Future shohin Maples
- Steven
- Site Admin
- Posts: 3408
- Joined: November 7th, 2008, 11:21 am
- Favorite Species: [color=green]Casuarina[/color]
- Bonsai Age: 15
- Bonsai Club: AusBonsai & The School of Bonsai
- Location: Sydney
- Has thanked: 43 times
- Been thanked: 60 times
- Contact:
Future shohin Maples
G'day,
After recent discussions I've had with Jow and the resuraction of the thread How to grow good bonsai stock like the Japanese nurseries, Shibui posted that he had some Maple seedlings for sale so I purchased some:
They arrived very healthy in brown paper packages tied up with string
My plan is to grow them all on but eventually only select the best few to keep and pass the rest on to others.
To give them the best start possible, I have followed Koji Hirimatsu's advice that he gave me at the recent Adelaide AABC convention about growing high quality shohin material:
• I worked the roots right from the start to achieve an even, radial spread.
• I've wired all trunks with exaggerated movement starting right from the base, ensuring no straight sections. I've made the bends forwards and backwards as well as side to side.
• I'll now let the trunks and branches grow freely after the wired sections to create the energy to fatten the trunks and branches.
• Any low branches will be encouraged to grow freely and uninhibited to act as sacrifice branches.
During my early days of bonsai my first teacher, Ron Flack taught me his 'Holey Ron' method of using a tourniquet to generate new roots. I couldn't find any washers the right size so I had to get creative
Some of the others I'm going to grow into groups so I used some sheet aluminium instead of washers.
In a weeks time I'll tweak the bends to compress and exaggerate them further. After that it will be full sun and hopefully they will be off to a good start at becoming future bonsai.
After recent discussions I've had with Jow and the resuraction of the thread How to grow good bonsai stock like the Japanese nurseries, Shibui posted that he had some Maple seedlings for sale so I purchased some:
They arrived very healthy in brown paper packages tied up with string
My plan is to grow them all on but eventually only select the best few to keep and pass the rest on to others.
To give them the best start possible, I have followed Koji Hirimatsu's advice that he gave me at the recent Adelaide AABC convention about growing high quality shohin material:
• I worked the roots right from the start to achieve an even, radial spread.
• I've wired all trunks with exaggerated movement starting right from the base, ensuring no straight sections. I've made the bends forwards and backwards as well as side to side.
• I'll now let the trunks and branches grow freely after the wired sections to create the energy to fatten the trunks and branches.
• Any low branches will be encouraged to grow freely and uninhibited to act as sacrifice branches.
During my early days of bonsai my first teacher, Ron Flack taught me his 'Holey Ron' method of using a tourniquet to generate new roots. I couldn't find any washers the right size so I had to get creative
Some of the others I'm going to grow into groups so I used some sheet aluminium instead of washers.
In a weeks time I'll tweak the bends to compress and exaggerate them further. After that it will be full sun and hopefully they will be off to a good start at becoming future bonsai.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
-
- Aussie Bonsai Fan
- Posts: 1413
- Joined: November 25th, 2008, 7:11 am
- Favorite Species: Pines
- Bonsai Age: 0
- Bonsai Club: BSV, Northwest
- Has thanked: 75 times
- Been thanked: 18 times
Re: Future shohin Maples
Looking good Steven!
Great to see you up-cycling replica currency and signage.
I've got a few hundred seeds planted this year and a hundred or so that were wired up a year ago to keep me busy this year. It will be good to see the results after a few season's growth.
Everyone should really be doing this!
Joe
Great to see you up-cycling replica currency and signage.
I've got a few hundred seeds planted this year and a hundred or so that were wired up a year ago to keep me busy this year. It will be good to see the results after a few season's growth.
Everyone should really be doing this!
Joe
- Rory
- Aussie Bonsai Fan
- Posts: 2843
- Joined: January 23rd, 2013, 11:19 pm
- Favorite Species: Baeckea Phebalium Casuarina & Banksia
- Bonsai Age: 24
- Location: Central Coast, NSW
- Has thanked: 22 times
- Been thanked: 479 times
Re: Future shohin Maples
Awesome thread Steven. I love it! Update this over time for sure. Will be great to watch.
