That is a tree to be proud of.

Dave

 

[Dan W.]

Thanks Dave!

 

[fore]

Nice tree and styling Dan! Your wire job looks pretty good. I agree, the workshops have paid off!

 

[edprocoat]

I really like the style of it in the last post, the one you labe;ed " side? " I would want that as the front. Nice tree, great job.

ed

 

[tmmason10]

Really nice work Dan, you've done this collected tree some justice. Is that poly tunnel for overwintering, or aftercare for collected material? Or both?

Another question, what soil mix have you been using for your collected materials? I have some permits for collecting next spring and I need to start getting ready.

 

[Dan W.]

Thanks guys

Tom, yes the poly tunnel is for both at this point. I have shade cloth up in half for the newly collected material... but I'm hoping it will be hlepful for over-wintering. I just put it up this fall so we'll see how it goes. (Andy Smith uses poly tunnels quite a bit for newly collected material and over-wintering.)

I have been using mostly Turface, Diotomaceous earth (aka floor dry), and small lava pebbles... either seperate or mixed. These work great for me but I've been advised to go more the direction of lava and pumice as the turface and floor dry are smaller and retain more moisture...(this isn't as much of a problem for me because it's incredibly dry here all year; but if I start selling/trading around the country soon I may need to change this up as almost the entire country has more moisture than WY...lol)

-- The tree in this post is in a mixture of Floor Dry, decomposed granite and just a little bit of rotten pine needles (coverd with mycorrhizae). I havn't seen the root system yet but the tree sure is groing well.

 

[Paradox]

very nice tree

Thanks for sharing it

 

[coh]

I really like the style of it in the last post, the one you labe;ed " side? " I would want that as the front. Nice tree, great job.

ed

This was also my first thought after viewing all the photos...but your front looks pretty good too.

Chris

 

[Dan W.]

This was also my first thought after viewing all the photos...but your front looks pretty good too.

Chris

Thanks for the compliments Ed and Chris. I like the tree from this angle as well, but everything is going directly away from you at this angle; it may be hard to tell from the picture. Generally you don't want the tree to lean very far away from the viewer...in this case it would be leaning way far away.

 

[coh]

I thought that might be the case, but as you noted it can be tough to tell from photos. The 2-d impression from the side is pretty good, that's what I should have said!

Chris

 

[Vance Wood]

I think the work you have done with the tree is very nice and shows you have a great grasp of what needs to be done and, better yet, what you are doing.

Now comes the hard part: Bringing about ramification and refinement. Please keep up posted on how this goes. People I have known who have attempted Ponderosas were not able to bring them past this point.

 

[Dan W.]

I think the work you have done with the tree is very nice and shows you have a great grasp of what needs to be done and, better yet, what you are doing.

Now comes the hard part: Bringing about ramification and refinement. Please keep up posted on how this goes. People I have known who have attempted Ponderosas were not able to bring them past this point.

Thanks a lot Vance. I'll be sure to keep it posted as the tree moves along.

I agree, I've been very disappointed with the ramification shown on many ponderosa bonsai, though not all of them. I have seen several that really tightened up and look great. I think it often just takes a lot longer working with collected material to get the vigor back into the tree. I could be wrong...but they (especially the really contorted ones) seem to be used to a much slower way of life.

 

[Vance Wood]

Thanks a lot Vance. I'll be sure to keep it posted as the tree moves along.

I agree, I've been very disappointed with the ramification shown on many ponderosa bonsai, though not all of them. I have seen several that really tightened up and look great. I think it often just takes a lot longer working with collected material to get the vigor back into the tree. I could be wrong...but they (especially the really contorted ones) seem to be used to a much slower way of life.

You may be right but I think (MHO) age has a lot more to do with this than anything else. I am of the opinion that given the right conditions and the right amount of fertilizer to re-establish vigor, genetics will kick in and the tree should thrive, baring any other unforeseen limitations such as unseen damage etc..

 

[Dan W.]

You may be right but I think (MHO) age has a lot more to do with this than anything else. I am of the opinion that given the right conditions and the right amount of fertilizer to re-establish vigor, genetics will kick in and the tree should thrive, baring any other unforeseen limitations such as unseen damage etc..

That does make sense. Thanks for your thoughts; I love discussing these things, and learning from others experiences and thoughts.