[Pearcy] My First Trident.

Post photo's of your bonsai under-construction for discussion and inspiration.
User avatar
Pearcy001
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 1307
Joined: February 8th, 2015, 7:23 pm
Favorite Species: Natives and Exotics
Bonsai Age: 0
Location: Yarraville, VIC
Been thanked: 81 times

[Pearcy] My First Trident.

Post by Pearcy001 »

Hey all.

Thought I'd start a thread on my first and only deciduous tree that I picked up in March this year.

I got this Trident earlier this year for a great price! It had some growth to it but still needed a vast amount of work which was exactly what I was after, perfect for someone like myself to learn on.
Trident1.jpg
Trident2.jpg
^ March this year with my wallet for scale. This photo was the only one I took before the leaves fell. The tree then stayed in this exact spot in full shade until the leaves dropped in Autumn.

After leaf drop it was only being watered approximately once a fortnight while dormant.
Trident3.jpg
^ End of winter trim (possibly August, I nearly left it too late :D) I was worried it would bleed as buds were beginning to pop already when I chose to trim but got lucky.

It was at this time that the tree was moved to a full sun position. For some silly reason I also chose to wire a couple of branches right before spring - What an idiot I am haha.
Trident4.jpg
Trident5.jpg
^ Initial Spring growth. Extremely compact foliage I think and it grew so darn fast!

It is my first Trident so I don't have anything to compare it to but if they all grow like this then I don't know how people can maintain a lot of them haha.

It is kept in full sun all day which I think contributed to how compact it was and was fertilized from the start of spring every 2 weeks.
Trident6.jpg
^ First thinning out today and I removed around 2/3 of the foliage (I also ripped a few leaves off by accident trying to get to the base of the branches). In hindsight I should have had the growth under control much sooner, but being my first deciduous I didn't expect it to grow that fast.

The little bit of wire that I had put on at the start of spring was removed about a week ago as I noticed it cutting into 2 branches, one of which I removed today.

I'm thoroughly enjoying my first spring with this tree and am keen to work it out. A few of the leaves have burnt, this seems to have reduced the growth rate. I'll consider finding a shadier spot before Summer hits. Now i will look at pinching some of the upper growth for ramification while growing out the new leader and lower branches to get them to thicken.

All comments and advice welcome. I'll take some better photos from this point on. As you can tell some of these aren't the best haha.

Cheers,
Pearcy.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Last edited by Pearcy001 on October 23rd, 2015, 10:59 pm, edited 3 times in total.
User avatar
Bonsaiforest
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 267
Joined: July 21st, 2011, 12:55 pm
Favorite Species: Maple
Location: Sydney

Re: [Pearcy] My First Trident.

Post by Bonsaiforest »

Looks like great looking stock Pearcy...If I had something even close to this as my first trident I'd be stoked...! I love Tridents and have a few that I'm currently working on. Movement & taper of your tree looks good & I can see that you've already chosen your new leader. Did you get a chance to work the roots this winter...? It'd be nice to see a pic of the nebari. I find that that Tridents don't usually get sunburnt...but leaves dry out due to windy conditions. Best if you can find a place in full sun & protected from wind...you may need to water twice daily when we hit the heat of summer...All the best & keep the photo's coming.
User avatar
Sno
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 1194
Joined: January 16th, 2011, 12:26 pm
Bonsai Age: 0
Location: Crackenback NSW
Has thanked: 485 times
Been thanked: 602 times
Contact:

Re: [Pearcy] My First Trident.

Post by Sno »

Hi Pearcy , great stock . Nice taper, with out by the looks any major scarring . Full sun and don't fertilize much early spring to keep the internodes short , that's what I was advised .
User avatar
Pearcy001
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 1307
Joined: February 8th, 2015, 7:23 pm
Favorite Species: Natives and Exotics
Bonsai Age: 0
Location: Yarraville, VIC
Been thanked: 81 times

Re: [Pearcy] My First Trident.

Post by Pearcy001 »

Bonsaiforest wrote:Did you get a chance to work the roots this winter...? It'd be nice to see a pic of the nebari. I find that that Tridents don't usually get sunburnt...but leaves dry out due to windy conditions. Best if you can find a place in full sun & protected from wind...
Thanks BF. Unfortunately no root work this winter, i lifted it out to check how it was going and seemed to be ok until next winter. I was thinking it was the sun burning the leaves but wind burn makes complete sence as i keep mine on my roof.
Sno wrote:Hi Pearcy , great stock . Nice taper, with out by the looks any major scarring . Full sun and don't fertilize much early spring to keep the internodes short , that's what I was advised .
Thanks for the tip Sno. No real scaring on the front. There was a larger one to the rear when i got it. Since then i have also remover the large right hand branch that can be seen in the first pictures. From my new chosen front this scar is now at the back too and is healing quite well after being double sealed.
User avatar
BirchMan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 273
Joined: June 17th, 2010, 11:36 pm
Favorite Species: Shimpaku
Bonsai Age: 12
Bonsai Club: Bonsai Workshop WA
Location: Perth
Has thanked: 82 times
Been thanked: 47 times

Re: [Pearcy] My First Trident.

