scots pine literati first styling

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Thanks for the interest. So i went running outside since i didn't make pictures after the last touch up. The tree went back to green, moderately healthy in my opinion. There is some backbudding but not as much as usual. Just wired and selected branches a few weeks ago. Since no work was done this year (tree must get healthy first) the tree is outgrowing its silhouet and there are overly long needles. I was considering repotting this tree and scrolling back in this topic learned that i repotted in 2015, so i might just dive in. Repotting will give me the option to view the state of the roots and give it a more free draining mix and give it a tilt. Giving it a smaller training pot would benefit the more frequent drying out and start to build a smaller and compact rootball for the future.

The branches still need tweaking when i see the pictures taken and in the long run more branches must be eliminated.
IMG_0204.JPG
 

Velodog2

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Just a post here to say how much I love this tree. It has that certain something ... how do they say in French? Oh right I don’t speak French.
 
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French is not my native language but I understand what you mean. I agree the tree has something but nevertheless it leaves me a bit unsatisfied at the moment. I hope the image and feeling will grow on it over the years. Most of the time trees do that, with a little help.
 
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Yes that's the first one that might go. But if foliage is to far away and that Branch has better foliage it might be that the upper one goes. That's the reason I wait longer to remove them. But is certainly is a better image. Thank you for the virtual. The negative space is the most important in literati and must be accentuated.
 

Velodog2

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French is not my native language but I understand what you mean. I agree the tree has something but nevertheless it leaves me a bit unsatisfied at the moment. I hope the image and feeling will grow on it over the years. Most of the time trees do that, with a little help.

Well it certainly needs development and refining, no question, but that is just time. As bonsai artists we can see the future when we look at a tree. The development of true foliage pads, allowing needles to point upward, and bringing foliage on some of the upper branches closer to the trunk while possibly shortening the branches just a bit overall would do this tree right for me, although I’m not a great stylist.

I wouldn’t get wrapped up in making it fit a perceived literati mold (heaven help us whatever that may be). The tree is what it needs to be. In a 2d pic it’s hard to say too much about depth, but the branch that is being proposed as superfluous seems to lend that quality, which is important.
 
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