Progression of a newbies collection

gallina1594

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So this year is my 3rd year and I've learned that next year is the year boys... I've been lurking hard this summer, reading everyone's advice, BEING PATIENT NOT TO LET MY EAGERNESS GET THE BEST OF ME AND MY PLANTS, and just generally prepping my material for each of their next stages.

My collection is a mixture of nursery , store bought, and collected native material. I know a lot of people say don't waste your time if it won't make an "awesome" bonsai some day. But I like the challenge of taking what I have, and trying to make it look the best it can. I'm a college student and college students are broke.

I want to document the progress of my collection not only for myself, but for other newbies to watch a slightly more advance noob fail and succeed with his material.

American elm
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This spring I will finally get this guy into some proper soil. It's been growing in native soul for about 3 years now due to unfortunate circumstances. I want to keep these ugly surface roots to attempt a root-over-rock down the road, will chop when buds begin to push in the early spring.
 

gallina1594

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Spruce? Was labeled boxwood at nursery and that clearly isn't right.

I might have gotten eager with this one, did some heavy pruning mid-summer. Want to style it windswept.
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gallina1594

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Juniper

Store bought, nothing crazy. Was a dumb little busy before I came along and cleaned it up. Putting some movement in the trunk, forming pads, and training leader to cascade
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gallina1594

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Silver maple

Almost lost this one to pests a few months ago, lesson learned. Now I know that I have to use pesticides and fingicide next year. Hopefully he makes it. I want to style this like a black oak.

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gallina1594

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Dwarf mugo pine.

So this is my first pine. Learned that mugos can be pruned in the summer. Neat-o. Still unsure where this one's going, lots of options tho.
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gallina1594

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Boxelder - collected 3 years ago

So this has been my experimenting tree. I learned that a boxelder is nearly impossible to kill so I figured, why not? I've transplanted this in the dead of summer. Heavy pruned in the summer, and just everything you should do to most trees, has been done to this. I've been using this tree to practice chops and branch ramification. It pushes buds a few days after chopping. Yes the wire is digging into the branch at the top. I'm cutting that branch back to the second growth, so I'm not too worried about it. It's helping me tremendously with putting a bend into the main trunk.
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gallina1594

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These are my collected mulberry.

I want to style this one like a black oak also (see a pattern yet?) When I collected it, it lost a huge portion of the bark which has now caused some neat scaring.
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And this mulberry is about 3 years old now, I've had it in this trainer pot since it was a seedling. Im happy with the ramification so far and am eager to see how this progresses. I learned that mulberry do not like direct sun all day
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gallina1594

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Yew

This was my first attempt at taking possible the most undesirable piece of material, and trying to make something out of it. The only reason I chose this plant was because it has single trunk that had decent movement and decent taper. Went a little crazy with the pruners and now we have this... Hoping it will look windswept with some work and carving.
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gallina1594

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Bale Cypress (Grafted halfway up with Weeping BC)

Torn between trying to airlayer the weeping off and have 2 trees, or just saying to heck with it and chopping it below the graft. I have big plans for this one in the spring. I've been listening to everyone talk about soaking their BCs so I will try that come spring time. I have a restaurant tub, and a back up Children's Pool if it's too small. I think I will chop somewhere around the 3rd branch, that way I have a few already ramified branches to work with.

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Leo in N E Illinois

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Bale Cypress (Grafted halfway up with Weeping BC)

Torn between trying to airlayer the weeping off and have 2 trees, or just saying to heck with it and chopping it below the graft. I have big plans for this one in the spring. I've been listening to everyone talk about soaking their BCs so I will try that come spring time. I have a restaurant tub, and a back up Children's Pool if it's too small. I think I will chop somewhere around the 3rd branch, that way I have a few already ramified branches to work with.

View attachment 162079 View attachment 162080
Nicely varied collection of trees, each will teach you different aspects.

Weeping bald cypress, they are usually somewhat expensive to buy. I would make an effort to layer off the weeping scion. The weeper could be used to make a cascade. Normal bald cypress resists cascading, so it would be something unique.
 

gallina1594

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Been thinking of doing a 10 months in post of everything :p

Don't get stuck with sticks in pots though mate.. Not trying to sound like a dick, just saying :)
No offense taken! The sticks in pots will most likely stay sticks in pots. Sometimes I just dig the ugly little stick look
 

Paradox

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Yew

This was my first attempt at taking possible the most undesirable piece of material, and trying to make something out of it. The only reason I chose this plant was because it has single trunk that had decent movement and decent taper. Went a little crazy with the pruners and now we have this... Hoping it will look windswept with some work and carving.
View attachment 162078


Feed this heavily and it should back bud all over the place and give you lots of options in the future.

I would rethink the windswept idea. Windswept is very difficult to pull off convincingly.

Lots of stuff to learn from and that can keep you busy. You could start practicing some wiring on those junipers and maybe the mugo if there are branches far enough along to wire.
 

gallina1594

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Nicely varied collection of trees, each will teach you different aspects.

Weeping bald cypress, they are usually somewhat expensive to buy. I would make an effort to layer off the weeping scion. The weeper could be used to make a cascade. Normal bald cypress resists cascading, so it would be something unique.
Thank you! And Thanks for the heads up, I will definitely consider layer now. I would assume to start it in the spring?
 

gallina1594

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Feed this heavily and it should back bud all over the place and give you lots of options in the future.

I would rethink the windswept idea. Windswept is very difficult to pull off convincingly.

Lots of stuff to learn from and that can keep you busy. You could start practicing some wiring on those junipers and maybe the mugo if there are branches far enough along to wire.
Will feed as you said and let it grow out again to rethink a style, thank you!

The junipers can definitely use a rewire, a lot of their branches are still covered in scales making it hard to wire:/ but here's a closer look at the mugo, are these what you mean by far enough along?
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Paradox

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Will feed as you said and let it grow out again to rethink a style, thank you!

The junipers can definitely use a rewire, a lot of their branches are still covered in scales making it hard to wire:/ but here's a closer look at the mugo, are these what you mean by far enough along?
View attachment 162084

I meant with branches that have grown enough to wire. Looks like it does and you could put some wire on that tree.

The trunk you have your fingers on looks like it might be the best option for a tree.

Remember when pruning mugo branches, you should leave a 1 to 2 inch stub for a year or two then cut flush to the trunk.
 

gallina1594

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Spruce? Was labeled boxwood at nursery and that clearly isn't right.

I might have gotten eager with this one, did some heavy pruning mid-summer. Want to style it windswept.
View attachment 162066
Pushed out some new buds during this out of season heat spell... It's been in the 80s for about a week now15075717575481469415829.jpg
 
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