Which Tree and Why?

[Dorian Fourie]

So I spent my Saturday at a regional bonsai club meeting where one can take your trees and enter them into one of 13 categories for the competition.

These 2 trees were entered into the competition in the division Cascade / Semi Cascade.

Which tree would you vote for and some critique on why? Lets see what you think. All you have is the view straight on.

Tree 1 is a Juniper and Tree 2 is an Acacia Burkei - black monkey thorn.

And Go!!!
Tree 1


Tree 2

 

[MichaelS]

Tree #1. Even though that branch is wired really badly and the rest needs major work, it is better than the Acacia which just looks like the wind blew it out of it's pot and it's branches have no grace. With good management they could both be really nice trees.

 

[Cypress187]

I like the movement in the first tree, and the pot is really nice of the second tree.

 

[sorce]

Are we voting for removal from the show......or?

The juniper does need to be finished.

I don't mind the Monkey thorn as a tree, it's kind of interesting.
But the pot/stand looks like a $5 internet combo special...
I love the accent, but it seems too graceful, and scared away by the tree.

Sorce

 

[sorce]

I can't stop thinking about why a half finished tree would be in a show.
Especially one with so much potential.
It shows great laziness, can't vote for Trump, I mean laziness.

So I positive vote for the Acacia.
There is a lot more care in the display.

When are you spilling the beans on what is going on here?

Sorce

 

[Cadillactaste]

Honestly...I would be proud of either sitting on my bench.

 

[YukiShiro]

Hi Dorian,

the first tree has a LOT of potencial, more so than your acacia but!! it look a bit weak for the work done to it on the cascading branch, and the top has a lot of green on it, this will make that cascading branch even weaker as compared to the rest of the tree. I sincerely hope the tree does not get die back on the smaller shoots. I would've worked the foliage for a long time(by letting grow and cutting back then I would've wired it completely, from current state I think 3-4 years from now to point of being fully wired out) until it had enough mature foliage on it to keep the branches viable before working it this hard and I would not have entered it into any competition, even more so with that much wire slapped onto it,the wire job looks ugly, functional but ugly.tree does not look happy at all...

I know the second tree , your tree, the branch structure still has a way to go and looks a bit disorderly in the photo and the roots need some work on the opposite side of the cascading branch, it makes the base look unstable and weak, the cascading trunk is a bit awkward, I dunno why though

tough call though, think I would've voted for your acacia. out of principle

whose tree is that juniper? it looks like either a sinensis or a x media

best regards
Herman

 

[Adair M]

Wow. The juniper has 10 times too much wire on it with all that aluminum wire. It's wound up like a spring, the coils of the spirals are too close. Wire has far less holding power when placed that way on the branch. Which is why a second wire was placed alongside! To provide more holding power.

But two wire of a smaller gauge still provide less holding power than a single wire of a larger gauge! So doubling up the wire doesn't double up the holding power!

And so, it looks like maybe even a third wire was added!

Because of the poor wiring, this tree should be disqualified from a show. I mean, it was very neatly done. It's not sloppy at all. But all that wire, if it were to be continued over the rest of the tree, would turn it from being a tree into a wire sculpture!

 

[YukiShiro]

Wow. The juniper has 10 times too much wire on it with all that aluminum wire. It's wound up like a spring, the coils of the spirals are too close. Wire has far less holding power when placed that way on the branch. Which is why a second wire was placed alongside! To provide more holding power.

But two wire of a smaller gauge still provide less holding power than a single wire of a larger gauge! So doubling up the wire doesn't double up the holding power!

And so, it looks like maybe even a third wire was added!

Because of the poor wiring, this tree should be disqualified from a show. I mean, it was very neatly done. It's not sloppy at all. But all that wire, if it were to be continued over the rest of the tree, would turn it from being a tree into a wire sculpture!

anything on the health of the juniper Mr Adair?

 

[Dav4]

I agree with what Adair said. I also think the tree looks a bit yellow to me. If it were mine, I'd look for mites. Selectively thinning the top of the cascade would go a long way toward improving the image, but the long term health of the cascading branch may depend on it. Also, all the finer growth on the cascading branch needs to be wired UP.

 

[YukiShiro]

I agree with what Adair said. I also think the tree looks a bit yellow to me. If it were mine, I'd look for mites. Selectively thinning the top of the cascade would go a long way toward improving the image, but the long term health of the cascading branch may depend on it. Also, all the finer growth on the cascading branch needs to be wired UP.

