Progression of my first Shimpaku shohin

[Adair M]

No doubt. But still someone's got to do it sometime. If Jim Gremel wasn't doing it you wouldn't have had the opportunity to make that great little tree from great stock. I hear ya but the more people starting long term projects from nothing the better I think. If we want to have really good stock to work with in the future without relying on yamadori collecting people should be starting stock now with the idea of just conscious development growing for 20years like yours. Or even better 40yrs. The thought of doing that does appeal to some people luckily.
If I could find a shimp start like yours for 200 I'd be all over it of course but I'd still want a space to grow out smaller younger stuff. If I had to for some reason chose to have/do one or the other it would not be an easy choice.

Very true.

But, the OP was taking a rather young tree and styling it, and then hoping it will grow into a more substantial tree. I believe he said something like he was planning to leave a lower branch on to thicken the trunk. But, it’s in a bonsai pot. It will take forever! Trunks don’t thicken in bonsai pots. Not rapidly. If he wants a substantial trunk, he needs to put it in the ground.

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

I apologize for hijacking the thread, but I was just curious how long do you think this pre-bonsai has been growing? It's in Itowigawa that one of my club members got from plant city about a year or two ago. It has a 1 1/2 inch trunk just above the Nebari, the center of the tree, which is what I'm really interested in is 9 inches tall. I'm going to start working on this future Shohin this weekend at bonsai Oktoberfest in Harrisburg PA.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I apologize for hijacking the thread, but I was just curious how long do you think this pre-bonsai has been growing? It's in Itowigawa that one of my club members got from plant city about a year or two ago. It has a 1 1/2 inch trunk just above the nebari.

I have 6-year old itoigawa cuttings in the ground with larger trunks, but this looks container-grown. It’s a guess, but 4-5 years if it spent any time in the ground, and 6-8 years if container-grown. Junipers really need to put on a lot of foliage before they start fattening. This itoigawa was grown for 10-15 years in a 1-gal can and got to a 2” trunk, for comparison.

 

[parhamr]

@Adair M it’s not a bonsai pot. This young tree hasn’t been repotted in two years and it’s still in the oversized terra-cotta pot.

It’s putting on about 6-9 inch extension growths each growing season from the foliage pads that will become the final form. This will thicken up.

I’m aware of the perfect process and I know you think of your ways as being ideal. I’m learning on this tree and pleased with the results. I’ve now learned I need to include more of the “before” photos so your unsolicited contributions teaching me how to do something the “right way” do not take over my thread

Thanks.

 

[Adair M]

@Adair M it’s not a bonsai pot. This young tree hasn’t been repotted in two years and it’s still in the oversized terra-cotta pot.

It’s putting on about 6-9 inch extension growths each growing season from the foliage pads that will become the final form. This will thicken up.

I’m aware of the perfect process and I know you think of your ways as being ideal. I’m learning on this tree and pleased with the results. I’ve now learned I need to include more of the “before” photos so your unsolicited contributions teaching me how to do something the “right way” do not take over my thread

Thanks.

Alright, you posted something on the internet showing how to create a stick in a large pot. And then provided an update two years later, and it really hasn’t progressed.

Then, I showed you how I was able to take a raw piece of material, and turn it into somethingI could show at the National Shohin Show in 3 years.

And you’re bitching I hijacked your thread...

Well, I did it so that people will see the benefits of starting with better starting material. If you had let your tree grow unimpressed for another 3 or 4 years before trying to style it,then you would have a decent trunk to work with. But, by continuing to hack your tree back before it’s built a trunk, well, it just won’t ever happen.

If you are going to do this hobby, learn the techniques that lead to success, not frustration!

Really... I’m just trying to help.

 

[parhamr]

@Adair M this is one tree. My update is one year later. It appears to me you are not reading the contents of my posts, as I have been very specific as to the dates of my photos.

This is a thread for cataloguing my own efforts with one particular tree. Go make your own threads where you can discuss the one true way and your perfected enlightenment.

I have a yard full of trees growing out. I am aware of the techniques that lead to success. I did not ask for your help and, after seeing your pattern of conduct, I do not welcome your help.

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

Wow...My words of wisdom here are:

"God gave us two ears and one mouth, so we should listen twice as much as we speak."

I have been disheartened by the increasing number of members who are consistently disrespecting veterans of this hobby. Adair won the first US National Shohin Show, have some respect and humility!!!

@Adair M this is one tree. My update is one year later. It appears to me you are not reading the contents of my posts, as I have been very specific as to the dates of my photos.

This is a thread for cataloguing my own efforts with one particular tree. Go make your own threads where you can discuss the one true way and your perfected enlightenment.

I have a yard full of trees growing out. I am aware of the techniques that lead to success. I did not ask for your help and, after seeing your pattern of conduct, I do not welcome your help.

