Shimpaku pre-shohin

Dav4

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I got a call from a friend about 3 weeks ago asking if I wanted to hang out at his house for a Saturday afternoon and do the bonsai thing, as he was planning to re-pot some tropicals. I hadn't planned on doing any specific work on anything, but he always has a fridge full of descent beer, sooooo.....I grabbed this one and went. I really worked the deadwood, then charred it with the micro-torch. The lime sulfur was applied last week and the branches were placed. I've got more work to do on the deadwood but so far so good I think.
 

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tmmason10

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It's come a long way this year Dave, looks really good. You said you were coming to the nursery this weekend right?
 

Dav4

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This one got re-potted today. I intended to eventually get it into a smaller pot...maybe 3-4 years from now, but not today:eek:....the rest of my pots were simply too big for the root ball, which was reduced again today. I think it will look pretty good in this Zenigo tokoname pot in a few years, assuming it survives:eek:.
 

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october

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Beautiful tree..I have a question.. Are you going to let the right side grow out a bit or is your somewhat permanent plan to have all the foliage on one side?

Rob
 

Dav4

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Beautiful tree..I have a question.. Are you going to let the right side grow out a bit or is your somewhat permanent plan to have all the foliage on one side?

Rob

I want most of the foliage to be on the left...still want a bit on the right, too. How much?...time will tell:D.
 

Bill S

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Working it out Dave, trunk work looks great.

Looks like you have a well draining soil all around you, good diggin.:D
 

cquinn

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I want most of the foliage to be on the left...still want a bit on the right, too. How much?...time will tell:D.

The foliage is in contrast to the turn in the trunk. It's not balanced and conflicts with the trunk shape. Check out the Naka books for a great explanation.
 

Dav4

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Thanks for the comments. To my eye, the movement of the trunk going from left to right, coupled with the canopy moving to the left, creates tension, which I like. I guess it doesn't matter, because the majority of the trunk is dead, all the living portions of the trunk are on the left side, and I don't think there's any believable way to move the canopy to the other side.
 
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october

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The foliage is in contrast to the turn in the trunk. It's not balanced and conflicts with the trunk shape. Check out the Naka books for a great explanation.

Wow.. tough room..lol.. With shohin, you can get away with a little more structure wise. I do not think an accurate assessment can be made becasue we will need to see the tree grow out and refined and then see where it is at.

Dave..if you find you want a branch and foliage on the right side. You could get a shimpaku whip..or even grow one. Maybe cut a small channel in the back, probably in the deadwood. Plant the whip in the pot with this tree and graft the whip into the channel. Then wire it out and around to the front for a side branch. Kind of like the procedure for a phenix graft. However, it would not be, it would be real. I do not know how much room you have left in the pot. However, whips have hardly any roots.

Just a thought. Here is a virt.

Rob
 

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Dav4

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Thanks Rob. I do have some branches going toward the back which have been wired to the right side...I'll have more options after they grow for a bit, but my goal all along is basically what you've pictured in your virt, and I think it's doable. Thanks again.
 
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Dav4

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My father's day gift to myself was to work on my trees for several hours continuously today without feeling guilty about it:). This one had it's wire removed...it's grown well despite the re-pot and aggressive root work.
 

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Vance Wood

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My father's day gift to myself was to work on my trees for several hours continuously today without feeling guilty about it:). This one had it's wire removed...it's grown well despite the re-pot and aggressive root work.

It amazes me how family life can make you feel guilty about something that you shouldn't.
 

Brian Van Fleet

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Looking good Dave! Sounds like a nice Father's Day!
 

Poink88

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Looking very nice and healthy!

Question. At mid-height of the tree, there are 2 branches on top of each other towards the left...are you intending on keeping both?
 

october

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Looks like the tree is getting some nice growth all over. Also, just the little bit of growth on the right side is already making the tree look more balanced.:D I wish there was more material like this available around here. When material like this does show up, it costs a fortune.

Rob
 
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