Spruce Bonsai Bulb Repair

[lancekrebs18]

Hi Everyone,


I bought this spruce tree from a nursery and I am trying to make it into a bonsai. This is my first attempt at it.

My question is can I remove the two bulbs on the trunk safely?

If I leave them alone and just cut them right close to the trunk will the trunk eventually grow into the bulb and make it look natural?

I was also thinking about contorting the trunk drastically in an attempt to hide these ugly bulbs. Any advise would be appreciated I am wanting to wire up the branches shortly here. Any further advise or opinions about my tree would be appreciated as well I like the bottom of the trunk.


Thanks!

 

[october]

Welcome lancekrebs18,
This has the potential to become a very nice bonsai. However, if you are not knowledeable about pruning the species, you can ruin or even kill the tree pretty easilly. I would highly suggest seeking out a bonsai club or an experienced teacher. Maybe take it to a work shop. I would not practice on this tree or be in a hurry to style it. if you can get help this Fall, that is a good time to work on Spruce. If you cannot, I would recommend waiting until next year. It has a nice base and lower trunk.

I would start reading up on the care and pruning of the species and also familiarize yourself with the 5 styles of bonsai.

Rob

 

[tmmason10]

Rightsideup?

 

[lancekrebs18]

Hi Rob,


Thanks a lot for your comments. I was thinking about doing either a very informal upright or windswept style. I have been reading articles for quite a while now even before I purchased the tree. Here in Calgary we do not have a bonsai club, and I would be hard pressed to find a teacher. It's very reassuring to hear you say this could be a nice bonsai and I do want to make sure I take my time with it..... Since it is September now I was going to prune the new shoots that came in this year to a bud, and leave some to grow that are closer to the trunk so I can get more branching off of certain branches.. All of the new shoots that are near the ends of the branches will likely be trimmed back.

If I trim a new shoot set this year down to 4-5 needles left on the shoot will it die if there are no buds left on the shoot?

Can I remove the bulb on the trunk somehow?

 

[RightSideUp]

Good to see the forum back up.

 

[october]

Hi Rob,


Thanks a lot for your comments. I was thinking about doing either a very informal upright or windswept style. I have been reading articles for quite a while now even before I purchased the tree. Here in Calgary we do not have a bonsai club, and I would be hard pressed to find a teacher. It's very reassuring to hear you say this could be a nice bonsai and I do want to make sure I take my time with it..... Since it is September now I was going to prune the new shoots that came in this year to a bud, and leave some to grow that are closer to the trunk so I can get more branching off of certain branches.. All of the new shoots that are near the ends of the branches will likely be trimmed back.

If I trim a new shoot set this year down to 4-5 needles left on the shoot will it die if there are no buds left on the shoot?

Can I remove the bulb on the trunk somehow?

An informal upright sounds good. As far as pruning. Major pruning and wiring is usually done in Fall. However, maintenance pruning and to keep shape is done after the new growth extends and is almost ready to harden off (turn to wood). It would be at this point where these new shoots of growth would be cut in half.

You can prune back now, but it should not be too far. It might back bud if you cut back to this years growth. However, if you cut back to 2 seasons, it is a gamble. As far as the bulge. To get rid of it, you'll need to remove those branches and cut flush to the trunk. I assume you mean the bulge on the right side of the trunk in the pic. Another alternative would be to come up with a plan to create some shari (carving deadwood on the trunk. You might be able to incorporate the design to reduce the bulge.

These trees can be very finicky, they are not fond of heavy wiring sometimes, especially out of season. Here is an excellent 2 page article on pruning and wiring them. This will explain in more detail as to what I am describing above. This actually shows you pics and tells where to cut. Don't hesitate to ask questions and post your progress and work on this tree. I think it has potential.


Here is the link.

http://www.bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATPiceaPruningstylingandwiring.htm


Also, this is my Sitka spruce. The tree was collected from Canada about 10 years ago.

Rob

 

[Jason_mazzy]

It is my understanding that you allow the buds to open extend and harden off, then cut them leaving 3-4 needle pairs. The tree will respond by pushing new buds interiorly and at the cut site that will not open until the following growing season.

