What are some relatively quick methods to produce shohin?

Forum for discussion of Deciduous bonsai – Maples, Crabapple, Hornbeam, Elm species etc.
Post Reply
sheepdawg
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 153
Joined: October 2nd, 2015, 9:36 pm
Favorite Species: Ficus
Bonsai Age: 2
Location: Toowoomba
Been thanked: 2 times

What are some relatively quick methods to produce shohin?

Post by sheepdawg »

Hey all, I understand that bonsai isn't "quick" at all, but I was just wondering what methods other people use to produce shohin from seedlings relatively quickly.

So, say you get handed a Trident or Elm seedling- what would you do to get it into a bonsai the quickest?

My thinking is to firstly put the seedling in a tile/CD to get nice nebari. Then I'd wire in some movement and into a raised grow-bed it would go. Leave it for a year or two to build a trunk, then pull it up to develop the branches in a nursery pot.

What would you do? What style is the fastest to achieve?

What are some other methods to produce some relatively quick bonsai?
User avatar
Matt S
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 755
Joined: February 21st, 2015, 8:57 am
Favorite Species: Olive
Bonsai Age: 30
Bonsai Club: S.A. Bonsai Society, Victorian Native Bonsai Club
Location: Adelaide
Has thanked: 538 times
Been thanked: 435 times

Re: What are some relatively quick methods to produce shohin?

Post by Matt S »

Hi Sheepdawg,

Your method is pretty sound so that's a good start. I've found root cuttings from Chinese elms can result in nice shohin in a few years if you can start with thick roots with interesting movement.

If you're willing to wrestle with a willow there's a thread for one I created for the 2016/17 shohin competetion:
viewtopic.php?f=158&t=22302
From stump to basic Shohin in 18 months!

Matt.
MikeK
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 66
Joined: March 3rd, 2018, 1:31 pm
Bonsai Age: 0
Location: Sydney
Has thanked: 17 times
Been thanked: 12 times

Re: What are some relatively quick methods to produce shohin?

Post by MikeK »

Have a look at the ausbonsai Facebook page ... Steven did a demonstration on developing Shohin for a Canberra club last month that was livestreamed.

(sorry, would include a link but work blocks Facebook :x )
User avatar
Ryceman3
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 2596
Joined: October 19th, 2014, 10:39 am
Favorite Species: Pines & Mels
Bonsai Age: 7
Location: Melbourne
Has thanked: 1042 times
Been thanked: 1536 times

Re: What are some relatively quick methods to produce shohin?

Post by Ryceman3 »

Matt S wrote:If you're willing to wrestle with a willow there's a thread for one I created for the 2016/17 shohin competetion:
viewtopic.php?f=158&t=22302
From stump to basic Shohin in 18 months!
Hi Sheepdawg, did basically the same as Matt in the same comp but with 2 chinese elms
viewtopic.php?f=158&t=22397&start=0
viewtopic.php?f=158&t=22396

I know it's not with seedlings, but if you can find something a bit bigger to start with it can speed it up a bit more.
:beer:
Scott Roxburgh
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 1381
Joined: November 27th, 2008, 12:37 pm
Favorite Species: Pine, Maple, and Juniper
Bonsai Age: 8
Bonsai Club: Canberra Bonsai Society
Location: Canberra
Has thanked: 14 times
Been thanked: 10 times
Contact:

Re: What are some relatively quick methods to produce shohin?

Post by Scott Roxburgh »

All good points.

This blog has some great pics.
Tridents
https://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/fwnt1093/folder/460497.html

With one seedling, I'd think it'd be a struggle. I have been through 4 'batches' of seedling growing 100+seeds and probably got 10 decent shohin pre-bonsai.

The hardest part I have found with this process is sticking to the plan and getting the initial wiring to produce a nice look. The formula is pretty simple, get seedling, wire for shape, grow with lots of fert, cull hard, and cut hard to keep small internodes.

Maybe it is me, but it is hard to get good results.
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: What are some relatively quick methods to produce shohin?

Post by shibui »

I no longer leave fast growing trees in the grow beds for more than 12 months at a time. Nebari is important for maples so you really need to root prune and make corrections each year to achieve good roots. Trunk taper is also important. Regular pruning, even if it might slow growth a little, will give plenty of leaders which can later be removed or retained to give better trunk shape and bends. More leaders also gives more but smaller scars that can heal quicker than one single large cut on a stump bonsai.
I agree with Scott that, even with good knowledge and skills, quite a few just won't make the grade when fast grown. Changes are unpredictable and may be good or bad. Personally a couple of extra years taken while growing a bit slower but with better control is well worthwhile.
Cotoneaster horizontalis and C. microphilla are currently producing some really nice shohin trees for me.
Elm root cuttings mentioned by Matt S are probably the quickest way to a broom style shohin. Otherwise cut a larger elm at required trunk height and train the resulting shoots for broom style.
http://shibuibonsai.com.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
User avatar
Keels
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 692
Joined: December 11th, 2012, 12:13 pm
Favorite Species: Pines, Eucalyptus and Callistemon
Bonsai Age: 11
Bonsai Club: CBS, Goulburn & VNBC
Location: Canberra
Has thanked: 223 times
Been thanked: 227 times

Re: What are some relatively quick methods to produce shohin?

Post by Keels »

Jump on AUSBONSAI facebook page, video post from 2nd feb. Steven gave Canberra Bonsai club a presentation on how you could produce quality shohin in about 3ish years time. I was there on the day it was really good preso. Worth watching
Post Reply

Return to “Deciduous”