This could be known as the 'Divine Growth Method'... i.e. from Holly Coins.
This could be known as the 'Divine Growth Method'... i.e. from Holly Coins.
Rory
I style Bonsai naturally, just as they would appear in the wild.
Central Coast, NSW
Bonsai: Casuarina Leptospermum Banksia Phebalium Baeckea Melalueca Ficus
Growing Australian natives as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=289480#p289480
Buying and repotting Native nursery material: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=30724
Growing tips for Casuarina as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=244995#p244995
How to reduce moss from the trunk without damaging the bark: viewtopic.php?p=295227#p295227
I style Bonsai naturally, just as they would appear in the wild.
Central Coast, NSW
Bonsai: Casuarina Leptospermum Banksia Phebalium Baeckea Melalueca Ficus
Growing Australian natives as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=289480#p289480
Buying and repotting Native nursery material: viewtopic.php?f=78&t=30724
Growing tips for Casuarina as Bonsai: viewtopic.php?p=244995#p244995
How to reduce moss from the trunk without damaging the bark: viewtopic.php?p=295227#p295227
- Matt S
- Aussie Bonsai Fan
- Posts: 756
- 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: 441 times
Re: Future shohin Maples
Excellent post Steve, thanks for sharing. I wish I had started doing this years ago...
Matt.
Matt.
- Steven
- Site Admin
- Posts: 3408
- Joined: November 7th, 2008, 11:21 am
- Favorite Species: [color=green]Casuarina[/color]
- Bonsai Age: 15
- Bonsai Club: AusBonsai & The School of Bonsai
- Location: Sydney
- Has thanked: 43 times
- Been thanked: 60 times
- Contact:
Re: Future shohin Maples
Thanks guy's, only took about 3 hours to do the 70 or so tree's so it's pretty achievable for everyone to give it a go.
I wish I had been doing this 10 years ago!
If we all did it can you imagine the quality of the material that would be floating around?!
I wish I had been doing this 10 years ago!
If we all did it can you imagine the quality of the material that would be floating around?!
-
- Aussie Bonsai Fan
- Posts: 7693
- 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: 68 times
- Been thanked: 1435 times
- Contact:
Re: Future shohin Maples
Really interesting to see this post here tonight. I spent today digging trident maples out of the grow beds.Here's one - and look what's under the rootsDuring my early days of bonsai my first teacher, Ron Flack taught me his 'Holey Ron' method of using a tourniquet to generate new roots. I couldn't find any washers the right size so I had to get creative
When the metal sheet is removed you can still see the 'navel' where the original trunk went through the hole. I have been using these pieces of roadsign (obtained legally from the scrapyard) for about 15 years now and just keep recycling them. Obviously the one above has been allowed to grow to a larger sized pre bonsai but the same technique also produces great smaller trees. I have heard others talking about using steel washers but unless it is a large washer with a small hole I don't think it will achieve as good a result because the roots would not spread quite as wide.
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
http://shibuibonsai.com.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
- Phoenix238
- Aussie Bonsai Fan
- Posts: 438
- Joined: August 10th, 2011, 8:50 pm
- Favorite Species: Maples
- Bonsai Age: 4
- Location: Cobden VIC
- Been thanked: 1 time
Re: Future shohin Maples
Thank you for posting this thread Steven, seems we shop at the same place and I think I'll be doing the same thing with some of mine! Now to find some "legally aquired" aluminium sheeting...
Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk
- JaseH
- Aussie Bonsai Fan
- Posts: 486
- Joined: January 13th, 2014, 2:27 pm
- Favorite Species: Cedar, Natives, Prunus, Maples
- Bonsai Age: 1
- Bonsai Club: Waverly, BSV, VNBC
- Location: Melbourne
Re: Future shohin Maples
How does this method of planting on a disc compare to just regular lifting and pruning of the roots. It looks like this method still produces some large thick roots that need to be addressed?
