If your sick of me yet let me know!
Will do. thanks for your permission. I've spent today struggling up and down a very, very steep hill blacking out after a lightning strike caused a fire yesterday
Maybe someone younger should have been doing that but it is what I signed on to do as a CFA volunteer so while the body can cope I'll keep on. Anyway, I'm about buggered this evening. Legs, ankles, toes and back are all tired and sore. Did I mention the slope was close to vertical? well maybe not quite that steep
However I still have enough energy and enthusiasm to put together one more reply. Not only for you but also for others who will read this thread. When I stop posting replies you'll know I've had enough
There are many roads to good bonsai. What you are proposing would be OK. It would slow growth a bit because you are taking off a lot of solar panels and food factories that could make the tree grow.
You now have the idea of only having one branch at each level of the tree but maybe you have not yet grasped the idea of using the trunk as a sacrifice branch and future removal of the entire trunk. For that you need to keep 2 branches somewhere so that when you chop the trunk out you'll still have a branch and another to make a new trunk.
i am trying to envision how the tree would look with these major branches taken off and then whether i would be sitting back and wishing i had just left it to grow and develop...
Never look back and wish i did not. Every action opens a new host of possibilities. Whatever you decide to do will have consequences but will also open new possibilities.
what i cant really get my head around is in the attached picture is this something that someone would realistically do trying to create a bonsai? or is it just being inpatient and doing something for the sake of it that just would not be done? is this even what someone would think about doing? ie if i chop am i on at least somewhat of a pathway to success?
Yes, many would do that. Yes, I believe it is being impatient and doing something for the sake of doing something but that doesn't mean it is wrong, just not what I'd do now at this stage in my bonsai journey. If you make those chops you will still be on the path to bonsai. Just a different and possibly slower path - see above on reasons for leaving more on the tree (any developing tree)
Let's look at the development of one of the trees I posted earlier, just to try to muddy the waters a little more.
IMGP6283c_LI (2).jpg
Originally the trunk was straight up (blue) The lowest whorl of branches (red) was reduced to just 1 branch (green) and the main trunk (blue) This is what you propose in your latest virt so that is not only possible but good in some circumstances. note that in this case those first branches were really low and probably inappropriate to have a first branch of my bonsai way down there so all other branches are gone now. All the branches on the blue trunk were left to grow. No point taking any off because I knew I would cut that off completely at some stage. everything that grows on that trunk will contribute to thickening that lowest section of the trunk.
Also the lowest remaining branch was allowed to grow (green) but the first whorl of branches was reduced to 2 side branches and the main branch (leave 3 at that junction for a start) (remove red side branches) Darker green allowed to grow without any pruning because I know I will cut it off at some stage. As this is a yatsubusa I've drawn in lots of branches at each whorl. For ordinary black pines and other tree species you will probably only have a couple at each node.
When the trunk has thickened sufficiently I pruned off the old trunk (blue) completely and repotted so the trunk is at an angle and the new trunk (previous green branch) is now more upright.
When the new trunk has thickened sufficiently the dark green section was pruned. Not that this time I've left it as jin. Maybe it will stay, maybe it will go. Try to ignore the extra branch that's in there for the moment. It may stay and one of the other branches go or it might go. This one is still developing.
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