The "What The Heck Should I Do With It" Thread

[Carol 83]

My brother got this from a lady he works with, that kept it in her office. It looked pretty crappy when he gave it to me, but outside for a month with some sun, regular watering and a little fertilizer, it is thriving. It obviously needs to come out of it's Wal- mart pot. Not a fan of this kind of ficus , the only other one I have is a little willow leaf. But it's mine now, so what the heck should I do with it?

 

[Stickroot]

Wire it, shorten the branches by bending them, pull them down, let more light into the interior to spur some back budding... no design is the final design until the tree is dead!

Aaaah. Yeah, a vision will come to me.
I just hope the vision does not include spindly branches all twisted up into a chaotic mess. I would like to eliminate 90% of the branches to trunk and foliage.
I better start a thread and check the vert-brains.

 

[sorce]

vert-brain

You can't vert this!
Where do you want your pom poms?

I like the angle of the planting.
While the tree itself is Parallel with the pot,
None of its lines are...so that works.

This pic is definitely the front for me Cuz of that swooper.

Either cut the reds to not interrupt the flow of the horizontal branches.

Or cut the blue to not interrupt the flow of the vertical branches.

That will light up the wicked trunk better.
And seeing as how you can still put multiple pads in any location with what is left.....

I think this decision should have been made 256 non baby hours ago!


This is so we can see the whole tree again.

The trunk in between the two reds....
If you cut that off...
The spacing between the remaining trunks will be too equal.
Don't do that.

Make one of those sets of cuts (tough up close decision with many variables)
And put some wire on it!

I think there is just too much going on.
Deleting those major structural flaws will allow you space to see what you've been looking for IMO.

Dope!

Sorce

 

[defra]

I've got about 300 hours in starring at this.
Itoigawa that Kobayashi started.
It was selected and handed to a good friend and teacher of mine by Kunio himself over ten years ago! So until I am COMPLETELY confident that the end design is going to be the ultimate design. I will keep starring.
I know at least 75 % of this foliage will come off, lots of regrowth closer to the trunk,dead wood, reposition,petting, singing, praying.View attachment 156940View attachment 156941

I like the seccond pic as front and immagine a real cool semi cascade
With the right part as cascading branch and the left side as wicked twisted jins middle part as apex with a cool shari circling around

I guess one could imagine anything in a tree like this tough
If you cant figure its best design out while sitting infront of it for 300 hours its probably impossible to do from 2 pics lol

Can you redo picture 2 infront of a black background? I like to play with it with photoshop

 

[defra]

@Carol 83
I would damage the bark at the white line some and pot it up just a bit deeper than that to let it form roots at that place to increase taper and to get rid of those horrible roots it has now in the end

 

[BeebsBonsai]

Wire it, shorten the branches by bending them, pull them down, let more light into the interior to spur some back budding... no design is the final design until the tree is dead!

Eric, When would you rewire? I will need to get myself some heavier gauge, like a 6 or 8, but I could get that in a few weeks. I assume late September early october range? And in a black pine that was weak going into the growing season and looks like this, is it still appropriate to shoot select This fall?

 

[BeebsBonsai]

Beebsy, I am not a pine guy. However, the third image (or somewhere close to it) would be my choice as a front to start working with. As @Eric Group stated, wire the branches. Put as much movement in them as you cam which will result in shorter branches.

That was kind of the angle I was thinking, but with a 20-25 degree turn counterclockwise to bring in some more depth at that interesting twist

 

[sorce]

@BeebsBonsai just remember what Ryan said about "snaking" branches.
Don't bend em too much!

That is a nice start BTW!

Sorce

 

[sorce]

Hell...
Tier three comes with a "Ryan" box yes?

Where you can speak into the air from anywhere and he replies with the correct answer?

Lol!

Sorce

 

[BeebsBonsai]

@BeebsBonsai just remember what Ryan said about "snaking" branches.
Don't bend em too much!

That is a nice start BTW!

Sorce

Sorce,

You don't think that first branch is up too high? would you suggest trying to get back budding? or just grow out that top so that the tree grows in proportion to that distance between base and first branch?

 

[BeebsBonsai]

Hell...
Tier three comes with a "Ryan" box yes?

