First Buxus

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Moss
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First Buxus

Post by Moss »

Hi all,

First week of bonsai in lock down and I'm hooked. I found a future buxus with a nice looking shape and have trimmed it down to this.branches are hard and do not bend well. I snapped a few already. Learning a lot.

I'm thinking to let it grow out a bit and see what come of it
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Moss
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Re: First Buxus

Post by Moss »

Sorry I forgot the original. Any feed back is much appreciated .thanks guys
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Re: First Buxus

Post by Daluke »

Great start.

Don’t over tinker. More branches and trees from over care than under lol

Look up some videos on wiring. In future try to anchor better by starting on one branch and the going round the trunk to the next branch (as opposed to seeing the start of the wire on the trunk).
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Re: First Buxus

Post by KIRKY »

It’s a good start. Cover the roots on top or you risk loosing them.
Also I would wire the top straight as the rest of the tree is straight. If you want to lower the branches you can place weights on them or guide wires and over time they will slowly get lower. I use old fishing sinkers or nuts n bolts don’t hang too many as they can also snap the branches if over loaded.
Cheers
Kirky
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Moss
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Re: First Buxus

Post by Moss »

Thanks guys. I will try that now. I'm snapping more branches than I should be but learning heaps.
Moss
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Re: First Buxus

Post by Moss »

The top of the tree was most trickiest for me. I want the apex to be there but kept that side branch at the top so It may grow foliage and make a nice apex. Can I just cut that off. Will I get smaller branches from the top most trunk.
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Re: First Buxus

Post by shibui »

Hi Moss and welcome both to bonsai and to the Ausbonsai forum.
Buxus is a good beginner species as they are pretty tough overall.
Even stiff branches can be bent, at least a little. Good wiring helps but so does some technique. Letting the trees get slightly dry makes branches more pliable. Bending a bit at a time also works. As the cells and fibres in the branch relax in the hours and days after initial bend I find I can then get more bend that would have snapped if done all at once. There are also some more advanced techniques that involve surgery to make the wood more flexible but I don't suggest that for initial attempts.
However with every species there is a limit to its flexibility that even experience can't overcome. Those we just have to design around.

You will also need to learn patience. After an initial flurry of pruning and shaping the trees just need to be left to recover and grow back a bit which can take weeks or months, sometimes years. That's where Daluke's warning about over working comes from. It is possible to kill a tree from doing too much too soon. For this reason we encourage new growers to get several trees so that the only child does not get loved to death.

There is still work to be done on apex as well as branches but the tree needs to rest and recover now.
Buxus are really good at producing new buds and I would expect to see lots of new buds as a result of the reduction pruning so far but you do need to wait for that to happen. I could even see a further reduction of the top in future but not yet. If those buds don't happen for one reason or another the top can still be reduced later.
Some long, thin shoots on some branches also need pruning but for now the tree needs those leaves to feed itself and recover.
Speaking of feeding I would fertilize now and continue regularly through the coming spring and summer so the tree has the nutrients available to produce food and energy for the recovery phase.
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Moss
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Re: First Buxus

Post by Moss »

Thanks Shibu,

Amazing advise. I feel like a kid and it's hard not to jeep adjusting. I need to learn patience. I have about 15 trees this week so I can rotate the abuse. I think most are at a stage where I should leave to heal. I have some type of form in it. It's hard to know what to keep and cut and what shape to try set it at while it recovers. I removed the wire, covered the root as other members have suggested. I now have sting holding branches low. .

Thanks again
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Re: First Buxus

Post by Raging Bull »

Hi Moss, and welcome to Ausbonsai. Another thing to be aware of with your buxus is that in the past it was often used as a low hedging plant. After it recovers, so in summer '22/'23 after it's recovered and looking healthy, it can be pruned hard, "hedged" if you like. Buxus branches are best shaped with wire while they are still very newly grown, being still bend-able at that time.
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Re: First Buxus

Post by Moss »

Thanks all,

Do you think in this case the trunk hight should come down and then let it grow out. I feel it is too high for the trunk thickness.

Or alternatively let it grow out and choose another trunk line.
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Re: First Buxus

Post by KIRKY »

Leave it for now. Feed in a couple of weeks, once it starts shooting over spring, summer you will have lots of new shoots to choose your new leader. Them you can look to cut back next year.
Cheers
Kirky
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