-
- Aussie Bonsai Fan
- Posts: 915
- Joined: May 7th, 2012, 9:18 pm
- Favorite Species: Figs & anything flowering or unusual
- Bonsai Age: 1
- Bonsai Club: campbelltown Bonsai club
- Location: camden area, NSW
Re: Future shohin Maples
I have a few road signs...what's the best way to cut them?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
- Phoenix238
- Aussie Bonsai Fan
- Posts: 438
- Joined: August 10th, 2011, 8:50 pm
- Favorite Species: Maples
- Bonsai Age: 4
- Location: Cobden VIC
- Been thanked: 1 time
Re: Future shohin Maples
I think the goal is to have them flare out a lot more due to the flat surface.
Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk
Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk
- Jarad
- Aussie Bonsai Fan
- Posts: 1232
- Joined: November 27th, 2014, 1:04 pm
- Favorite Species: Juniperus, Melaleuca, Taxodium
- Bonsai Age: 9
- Location: Perth, WA
- Has thanked: 22 times
- Been thanked: 13 times
Re: Future shohin Maples
Hack saw or angle grinder, depending on how hard you feel like working. Make sure you have a vice.Isitangus wrote:I have a few road signs...what's the best way to cut them?
-Jarad
I don't trust Bonsai, they are a little shady.
I don't trust Bonsai, they are a little shady.
-
- Aussie Bonsai Fan
- Posts: 207
- Joined: March 24th, 2013, 7:24 pm
- Favorite Species: Backea
- Bonsai Age: 3
- Bonsai Club: Ausbonsai
- Location: Ocean Shores
Re: Future shohin Maples
Good post Steven.
I did similar to your groups using tiles to create trident clumps. But didn't take photos ....
I noticed you didn't have much soil above the metal sheet. I started potting mine into colanders but was concerned I didn't have enough soil above the tile which would have been about 4cm deep. I then reverted to deeper pots leaving about 10cm above the tile for the new roots. Do you think that was a waste of time for me or do you plan to pot them up into deeper pots as the new roots develop?
Cheers,
Nigel
I did similar to your groups using tiles to create trident clumps. But didn't take photos ....
I noticed you didn't have much soil above the metal sheet. I started potting mine into colanders but was concerned I didn't have enough soil above the tile which would have been about 4cm deep. I then reverted to deeper pots leaving about 10cm above the tile for the new roots. Do you think that was a waste of time for me or do you plan to pot them up into deeper pots as the new roots develop?
Cheers,
Nigel
-
- Aussie Bonsai Fan
- Posts: 7693
- 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: 68 times
- Been thanked: 1435 times
- Contact:
Re: Future shohin Maples
If these are tridents Nigel they are very strongly surface rooted. I would be very surprised if your trees did not have lots of roots all the way up the buried trunks after the first year. I would certainly be lifting them up much closer to the surface. How deep is one of those unanswerable questions. The need to be deep enough so the tender new roots don't dry out in summer but not deep enough so the trunk stays damp and grows new roots. I keep them in the nursery for the first summer so they get watered every day. When the roots have established and reached the edge of the tile they can be planted out in the ground and will tolerate a few dry spells.I then reverted to deeper pots leaving about 10cm above the tile for the new roots.
This method will produce flat lateral roots far more often than just pruning the roots. As Phoenix points out, I have noticed that the base of the trunks also flares out more when grown through the holes.How does this method of planting on a disc compare to just regular lifting and pruning of the roots. It looks like this method still produces some large thick roots that need to be addressed?
I don't think anyone has said you won't get thick roots with this method - they are still roots and, if you let them, one or 2 grow faster and dominate.
Maybe you are diplomatically trying to point out that I should have lifted these and pruned the roots a bit more often? - You are absolutely correct - Mea Culpa
http://shibuibonsai.com.au/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
-
- Aussie Bonsai Fan
- Posts: 207
- Joined: March 24th, 2013, 7:24 pm
- Favorite Species: Backea
- Bonsai Age: 3
- Bonsai Club: Ausbonsai
- Location: Ocean Shores