Underdog's Fall Contest Attempt

Underdog

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The current entries are intimidating to a rookie like me. The "Big Dogs" are also laying in wait to pounce I'm sure. It's all good fun to me at this is my first full season learning. Thanks again to the many sponsors contributing giving hope even an Underdog could get a rookie bronze something :)

Pretty sure this isn't breaking any rules and thought I even read it was encouraged to post a thread on your tree. @sorce The work is mostly already done to it now except for some tweaking and deciding what to do about potting out of season for show. I have some ideas to make it pretty in the nursery can as well.
I expect to submit it in the next 2 weeks when I'm done head scratching...

This is my Blue Star Juniper Juniperus squamata picked up for free from my friends nursery on Sept 23rd 2016
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The imagined front and my friend's business truck in the background. Thanks again Mike Kobel
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Underdog

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Cleaned her up a bit, flooded the nasty little pill bugs out of the pot and slipped into a similar sized but a little prettier pot trimming only two long dangling roots. The root ball looked quite healthy. I antisipated this to be the back, but could be the front for the porpose of this contest.
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What I think would be the eventual front. This work was done Oct 3rd 2016
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Here is a peak at the roots which I think are workable.
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Underdog

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I've been wiring bits at a time when I get frustrated with whatever motorcycle or ATV I'm working on at the moment. I've gotten a lot of new growth since thinning and plucking out all the dead needles. I'll admit to a bucket soak in Mirical Grow at the same time as slip potting
Contest front still for now followed by final front next year maybe.
IMG_20161010_182013715.jpg IMG_20161010_181938527.jpg
I hope to get my daughter with her fancy camera to take some good pics for the entry.
 

Underdog

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It could use more trimming and it will get some. Those bright blue tips are new as it's been liking the love it's been getting. I have more fine wiring to do and what to do about a pot or a disguise of moss on a big slab for the purpose of contest pics only.

I've been working on two others similar this summer and like them a lot. I have a vision of a cement/rock mountain by my pond with all three of them leaning off the ledges.
 

thomas22

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I have my tree done but the weather is so nice right now that I am banking on more growth and improvement over the next month. Also, I am not going to repot or touch the roots on my tree. Its been through enough over the last week or so. I like my tree just enough to not want to kill it.

I personally will vote for a couple of the best trees but will save a few votes for the trees done relatively well by those with little experience.

As far as your tree, it's looking pretty good but needs some refinement but doesn't need to look too refined in my opinion. You can't expect a nursery juniper to have nice refined pads in a month. This will take a few years. You may want to cover the fine root above the soil with moss or soil before the dry up. Good luck.
 

sorce

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banking on more growth and improvement

Careful...
One of the rules is to not have it show growth into the design.

Not that it reeeeally matters...

BTW....

Noobs are highly encouraged to enter...

There is talk of winners who don't need Any of the prizes....
Handing off their prize to their favorite noob tree!

Nice Underdog.

Sorce
 

thomas22

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Careful...
One of the rules is to not have it show growth into the design.

Not that it reeeeally matters...

BTW....

Noobs are highly encouraged to enter...

There is talk of winners who don't need Any of the prizes....
Handing off their prize to their favorite noob tree!

Nice Underdog.

Sorce

I bought my Juniper at a landscape nursery two week ago for the contest and styled it already. Am I not allowed to let it grow and fill in a bit before I submit the final image? If not then no problem, I will submit this weekend after I make the touches.
 

sorce

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I bought my Juniper at a landscape nursery two week ago for the contest and styled it already. Am I not allowed to let it grow and fill in a bit before I submit the final image? If not then no problem, I will submit this weekend after I make the touches.

In an attempt to keep it fair....
And ensure recent work for trees that have been in possession for a long time,
One of the rules is it

Can Not show growth into the design.

This way, you can't have a before pic from 2010, and an after from yesterday.

A little growth never hurt anyone.

Growth within the contest timeline is fine!

I wouldn't worry about it much!

Sorce
 

Underdog

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IMG_20161012_110213361.jpg I'm just getting some pretty little "Blue Stars" popping out in formerly shaded out areas. Gives some healthy color to the newly formed pads. Gonna be near 80 and sunny today so suck it up Juney:) Kinda liking this thing. One more dose of too much fert.
 
