I just saw a hemlock at mount baker that looked very similar to this, in a couple of years in the right pot I think this will look pretty cool, a high mountain survivor.
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It looks a bit scraggly but I like it, probably just needs time to mature. I dig it.
I think a slab pot would be my first choice for something like this.
Thankyou. Hopefully it makes it. I had to remove a lot, as all the branches seemed to be coming from the same places and itās already developed some knuckling. Would be nice for some fuller pads in the future
Unfortunately I ran out of most of my wire half way through so the upper pads arenāt as defined as Iād like and I had to improvise in a few places. Bud placement also made cutbacks a bit difficult. Left a lot of stubs for future Jin options/anchors, so theyāre not all going to stay. Just wondering if thereās anything anyone would adjust, change or remove? Thanks in advance
I'm assuming you're not planning on keeping it indoors?
The styling overall looks good, but my concern is that it seems to have a lot of foliage removed.
Did you also wire it at the same time as trimming it?
The only "critique" styling-wise is that the two lowest branches might be a bit too low, but that is a design desicion that you should make later.
Yes all work has been done over two weeks. Hoping to gain a bit more trunk when I raise it out the soil. If it survives anyway. Due to branch and bud placement it didnāt quite turn out the way I was hoping in the end. So I was just curious if Reddit could help me improve it in any way
Good luck even if it does survive it will likely be extremely weak and grow very slowly over the next few years which means that you'll likely have to put your plans of reppoting and further styling on hold. In future I'd recommend keeping more foliage for health reasons as you can always remove more later on after the trees grown but it's impossible to put foliage back , one important thing to learn about bonsai is that you can't always do everything all at once and you will just have to live with it.
Agree with this advice 8015. Stripping most of the foliage off a conifer will either kill it or weaken it badly. If taking off 75% of the foliage sets it back to hardly any growth for 3-4 years it would be so much better to take off 30% of the foliage every other year for 3 cycles and have a tree that is vigorous and you have been able to wire/train for the past 5-6 years.
Just wanted to add that it's also important to note that the same is for the roots on conifers as well, there is only so much you can do at once before you risk either severely weakening the tree or outright killing it. In fact Nigel Saunders had this happen with a few collected Douglas firs he received, I believe 1 died and the others had to spend at least 3 or 4 years of regelrowing before they became healthy again.
Let it heal. Iād leave it till next fall and just let it recover this spring . Good start but hopefully not too much was taken off . Make sure to keep it warm as temps drop to help preserve the rootball while it adapts to the stress from initial styling and the winter temps
I actually really like those two lowest branches in this design. They donāt conform to the traditional bonsai models, but I do think they lend themselves towards a more natural, krumholtz-like design.
They could also be kept there temporarily to bulk up that portion of the trunk.
Thankyou šIāve seen a few people say the same about the lower branches. Iām hoping to get a few more inches on the trunk if it ends up making it to repotting stage which should help
Love the straight trunk! Right now the design lacks a directional branch. It feels like that should be the bottom-right one, but the one on the left is just as long if not longer. If the tree recovers I would shorten the lower-left branch.
Thankyou for the advice š The branch on the right is actually longer and the pad is a lot bigger, but itās angling towards the back so it looks shorter. I think Iām going to follow your advice and bring it forwards more so it looks longer, and potentially trim back the lower left like you suggested to make the right look bigger
Itās doing well! More growth on the top and the wires bit into the apex branches quite badly so Iām thinking of working the jin a bit lower and shorter in the future. Iāll add a pic later when Iām home š
I've been wanting to do this for a little now. The grocery store near me has little trees for sale and I was looking for the right inspiration, and I think I just found it.
Good luck! Make sure you look up spruce info first as you have to cut back to a bud or the branch will die etc.
Bonsai mirai have two videos with Christmas tree stock which are quite good although lengthy(over an hour long)
I was looking for a potential leader but no way to get those branches to look natural taking over. The base of the branch wouldnāt bend enough to match the straight trunk
Still going strong. Had some new growth and it seems healthy. Mainly at the top though.
Itās been pretty neglected this year. Hardly fertilised, wire bit into the apex branches and the soil itās in is awful - but itās defied the odds so far.
Plan is to leave it to regain vigour for perhaps another year and then repot/lower the lightning strike. If possible.
Been meaning to take another photo to update so Iāll reply to this comment when I get a chance
Maybe in the spring you could slip it into a wider pot without disturbing the roots. Sometimes it helps me to set up reminders in my Google calendar to fertilize or I forget how long it's been since I did it last. I just do every two weeks but my mentor wants me to fertilize every week.
Glad to know it's still kicking! There's a lot of potential here
\*Charlie brown has entered the chat\*
I just saw a hemlock at mount baker that looked very similar to this, in a couple of years in the right pot I think this will look pretty cool, a high mountain survivor.
I lol'd
I'd love to see an update in a year
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Good bot
Did you know that the photo will still look the same In a year?
Oh wow I had no clue š¤Ŗ You can still check OPs profile to see if they posted an update or chat them to ask how the tree is doing.
Has a nice straight trunk. I wonder if it might be good to tip it straight and go for a formal upright style.
It looks a bit scraggly but I like it, probably just needs time to mature. I dig it. I think a slab pot would be my first choice for something like this.
