rlist
Shohin
I began this routine this last year and it is working marvelously...
http://bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATPiceaPruningstylingandwiring.htm
Spruce Styling Challenge
- Thread starter Chris Johnston
- Start date
I began this routine this last year and it is working marvelously...
http://bonsai4me.com/AdvTech/ATPiceaPruningstylingandwiring.htm
If you improve it I may not want it!!!! Lets do a straight up trade, and I will bend that trunk and show you that it can be done, lol!
Personally I would try to bend it before I cut it off just to see how the tree responded... a learning experience if you will.
Let me know if you want to trade, I am open to it.......
See YA, Jason
Great link Rich.... I like Harry and his site is full of very good info.....
Thanks for sharing with the forum.
Jason
BONSAI_OUTLAW
Banned
Rich....Thanks for posting that link. I have two three foot saplings and from that lil read you provided....I think I will just make them yard trees. They seem like a real pain in the ass to work with.
Chris Johnston
Omono
Thanks for the link. The problem is that these photos already represent the tree in a slightly earlier incarnation. I don't have the photos at work with me, but will be showing how I dealt with the branch for now, and what the tree looks like currently.
rlist
Shohin
I am two years into seriously working with spruce (mostly engelmann but some bird's nest as well), and must say that they are much easier to work with than pines. Much less work, and much simpler and predictible reactions - if you ask me...
Edit: Added info: Not to hijack the thread, but here are some close-up foliage pics of a picea engelmannii. Collected June '06 and then baked by 110 degree temps two weeks later, bare rooted and repotted March '07, new foliage cut May '07 as per Harry's info, baked by full sun at 107 degrees one day in June '07. Lots of water, sun (too much actually) free draining Boon mix with turface sub for akadama, fish fert and miracle grow. I have not plucked needles on this, as it hasn't been strong enough in my estimation. The brown needles are burnt from the day in the sun this year. This is the pic as of a few minutes ago. I would say there is quite a bit of back budding going on, huh???
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BONSAI_OUTLAW
Banned
Really?
I only have the Colorado Blue Spruce. It seems from what I read earlier that they are a difficult subject.
Anonymous User
Banned
Thanks for the great spruce link Rlist.
Vance Wood has had remarkable success with Blue Spruce, the health and vigor of his is a sight to behold. I think he posted one of his here not long ago, one that won best of show this year at our club show, the tightness and closeness to the trunk of the foliage is inspiring.
Gives me new hope for the Spruces I have,....
Will
Vance Wood has had remarkable success with Blue Spruce, the health and vigor of his is a sight to behold. I think he posted one of his here not long ago, one that won best of show this year at our club show, the tightness and closeness to the trunk of the foliage is inspiring.
Gives me new hope for the Spruces I have,....
Will
Chris Johnston
Omono
As to the nebari question that Will raised:
It is true that this one doesn't have the ideal nebari. The protruding sawed root you see at the base actually ran up the hillside for who knows how far. It had to be cut off to get the tree. As it was, I only lost one branch. That stub will be jinned in the future and the planting angle will probably be adjusted.
It is true that this one doesn't have the ideal nebari. The protruding sawed root you see at the base actually ran up the hillside for who knows how far. It had to be cut off to get the tree. As it was, I only lost one branch. That stub will be jinned in the future and the planting angle will probably be adjusted.
rlist
Shohin
For those that aren't familiar with Harry, I have found his knowledge and technique virtually beyond comparison for a relatively unknown artist. He is a great guy, and is (was) very helpful on another forum. His site has exceptional amounts of information, and his collection is quite nice and improving.
Thread officially hijacked. I'll see the Mad Man in the cafeteria over this I am sure...
Anonymous User
Banned
No but with careful planning, it can still have. The top of the tree can still be worked on while developing Nebari for the future.
It has been said that Nebari is not important, while this may be true on Literati, it is not often true on other styles. Most of my own trees lack decent Nebari, but all are in the process of Nebari development.
Will
Vance Wood
Lord Mugo
There are not enough bending jacks in the civilized world to bend that trunk, if there was the time needed would be short--in Geological terms. Of this I am certain, I have a similar Spruce that has had to have its branches wired over and over again for more than twenty years. The wood is very springy, the reason they are used for musical instrument sounds boards, and the reason they do not respond well to wiring. Hack, slash, chop and clip are really the most effective way of dealing with them, only the very young wood will respond well to wiring and will not require being re-wired more than three or four times. Thus is the nature of Blue Spruce.
Chris Johnston
Omono
Here are two more things I love about this tree. The bark is absolutely magnificent. It is a real challenge with trees this old, to handle them without breaking off large plates of bark.
The jin was apparently a chop from someone blazing a trail perhaps 50 years ago. The main branch threw up a new leader and the tree grew unmolested until I molested it.
The jin was apparently a chop from someone blazing a trail perhaps 50 years ago. The main branch threw up a new leader and the tree grew unmolested until I molested it.
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Chris Johnston
Omono
Of course a nebari is a good thing to have, and the jin will take a point of interest there. The roots are far less than ideal, as they are on most collected trees. It's something to work on over the years, not really a quick fix for this one.
Chris Johnston
Omono
I thought the branch was too high and too far forward for my taste, and I thought I might want to straighten it out a bit. So I prepared it by protecting the bark with raffia, and tying on two large copper splines on the outside of the proposed bend.
As it turns out, the splines were a waste of wire
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As it turns out, the splines were a waste of wire
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Chris Johnston
Omono
This is the branch after it was prepared for the guy wire. In this case a fairly heavy copper wire was used because of the force involved. For some reason, I don't have a photo of it with the rebar wire-tied to the wires. It extended a couple of feet beyond the end of the branch, and gave me much better leverage while bending.
Of course, with the natural old jin at the bottom, actually straightening out this branch was out of the question, so the splines were a waste of time, and except for the chance to anchor the rebar, the coils were pretty much wasted too.
Of course, with the natural old jin at the bottom, actually straightening out this branch was out of the question, so the splines were a waste of time, and except for the chance to anchor the rebar, the coils were pretty much wasted too.
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Take some of that 0.8% IBA I sent you and use it. Too late this year in your area so mark your calendar and do it next spring. I would assume the "nick and rub" method will work as long as you keep the area sufficiently moist and cool. Deeper pot perhaps?
Anonymous User
Banned
Chris,
Sorry to see your difficulty in straightening that branch and the trial and error process of first using splines, then wrapping with wire, and then rebar.
I hope you don't mind if I offer a suggestion for future projects...
These come in all sizes and I have had excellent results with them. The nice thing about these is that you can gradually bend a branch or trunk over time, giving a turn every month or so, depending on the circumstances.
Will
Sorry to see your difficulty in straightening that branch and the trial and error process of first using splines, then wrapping with wire, and then rebar.
I hope you don't mind if I offer a suggestion for future projects...
These come in all sizes and I have had excellent results with them. The nice thing about these is that you can gradually bend a branch or trunk over time, giving a turn every month or so, depending on the circumstances.
Will
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Chris Johnston
Omono
Are you kidding me? Do you have one of these 18 inches across? I have a number of these, the largest I have seen is about 5 inches. This branch is a good two inches thick with dead wood as part of its makeup. Without carving the deadwood and hollowing it, there is no chance the branch can be bent.
Chris Johnston
Omono
Don't worry about little old me. Turns out I didn't need to bend that kink anyway. I was able to lower the whole branch at the base and draw it toward the left side of the tree using a guy wire and a sturdy screw.