 

[0soyoung]

and humility!!

 

[parhamr]

stahp

 

[parhamr]

The inner volume of my terra-cotta pot is 2.93 gallons, btw.

 

[Adair M]

It doesn’t matter because you keep cutting the new growth back. It will never thicken. Either put it in the ground, or in a big grow box and fertilize heavily, and let it grow for 4 or 5 years.

It’s the only way to get a Juniper to “trunk up”.

 

[M. Frary]

I bought it for $200

Quite a deal actually. I just sold one with a 2" trunk for $200.00 But it wasn't this nice.

 

[parhamr]

One year later, without any pruning:


Don’t forget the entire lower left branch is sacrificial. I’ll air later it off after it has served its purpose.

I’m pleased with the ramification interior to the apex. I might do some cleaning and wiring this year to ensure early, inner movement. I’d like the trunk to have more of a twist.

 

[parhamr]

I did some minor cleanup and structural wiring. I’m pleased with the results!

The trunk has a tiny bit more movement and rotation to it. That’s 6-gauge wire on it.

Now I’ll let it grow for another year, only removing the wire once it has bitten in a bit.

 

[parhamr]

It continues to fill in. I’ve performed only light thinning and cleaning of crotches. Next year I’ll likely repot the tree.



Taken with the flash on to reveal the interior:

 

[Smoke]

@Adair M this is one tree. My update is one year later. It appears to me you are not reading the contents of my posts, as I have been very specific as to the dates of my photos.

This is a thread for cataloguing my own efforts with one particular tree. Go make your own threads where you can discuss the one true way and your perfected enlightenment.

I have a yard full of trees growing out. I am aware of the techniques that lead to success. I did not ask for your help and, after seeing your pattern of conduct, I do not welcome your help.

You should start a blog. It's free, open to the public but you can control the content as to what gets posted as a comment. keep the good stuff and not allow other comments or turn off comments entirely. If your going to post your tree here on a public open forum and then bitch about comments that you can't control, thats just silly.

Unless they are not quoting you properly, thats just rude.

 

[parhamr]

You should start a blog. It's free, open to the public but you can control the content as to what gets posted as a comment. keep the good stuff and not allow other comments or turn off comments entirely. If your going to post your tree here on a public open forum and then bitch about comments that you can't control, thats just silly.

Unless they are not quoting you properly, thats just rude.

k

 

[Cajunrider]

Alright, you posted something on the internet showing how to create a stick in a large pot. And then provided an update two years later, and it really hasn’t progressed.

Then, I showed you how I was able to take a raw piece of material, and turn it into somethingI could show at the National Shohin Show in 3 years.

And you’re bitching I hijacked your thread...

Well, I did it so that people will see the benefits of starting with better starting material. If you had let your tree grow unimpressed for another 3 or 4 years before trying to style it,then you would have a decent trunk to work with. But, by continuing to hack your tree back before it’s built a trunk, well, it just won’t ever happen.

If you are going to do this hobby, learn the techniques that lead to success, not frustration!

Really... I’m just trying to help.

@Adair M this is one tree. My update is one year later. It appears to me you are not reading the contents of my posts, as I have been very specific as to the dates of my photos.

This is a thread for cataloguing my own efforts with one particular tree. Go make your own threads where you can discuss the one true way and your perfected enlightenment.

I have a yard full of trees growing out. I am aware of the techniques that lead to success. I did not ask for your help and, after seeing your pattern of conduct, I do not welcome your help.

I myself has received a fair amount of sometimes hard to take comments from Adair. However, the comments are often on point. In this case where you are posting in a public forum, if your post are not countered by people like Adair, newbies like me may think the way you presented is the right way to develop a tree. So whether you welcome his help or not, for the good of the rest of us newbies, people like Adair should speak up. So fair is fair, we post in public, we receive comments from anyone who wish to comment whether we like it or not.

 

[parhamr]

I myself has received a fair amount of sometimes hard to take comments from Adair. However, the comments are often on point. In this case where you are posting in a public forum, if your post are not countered by people like Adair, newbies like me may think the way you presented is the right way to develop a tree. So whether you welcome his help or not, for the good of the rest of us newbies, people like Adair should speak up. So fair is fair, we post in public, we receive comments from anyone who wish to comment whether we like it or not.

k

 

[parhamr]

Tonight I’m removing wire that has bitten in. Some nice movement and wiggle has been left in branches. The tree continues to thicken up with lots of extension growth.


I’ve seen some death on foliage tips for which I’ve been puzzled and concerned. It’s visible here:


I don’t think it’s fungal in nature, and some of this has been around our hotter days. I’m guessing it is vascular in nature and from not the right amount of water.

Theories welcome—why do I have some foliage loss?!