Where you can speak into the air from anywhere and he replies with the correct answer?

Lol!

Sorce

Don't I wish. LOL. That box costs 75 dollars a half hour. Too steep for me. Live Q&As are clutch though. And yeah, snaking is not something I am going to do. I think I'll try and get myself some 6 to 8 gauge and get this bending work done as soon as september rolls around. Do you self anneal your copper, if not, where do you buy it from? I am having trouble finding cheaper wire online.

 

[sorce]

Sorce,

You don't think that first branch is up too high? would you suggest trying to get back budding? or just grow out that top so that the tree grows in proportion to that distance between base and first branch?

Lol!
What is Neptunes trudent?
Sounds like an infomercial for a dent remover!

And...
Turns out we never needed more pics of this tree eh?

Lol! It's not all together a whopping 3d is it?

Ok.

This ought be a literati certain IMO.
Quickest path to dopeness.

All three branches are separated enough to just apply proper JBP technique to....

I'd wire each to its own future path as the final image..

And when one stands out as the line that works...
Or the tip that ramifies best...
Or simply just doesn't die....

That'll be your literati.

Sorce

 

[sorce]

As it stands....
My vote is for the top tuft.

Wiggle wiggle wiggle pop!

Sorce

 

[sorce]

self anneal

Yes. On the stove. And it is comparable to the best.
But a pain in the Ass.
Kiln a coming.

If buying....to to Jim Gremel, or Julian Adams ....

You coming to the show...?
There too!

Sorce

 

[BeebsBonsai]

Yes. On the stove. And it is comparable to the best.
But a pain in the Ass.
Kiln a coming.

If buying....to to Jim Gremel, or Julian Adams ....

You coming to the show...?
There too!

Sorce

I thought literati, but at the same time, I know that is one of the most difficult to get right. I like the standard image of a jbp, in the traditional sense. I named it Neptune's Trident because it looks like a trident. You've got the pole as the trunk and then it branches pretty close together one from left, middle, and right. LOL. Was that the name of the Image file? I felt like you were mind reading or something when I read you jest at the name.

Yes, I will be at the show. Saturday. I'll be there with the GF, I'm about 5'7'', blonde, bearded, with glasses. I'll be wearing a Blue 2017 Epcot Flower and Garden Festival shirt. If you see me say whatsup. I think i might snag the wire there. Hopefully some vendors have some at a decent price. I bought from Julian before. Do you anneal just on the open flame?

 

[defra]

@Vin

Took a pic from my squamata
It is kinda hard to take a good picture from this tree tough

This is the angle me and tentakelaertje found to be interesting

 

[KeithE]

Hmmmm. This is an interesting creature that requires much contemplation.

 

[defra]

View attachment 157095

Hmmmm. This is an interesting creature that requires much contemplation.

Looks like a cool maple raft !

But to get the help or toughts from other nuts please take a picture from eye level with the whole tree on it and preferable from all 4 sides and if possible in front of a less distracting background !

Its hard to visualize the options without a clear immage of the matterial you posted

 

[Carol 83]

@Carol 83
I would damage the bark at the white line some and pot it up just a bit deeper than that to let it form roots at that place to increase taper and to get rid of those horrible roots it has now in the end

View attachment 157087

Got it. But what about the top, it's getting very tall and spindly. Will it back bud, if I chop? I don't have anything invested in this thing, monetarily, or emotionally. My brother just keeps giving me weird shit. Then I feel a need to try and do something with it. Sorry for the cruddy pictures, it was late and I may have had a couple beers...

 

[defra]

Got it. But what about the top, it's getting very tall and spindly. Will it back bud, if I chop? I don't have anything invested in this thing, monetarily, or emotionally. My brother just keeps giving me weird shit. Then I feel a need to try and do something with it. Sorry for the cruddy pictures, it was late and I may have had a couple beers...

Lol hope your vision is clear again
Its a ficus it will happily grow back anything you prune off

I would keep the branches in the right places and cut off the unneeded ones

The ones you want to keep let them thicken some more and then cut them back to 2 leaves and wait for new growth to cut it back to when its there to give the branches movement and taper

My guess is if you repot it it will respond with an explosion of growth!