Post by BirchMan »

Hi Pearcy,

I would only say, if you were aiming to keep growing that first branch off the stub, wire it up a little rather than downwards, as it is in the winter picture. This is because deciduous generally look more natural with a slightly (sometimes pronounced) upward slope of the branches, unlike conifers. However in your picture of the tree in leaf it looks like you've remedied that and gone for an upward-pointing node.

Cheers,
Matti
User avatar
Pearcy001
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 1307
Joined: February 8th, 2015, 7:23 pm
Favorite Species: Natives and Exotics
Bonsai Age: 0
Location: Yarraville, VIC
Been thanked: 81 times

Re: [Pearcy] My First Trident.

Post by Pearcy001 »

BirchMan wrote:I would only say, if you were aiming to keep growing that first branch off the stub, wire it up a little rather than downwards
Hey Birchman. Thanks for the advice. I wasn't too sure if I should just let it go free or wire it sort of flat as I'm only going to be cutting it down again in the future.

The stub initially let off 4 buds around the tip (1 either side). I have since removed 3 and just left the front one, so as when it thickens it should :fc: hide the scar left from cutting it down.
Trident7.jpg
There is currently no wire on the tree and I'll probably leave it that way until dormancy next winter unless people advise otherwise.

As for the angle of the upper branches. I am unsure at this point as I don't know what height the apex will end with the new leader so I'll just let them grow freely while removing any branches that aren't protruding horizontally.

At the base of the new leader I have 3 branches growing that I was going to use as sacrifice branches. If this is a poor method I'll remove them but seemed like a good idea at the time. In the photo the third sacrifice is to the left hidden by the one on top.
Trident8.jpg
Cheers,
Pearcy.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
Last edited by Pearcy001 on October 24th, 2015, 11:05 am, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
Pearcy001
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 1307
Joined: February 8th, 2015, 7:23 pm
Favorite Species: Natives and Exotics
Bonsai Age: 0
Location: Yarraville, VIC
Been thanked: 81 times

Re: [Pearcy] My First Trident.

Post by Pearcy001 »

Small update on this one.

The leader I had selected was completely removed today. The first internode for some reason was far too long so I had no choice. If I was to keep it the overall tree would not have been in proportion so it had to be done to better the tree.

It had only been selected since the end of winter so it wasn't too much of a loss I guess, still wastes growth is never a good thing.

Couple of photos to keep the ball rolling.

Image
Front.

Image
Front closer.

Image
Back.

Sorry for the shading if it makes the photo unclear, the natural light was all I could work with.

Cheers,
Pearcy.
User avatar
Pearcy001
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 1307
Joined: February 8th, 2015, 7:23 pm
Favorite Species: Natives and Exotics
Bonsai Age: 0
Location: Yarraville, VIC
Been thanked: 81 times

Re: [Pearcy] My First Trident.

Post by Pearcy001 »

Out giving the trees a quick inspection this evening and I thought I'd share a snap of how fast these guys heal.

The branches were removed at the beginning of August 15' and seem to have already completely healed over. When they were removed both of these were double sealed with the paste and putty, before being left to their own devices. Bit over 6 months on and they have completely caloused over, pushing off the putty on their own.

Image

Image

Cheers,
Pearcy.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk
Last edited by Pearcy001 on February 25th, 2016, 6:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Pearcy001
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 1307
Joined: February 8th, 2015, 7:23 pm
Favorite Species: Natives and Exotics
Bonsai Age: 0
Location: Yarraville, VIC
Been thanked: 81 times

Re: [Pearcy] My First Trident.

Post by Pearcy001 »

Gave this guy a repot the other day. I nearly missed my chance AGAIN as some buds were beginning to open, but I missed last year so it was nice to finally have a good look at the roots.

Image

Image

Image

There was a couple of spots I could use some more fine roots to improve the nebari so I scraped back the cambium and applied some rooting gel (I'm guessing it's no different to the powdered form). When repotting I placed a small amount of spagnum Moss on the area that I scraped back to try keep up the moisture before covering with soil.

Nebari was definitely wider front to back-ish when viewed from my current chosen front. Hopefully once the new roots grow in the places I'm after :fc: it will even it out.

