grouper52
Masterpiece
This is about a thirty year old Scots pine of some sort with beautiful bark, grafted about three inches up to species stock I think. It was bought as a "seedling" at age 12, and then styled and shaped for twenty years. It then went on sale at Bonsai Northwest, where I got it.
I loved the bark, and certain other things about the tree appealed to a great deal as well, but it presented several problems, seen fairly well perhaps in the first photo. This variety of Scots pine apparently doesn't back bud onto old wood at all, and it had grown out into foliage pads on fairly straight long branches - not very attractive to me. The needles were also much longer than I found attractive. It also had a very unsightly reverse taper bulge at the graft, hidden only partially by the lower right branch which actually comes off a bit to left of center and then sweeps right to hide the bulge.
Th first two seasons I had it I started applying techniques to induce back budding - to no significant avail. I was able to start reducing the needle length successfully though. I also tried bending several branches back towards the trunk to lessen the pom-pom look, with no setback in their growth.
Then last late winter I began more serious training, creating several jins, and a large partly dug out saba miki to remove the reverse taper graft bulge - this will be developed further over time. I then also began using guys to bring large branches into better configurations, as well as wrapped wire to place every last small branchlet into better positions, and removed a bit more excess foliage.
Many wrapped wires remain and will probably be removed this winter, or sooner. The last photo also shows many areas where the foliage is too dense despite the recent removal of all this year's new growth. Some areas are destined for jinning, the foliage left on for now to help set the recent wiring, and this should thin some of those areas as well. Further refinement of the jins and saba miki will be done. Rotation slightly counterclockwise when repotted this late winter will offer a better front. If anyone thinks the wild root needs to be removed, they don't know me very well.
Another few seasons and the image should be much farther along, a bit less like a bonsai and a bit more like an old Ponderosa from the high desert hills of Wyoming, but I think it is starting to show some promise well enough at this point that I thought I would post it for folks' enjoyment.
I loved the bark, and certain other things about the tree appealed to a great deal as well, but it presented several problems, seen fairly well perhaps in the first photo. This variety of Scots pine apparently doesn't back bud onto old wood at all, and it had grown out into foliage pads on fairly straight long branches - not very attractive to me. The needles were also much longer than I found attractive. It also had a very unsightly reverse taper bulge at the graft, hidden only partially by the lower right branch which actually comes off a bit to left of center and then sweeps right to hide the bulge.
Th first two seasons I had it I started applying techniques to induce back budding - to no significant avail. I was able to start reducing the needle length successfully though. I also tried bending several branches back towards the trunk to lessen the pom-pom look, with no setback in their growth.
Then last late winter I began more serious training, creating several jins, and a large partly dug out saba miki to remove the reverse taper graft bulge - this will be developed further over time. I then also began using guys to bring large branches into better configurations, as well as wrapped wire to place every last small branchlet into better positions, and removed a bit more excess foliage.
Many wrapped wires remain and will probably be removed this winter, or sooner. The last photo also shows many areas where the foliage is too dense despite the recent removal of all this year's new growth. Some areas are destined for jinning, the foliage left on for now to help set the recent wiring, and this should thin some of those areas as well. Further refinement of the jins and saba miki will be done. Rotation slightly counterclockwise when repotted this late winter will offer a better front. If anyone thinks the wild root needs to be removed, they don't know me very well.
Another few seasons and the image should be much farther along, a bit less like a bonsai and a bit more like an old Ponderosa from the high desert hills of Wyoming, but I think it is starting to show some promise well enough at this point that I thought I would post it for folks' enjoyment.