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herzausstahl

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Nice work so far. I know this is a bonsai forum but do you have a pic of your pond? Would be a cool display area for your trees.
 

Underdog

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One from May and today. Moved a lot of stuff to the front of the house for more sun recently.
I expect to dig it all up this fall. Trading a motor rebuild for a bigger pond about 14' x 2-3ft deep. You can still see the 14ft circle for a pool there years ago.Goldfish moving into aquarium soon. Thanks:)

Also in the second pic you see my first two Blue Star Juniper started this summer in black cans on top of the newly gathered sandstone. I hope to build some kind of rock/mini mountain around the new pond to display the 3 as a group planting hanging off of various sides of the rock. My thoughts are to build in openings to hold standard size pots to allow removal/rotation maintenance of the trees.
 

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GSCarlson

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You are playing it smart by waiting to enter your tree in the contest. I wish I would have. My cotoneaster is really filling out with new growth and is even pushing out flowers. Crazy. And here I was afraid it would not survive my drastic pruning. And nice pond. With a bigger one next year will you be adding some koi?
 

Underdog

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next year will you be adding some koi?
Maybe. I have another motorcycle customer who is in that business too. LOL But he has a Gold Wing and I despise working on them... maybe stick w/my last surviving goldfish:)

waiting to enter your tree in the contest.
I got a late start and the bike shop is still busy due to the weather. Trying to take my time and do it right.

Trying to deiced on a slightly over-sized pot for presentation or put it on a slab/hill w/out disturbing rootball surrounded by rocks and moss. Then back in the pot for the winter with his brothers.
 

Underdog

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Stuffed into a beautiful Ching Wen Pot today against all wisdom and hoping it lives. Roots are good and it's popping new growth during our current Indian Summer weather in the 80s this week. The pot is much higher quality than the tree but...
The pot color will accent the bark once cleaned and the subtle green/blue glazing accents will highlight the Blue Stars of this lil Juniper I hope.
Little more love, pruning a few shaggy pads and maybe a couple more fine wires...
Gotta get my daughters camera for the final entry pics very soon. I have a black sheet ready.
Not expecting to win anything but it has been a fun few weeks creating an"instant bonsai"
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wireme

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Lookin good. I don't know if I will "like" it in the contest cause that's hard choices too, I've gotta go read the voting rules again I think. But anyway whether or not I like it I like it!

The thought of growing trees this month is pretty funny to me as well, nothing's growing too fast in these parts nowadays!image.jpg
 

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Looking for the DIS-like button Wireme. Not ready for that white stuff! Your entry is amazing! I see where your name comes from. I need a lot of work in that department. I can wire a dragbike. Solder.shrink wrap and bulletproof. Trees... well still learning...
 

wireme

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Looking for the DIS-like button Wireme. Not ready for that white stuff! Your entry is amazing! I see where your name comes from. I need a lot of work in that department. I can wire a dragbike. Solder.shrink wrap and bulletproof. Trees... well still learning...

Ha, thanks.
When I signed up I didn't know if putting my actual name up was a good idea, no reason why just suspicious of the Internet. Not sure where wireme came from, I think I'd just read a thread about bonsai being tree torture. For all the years I've been in this I've actually wired not so much. Mostly collect and wait, prune and grow and wait, bit of a crash and reset along the way. I'm glad I entered the contest, fun and good practice. I tried to wire well, in places it's pretty poor but I learned from it and I'm really happy with the image in the end.

Oh, I'm sure your wiring will be just fine in no time at all.
 

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It has been good fun and I think this may be my final entry pic. Couple little branches poking up and but... May have to wire more and try again. Still have time. Got the text wrote and maybe entered tomorrow. Unless I wire more and trim it more and try better pics over morning coffee! LOL Still learning a new camera too. Need to focus better...DSCN5465.JPG
 

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This is what I envision as the final front once it fills out next year.
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Underdog

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Finally got the guts to enter this morning and the server was down. LOL Back up and entered.
Thanks again to all the generous sponsors. I just couldn't get the sharp focus I was looking for out of my daughters fancy camera. Should have had her take them.
Final entry pic
contest.jpg
 
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