Archive for January, 2009


Atlas Cedar twin trunk/mother son

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29/01/2009
This was a simple transformation of 2 seedlings into a very good Bonsai starter in a matter of 1 hour . Firstly i removed a small sliver of bark all the way down to the hardwood on both plants . Then i wrapped the 2 trunk bases together with duct tape or electrical tape to hold the veneers together . I then applied cable ties to the join in the trunks and secured to prevent movement and to allow the trunks to fuse together .

Repotting into a larger pot than normal and securing the plant so i could wire without damaging the roots . Then i set about applying the wire and styling the trees , the end result is 1 very nice Bonsai starter which will be allowed to grow on unchecked or trimmed for a couple of seasons .
This method of joining the trunks has many uses in Bonsai for producing thicker trunks as well as multi trunks and improving branch structure . The age of the seedlings used is 2and 4 years in training for 5 minutes
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Himalayan Cedar Cedrus Deodora

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28/01/2009

This was a simple transformation of 2 young Cedars of different ages into a very good Bonsai starter . I simply removed a sliver of bark at the base of each trunk to allow a veneer graft of the trunks to occur . I placed duct tape over the veneer then using cable ties i secured the bases together to produce a Twin trunk style tree .


With the base secure i then simply wired each individual trunk into the desired shape to represent a Mother / Son style Bonsai . I then trimmed the branches to a more uniform length to suit the design intended . Whilst Deodora’s are probably not the best tree to use for this type of Bonsai , i am very happy to step outside the boundaries of the normal rules . Rules are only guidelines and i like to break the rules , if i had to obey them i wouldn’t do Bonsai .

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Raft Style Juniper

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24/01/2009

This was a pleasure to do as it was inspired by a newcomer to Bonsai .I mounted the Juniper onto the Raft slab i made previously.

With the Juniper still in its container i wired the branches in preparation for the new style . Then i proceeded to the slab and using a muck mix i built a perimeter wall around both base and slab . This will add depth to the slabs a per a Bonsai tray or shallow pot . Potting the tree in the normal fashion in the base, then sliding the raft slab into position over the trunk of the Juniper . I then prepared the raft for planting ,with a small amount of soil spread over the bottom , placing a small amount of Sphagnum Moss over the soil would assist root development on the trunk .


With a sharp knife i removed numerous small squares of bark from the underside along the trunk and painted them with Hormone jel to aid root development . I immediately bent the trunk down onto the moss and wired into position using a rubber pad to prevent damage to the tree .With the Juniper secured to the slab i placed more moss in and around the trunk to ensure contact and to retain moisture for the new roots .

I topped up the slab with soil and placed moss around the trunk to improve the landscape and increase the impression of age . I then gently maneuvered the branches into the upright position as per trees in nature . The Juniper will be allowed to settle then some fine tuning of the foliage will take place to represent small trees in a grove . This entire exercise took only 5 1/2 hours to complete , 30minutes to make the Cantilever Slab/Base , 1 hour to wire and 4 hours to complete the landscape . All in all i am very happy with the end result . Cheers

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