 

[lancekrebs18]

Thanks again. I have had that article printed off at my home for a couple weeks now and I have really tried to read as much as I could about the subject before I started. As a rookie though it is a little overwhelming at the start.

There is a lot of new buds on some of these branches, my question is that some of them are very strong they are 4-5 inches long (woody) and some are 1" long and are quite soft. I know that I want to reduce the size of the buds in the future so would it be best to cut the larger buds in half and leave the others to grow a bit? Or should I also cut those in hopes to keep things as small as possible?

If I don't cut those smaller buds that are closer to the trunk, those will eventually turn into branches and hopefully years down the road I can use those branches instead of the ones further away from the trunk to bring the foliage closer to the trunk?

So what I am thinking is cut all the strong growth this year in half, and leave all the other small stuff to grow a bit? The thing is the small buds are probably the correct size I want do I trim them now to maintain their size?

 

[october]

Thanks again. I have had that article printed off at my home for a couple weeks now and I have really tried to read as much as I could about the subject before I started. As a rookie though it is a little overwhelming at the start.

There is a lot of new buds on some of these branches, my question is that some of them are very strong they are 4-5 inches long (woody) and some are 1" long and are quite soft. I know that I want to reduce the size of the buds in the future so would it be best to cut the larger buds in half and leave the others to grow a bit? Or should I also cut those in hopes to keep things as small as possible?

If I don't cut those smaller buds that are closer to the trunk, those will eventually turn into branches and hopefully years down the road I can use those branches instead of the ones further away from the trunk to bring the foliage closer to the trunk?

So what I am thinking is cut all the strong growth this year in half, and leave all the other small stuff to grow a bit? The thing is the small buds are probably the correct size I want do I trim them now to maintain their size?

One thing I need to mention about the article. I believe some of the information was mixed up. Basically it says to cut back new stong growth by 1/3 and weaker growth by 1/2. This should be the reverse. You want to cut back stronger growth more than you would weaker. Actually to simplify this. All you have to do is cut back stong and medium strength growth by 1/2. Leave the weak buds alone.

Although it is good to be cautious. These trees grow incredibly slowly. You have more time than you think. Just to get a branch to set with wire can take 3 years plus or so. So even when you get this tree in some shape and wired, it will be about 4-5 years before it takes. This is taking into account the main and secondary branches.

Anything that is soft growth that is about to harden off can be cut in half. The other growth can be cut back as long as it is not from 3 seasons ago and you leave a good amount of health needles.

Cutting the strong growth in half and leaving the rest might be a good idea. However, you have to have a plan for stylign first. In other words, after your tree is wired and has a rough image, that is when these techniques are useful. I thin kyou need to have the tree somewhat styled a bit. After wiring, branches shorten, end up in different places, go in different directions. Wht you think you might not need, you actually might need in the end.

As far as buds turning into branches down the road. Yes they will. However, a spruce bud will not become a workable branch for maybe 5 years. You have a lot of time. What you don't want is to leave a bunch of buds in one place on the trunk for several years because this will cause bulging. However, even this is like a 5 year plus situation.

Rob

 

[lancekrebs18]

Thanks a lot Rob the information you provided it is very helpful. All I need to do now is decide how I want this tree to look & consider a trunk Shari (I am a little freaked out about cutting up the trunk, & like you said I have years to decide. Leave it to me for a month or so here and I will post you a pic after it is all wired up. Thanks again!

 

[october]

ps..The first thing I would do is pick the branches that are going to be kept. Try to get ladder like branches, meaning branches that are on different levels as you go up the trunk. Also, leave a few back branches. If you are unsure, leave more than what you need. When you have picked your branches, wire them. Put some small bends in them. Also, pull them down so they have a swooping appearance. Also, the top might be able to be cut off. However, I can't tell from the pics if there is another branch that could replace it for the apex. For now, I would leave it the height it is. Work like this should be done in Fall.

As you are probably seeing, this is really a situation that call for a workshop or a class tutorial. There is a lot to styling this tree. I realize your situation. So it is best to go slow.

Here is a virt.

Rob

 

[davetree]

Is this tree grafted ?