Still a long way to go with the structure above soil level, but time will tell. Looking at it today I wasn't happy with the trunk chop I did early on in my Bonsai journey (it was horrific haha). I chose to chip away at it with some knob cutters, too try rid the upper reverse taper it developed from too many buds forming on a badly done chop. I know I shouldn't trunk chop after leaves have begun extending, but I didn't want to wait another season. Plus I figured it would be fine as the roots we just chopped.

Image

Cheers,
Pearcy.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk
User avatar
Nate.bonsai
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 294
Joined: July 20th, 2014, 12:30 pm
Favorite Species: JBP
Bonsai Age: 10
Location: Sydney
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 33 times

Re: [Pearcy] My First Trident.

Post by Nate.bonsai »

Pearcy, nice tree and nice work so far. Just an idea, but the top section of the trunk looks quite vertical and uniform in width. Any thought about cutting it back a bit further to the next shoots, to introduce a bit more movement and taper?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
User avatar
Pearcy001
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 1307
Joined: February 8th, 2015, 7:23 pm
Favorite Species: Natives and Exotics
Bonsai Age: 0
Location: Yarraville, VIC
Been thanked: 81 times

Re: [Pearcy] My First Trident.

Post by Pearcy001 »

Hey Nate I was looking at it today and agree with what you're saying. In the picture all depth is removed but a rear branch to the top right completely breaks up the straight section, but it can't really be seen in a photo. This one sort of shows it.

Image

Maybe I should flat chop it lower to get some buds to pop?

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk
shibui
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 7653
Joined: August 22nd, 2009, 8:41 pm
Favorite Species: trident maple
Bonsai Age: 41
Bonsai Club: Albury/Wodonga; BSV; Canberra; VNBC
Location: Yackandandah
Has thanked: 65 times
Been thanked: 1399 times
Contact:

Re: [Pearcy] My First Trident.

Post by shibui »

Those root pruning photos are great Pearcy. I can clearly see where the roots were chopped closer to the trunk last year when this tree was taken out of the grow bed and you can also see the masses of new, fine roots that have grown last summer.
Just a note from my experience for anyone developing a bonsai: After you've selected the probable front for your tree, make sure you keep the roots at the rear a bit shorter wherever possible. The reason :?: Eventually you will want to plant the tree into a bonsai pot. To enhance the feeling of depth and perspective we try to place the trunk of the tree slightly behind the centre line of the pot (except when using regular shapes - hexagon, round, etc). If you've kept even length roots all round you will find yourself hacking thick roots again in order to get the tree to fit into the pot. Far better to do it properly from the start.
http://shibuibonsai.com.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
Nate.bonsai
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 294
Joined: July 20th, 2014, 12:30 pm
Favorite Species: JBP
Bonsai Age: 10
Location: Sydney
Has thanked: 3 times
Been thanked: 33 times

Re: [Pearcy] My First Trident.

Post by Nate.bonsai »

Yeah, I would probably cut it just above that branch to the left (the first one from the bottom in your photo immediately above) and pic a bud that shoots from the front and develop it as the new leader.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
User avatar
Pearcy001
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 1307
Joined: February 8th, 2015, 7:23 pm
Favorite Species: Natives and Exotics
Bonsai Age: 0
Location: Yarraville, VIC
Been thanked: 81 times

Re: [Pearcy] My First Trident.

Post by Pearcy001 »

shibui wrote:Those root pruning photos are great Pearcy. I can clearly see where the roots were chopped closer to the trunk last year when this tree was taken out of the grow bed and you can also see the masses of new, fine roots that have grown last summer.
Just a note from my experience for anyone developing a bonsai: After you've selected the probable front for your tree, make sure you keep the roots at the rear a bit shorter wherever possible. The reason :?: Eventually you will want to plant the tree into a bonsai pot. To enhance the feeling of depth and perspective we try to place the trunk of the tree slightly behind the centre line of the pot (except when using regular shapes - hexagon, round, etc). If you've kept even length roots all round you will find yourself hacking thick roots again in order to get the tree to fit into the pot. Far better to do it properly from the start.
Thanks for the tip Neil I had never even considered it. If only I knew this two weeks ago before I decided to repot everything haha. I'll begin rectifying the issue next time I repot.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk
Andrew Legg
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 1404
Joined: June 24th, 2010, 6:23 pm
Favorite Species: The ones that don't die
Bonsai Age: 15
Bonsai Club: Oyama Bonsai Kai, Ausbonsai
Location: Cape Town, South Africa
Been thanked: 2 times

Re: [Pearcy] My First Trident.

Post by Andrew Legg »

Pearcy, once the top bud starts growing pinch it out quite early. This will ensure the internodal space stays short. You can then grow it nice and thick, but you keep the buds. If you just let it grow out, it's touch and go as to whether it will give you a short internodal length.
Last edited by Andrew Legg on August 28th, 2016, 4:18 pm, edited 3 times in total.
Post Reply

Return to “Bonsai Progression Series”