I bet you the soil is very heavy and compact under those quarts grit used as top dressing

 

[Adair M]

anything on the health of the juniper Mr Adair?

I was going to say it looks like spider mites, but I don't know which juniper it is, and if the cascade branch was recently pulled down, then all the interior would be brown until it has had time to back bud.

The tree has great potential.

The pot is terrific!

I don't care for the tall cascade pots the monkey thorn is in.

 

[just.wing.it]

I like the first one.
Would it be unusual for a conifer and a deciduous tree be in the same show at the same time?
Apples and oranges, I say.

 

[Adair M]

I like the first one.
Would it be unusual for a conifer and a deciduous tree be in the same show at the same time?
Apples and oranges, I say.

Variety is the spice of life!

 

[just.wing.it]

Variety is the spice of life!

I suppose it may be...
I guess my point is, both trees are something I'd love to have on my bench.
It's difficult to judge them side by side.
If they were both Juni's, it may be easier to say compare and contrast them with each other.

 

[Dorian Fourie]

Thanks for all the feedback.

This whole exercise for me is to get view point and critique from a different group of people then the norm that I sit with in the regional club meetings.

Just a bit of history and background.
Voting is done by all members of the clubs that are present at the regional meeting(that happens every 3 months). 80 % of the time the hosting club wins most of the categories mainly because (in my opinion) the hosting club votes for their club's trees per division to get recognition for their club. To me that defeats the object as I believe that in many of the instances there are better deserving trees that loose out because of a skewed voting system and because of this, one will never receive critique or feedback on why a tree won on the day.(due to the populas vote)

So... Firstly. The acacia (as Herman guessed) is my tree. It was only taken to the show as a last minute suggestion that I should take a tree along. Right now we still have a month left of winter and it was the best I had for this time of year. I personally do not believe that this Acacia should be shown without its leaves and until now I was planning to move the position of the tree from over the side (Dead Centre) to over the corner. But thanks to Sorce (my $5 internet combo pot ) I am thinking twice about it. I would love to hear some suggestions on a different style of pot that people believe would better suit the acacia.

This is how the tree looks like from the front without its leaves further confirming (IMO) that it should not be shown without leaves.


With the leaves on the tree we are looking at something totally different. As you can see from the image I like it much more with leaves on. Also with the pic below you may understand why I feel that the tree should come over the corner of the pot. I am waiting for buds to break in the next few weeks so that I can cut back on the branching and do some branch refinement.



With regards to the Juniper, I also believe that it has great potential if the guy who is currently butchering it, takes a few steps back and looks at what he is doing. I believe he put enormous stress on the tree and that is why it does not look happy. I do not think it is Spider mite but more the severe bending and thinning of the foliage on the cascade that is causing the damage. I also fear that if the canopy is not thinned out there is a good chance that the lower cascade branch could be lost.

If that was my tree, I would never have taken it to the show as I see it as a half job, but then that's just me.

The juniper won on the day in the category and unfortunately I do not have images of the other cascades / semi cascades that were entered.

 

[sorce]

Though the tall pots went out of style...
I still like em...just not that one WITH the stand..
And....it's a little too "Chinese?" for your African tree IMO.

How about a modern cascade pot, with an elephant tusk stand! Poacher! And a dung beetle with pooball as an accent!

Your tree looks dope as Hell in leaf, I can only imagine how sick it will look when you have it with a nice winter image too!

Mad ramification! Smaller leaves!?

Consider a modern pot and making it semi cascade to hide some base.

Bogus about the show.
But at least you know when YOU win...
It's cause they couldn't deny the badassness of your tree!

Sorce

 

[Dorian Fourie]

How about a modern cascade pot, with an elephant tusk stand! Poacher! And a dung beetle with pooball as an accent!

Wahahahahaha. Thanks Sorce

I am starting to agree with you on the pot. I love it but I am sure that I could find something that is more local related.

I am not worried about not winning as I never got into bonsai as a career or winning certificates etc. I do it as a hobby and like most, want to critique and feedback to improve.

 

[sorce]

Minus the illegal stand, I really think that would make a dope ass display!

Sorce

 

[Cadillactaste]

Was there a reason you didn't choose this as a front? Because the trunk seems to have more character from this angle. IMO... It looks to twist at the base and you don't notice that in the first photo. Just cuirous...Very nice tree...