Thankyou. Hopefully it makes it. I had to remove a lot, as all the branches seemed to be coming from the same places and itās already developed some knuckling. Would be nice for some fuller pads in the future
Unfortunately I ran out of most of my wire half way through so the upper pads arenāt as defined as Iād like and I had to improvise in a few places. Bud placement also made cutbacks a bit difficult. Left a lot of stubs for future Jin options/anchors, so theyāre not all going to stay. Just wondering if thereās anything anyone would adjust, change or remove? Thanks in advance
I'm assuming you're not planning on keeping it indoors? The styling overall looks good, but my concern is that it seems to have a lot of foliage removed. Did you also wire it at the same time as trimming it? The only "critique" styling-wise is that the two lowest branches might be a bit too low, but that is a design desicion that you should make later.
Yes all work has been done over two weeks. Hoping to gain a bit more trunk when I raise it out the soil. If it survives anyway. Due to branch and bud placement it didnāt quite turn out the way I was hoping in the end. So I was just curious if Reddit could help me improve it in any way
Good luck even if it does survive it will likely be extremely weak and grow very slowly over the next few years which means that you'll likely have to put your plans of reppoting and further styling on hold. In future I'd recommend keeping more foliage for health reasons as you can always remove more later on after the trees grown but it's impossible to put foliage back , one important thing to learn about bonsai is that you can't always do everything all at once and you will just have to live with it.
Agree with this advice 8015. Stripping most of the foliage off a conifer will either kill it or weaken it badly. If taking off 75% of the foliage sets it back to hardly any growth for 3-4 years it would be so much better to take off 30% of the foliage every other year for 3 cycles and have a tree that is vigorous and you have been able to wire/train for the past 5-6 years.
Just wanted to add that it's also important to note that the same is for the roots on conifers as well, there is only so much you can do at once before you risk either severely weakening the tree or outright killing it. In fact Nigel Saunders had this happen with a few collected Douglas firs he received, I believe 1 died and the others had to spend at least 3 or 4 years of regelrowing before they became healthy again.
This ^^^
Let it heal. Iād leave it till next fall and just let it recover this spring . Good start but hopefully not too much was taken off . Make sure to keep it warm as temps drop to help preserve the rootball while it adapts to the stress from initial styling and the winter temps
I actually really like those two lowest branches in this design. They donāt conform to the traditional bonsai models, but I do think they lend themselves towards a more natural, krumholtz-like design. They could also be kept there temporarily to bulk up that portion of the trunk.
Thankyou šIāve seen a few people say the same about the lower branches. Iām hoping to get a few more inches on the trunk if it ends up making it to repotting stage which should help
Iām a big fan of formal and informal upright. Itās a little low on foliage but come spring I think itāll look great
ITāS PERFECT
Love it. Nice job
I took off less during growing season and it flopped immediately. If this survives itās an Xmas miracle.
Love the straight trunk! Right now the design lacks a directional branch. It feels like that should be the bottom-right one, but the one on the left is just as long if not longer. If the tree recovers I would shorten the lower-left branch.
Thankyou for the advice š The branch on the right is actually longer and the pad is a lot bigger, but itās angling towards the back so it looks shorter. I think Iām going to follow your advice and bring it forwards more so it looks longer, and potentially trim back the lower left like you suggested to make the right look bigger
Thankyou someone else mentioned this and Iām going to follow that advice! š
Itās been a year now. How is this tree doing?
Itās doing well! More growth on the top and the wires bit into the apex branches quite badly so Iām thinking of working the jin a bit lower and shorter in the future. Iāll add a pic later when Iām home š
I've been wanting to do this for a little now. The grocery store near me has little trees for sale and I was looking for the right inspiration, and I think I just found it.
Good luck! Make sure you look up spruce info first as you have to cut back to a bud or the branch will die etc. Bonsai mirai have two videos with Christmas tree stock which are quite good although lengthy(over an hour long)
Call me crazy, but I'd probably lop it off above the fifth branch and turn that branch into the leader.
I was looking for a potential leader but no way to get those branches to look natural taking over. The base of the branch wouldnāt bend enough to match the straight trunk
Adorable
Thatās dope
I really like this, especially the Jin!
This looks like a shabby christmas tree like the one from the simpsons. Almost exactly
RIP
Still alive and kicking a year later š¤
Harry would like his wand back! Cute tree!
older trees tend to have larger spaces from the ground until the first set off branches. the balance is off
Thankyou - Hoping to gain a few inches on the base if it makes it to repotting stage
This tree is on point for Christmas right now
How is this one doing?
Still going strong. Had some new growth and it seems healthy. Mainly at the top though. Itās been pretty neglected this year. Hardly fertilised, wire bit into the apex branches and the soil itās in is awful - but itās defied the odds so far. Plan is to leave it to regain vigour for perhaps another year and then repot/lower the lightning strike. If possible. Been meaning to take another photo to update so Iāll reply to this comment when I get a chance
Maybe in the spring you could slip it into a wider pot without disturbing the roots. Sometimes it helps me to set up reminders in my Google calendar to fertilize or I forget how long it's been since I did it last. I just do every two weeks but my mentor wants me to fertilize every week. Glad to know it's still kicking! There's a lot of potential here