AusBonsai

I bought this in a tube with 5 others from a bonsai nursery in Maclean 3 years ago, thinking to make a forest.
I put this one in the ground for two years and cut the top down once. Other than that no other work has been done to it.
I have put coloured markers on the box to help identify the different aspects.

Hi Joy,

This tree looks ready for work.

There are about 3 different approaches to styling an Ash in my opinion.

1. Style with branches coming up and out from the trunk and then out to no lower than horizontal (with the lowest branches only) and then the branches gradually become more vertical as they go up thee trunk to a nicely refined apex. A natural Deciduous style usually with an upright trunk.

2. Style as above but the branches can come down below horizontal right up to the top of the tree. More movement in the branches as well with wiring. A slightly less natural style and usually with a slanting trunk.

3. Style with branches wired down very sharply right from the trunk and all the way to the apex. Branches are wired intensively to give downward and sideways movement right out to the tips. Usually done with a tree that has very rugged trunk, bark, sharis, short rather than tall. An exagerated style.

Yours could be done in any of the above given time.

Any preferences?

Grant

No i dont have any preference except that i dont trust myself to wire sharply downwards without breaking the branch.

joy wrote:No i dont have any preference except that i dont trust myself to wire sharply downwards without breaking the branch.

Ash are very flexible and a little bit of tearing or splintering at this point is easier to cope with now, rather than later having to do something more radical. The bending is done mostly right up against the trunk and with proper support, wiring and technique it is easy enough.

However your one would probably fall somewhere between 2 and 3. the trunk lacks the serious look of age so an old style imposed on a younger tree would not look right. We would just do some lightly wiring down this time.

I agree on another thread that said your peg solution to each side is a good idea.

I think the side with the Blue peg looks the most likely front.
1. The scar left from removing the long straight root will be towards the rear.
2. The roots look better on the Blue side.
3. The apex can be shortened back easily to the pair of upward growing branches below the very heavy fork near the top of photos.
4. The lowest branch on the red side will probably be too low to use and will leave a scar.

What do you think so far?

Grant

Yes I think the front is somewhere around the blue side.
Should I cut the top off and take another few photos around that area? Ifs so can you explain where to cut?
Thanks Grant

I have been looking at this since my last comment and i am wondering if the top could be even lower. With the front still near the blue peg the trunk could be cut off at the cluster of branches and standing the tree up more vertical a new top could be made.

Photos taken to show proposed cut?

joy wrote:Photos taken to show proposed cut?

Hi Joy,

Sorry I missed your earlier posts.

I think to cut, where you have suggested it, is not the best possible choice for a few reasons.

1. Seen from the chosen front (blue peg) the tree loses its taper.
2. It also loses the movement that I think this tree will need if you cut it where you suggest.
3. The few branches it will have left then all come from the trunk very close together.

My choice would be to cut it to the upright branch set below your previous cut.
1. This will give some taper to the entire tree in a believable and elegant way
2. It will keep the gentle movement in the upper trunk
3. It will have plenty of branches to work with (Don't over simplify your design and options as the remaining branches will over thicken)
3. It introduces a nice 5/2/3/1 set of bends. By this I mean the trunk rises approx. say 5 units of measurement then bends; It then continues say 2 units then bends; then 3 and then with the new apex we can introduce a length of say 1 when the new apex has thickened a little. This way all the bends and straight bits look natural and random.

If you are agreeable with that then we would be ready to cut, seal the wound and then start branch selection.

It also leaves you the option in the future if you ever do want to shorten it further.

Grant

Hi Grant it is looking better already. I wired one branch down so you can see the trunk better. These two views look like possible fronts now. Which twig will I select for the apex before I do the final cut?

joy wrote:Hi Grant it is looking better already. I wired one branch down so you can see the trunk better. These two views look like possible fronts now. Which twig will I select for the apex before I do the final cut?

KEEP BOTH!!!.

This will split the energy into two and stop over-thickening of the apex area. in 2, 5 or 10 years you might eliminate one; but not now.

Could photograph it from the dark blue peg side please?

I think that will be the front.

Thanks

Sorry, after a close look the peg might be green!

Anyhow the opposite side to red.

Grant

Hi Grant,
the only problem with the green side is a big tangle of branches coming out of one place.
I have removed the large root. It didnt have much under it any way.
This is a really enjoyable workshop. Thank you.

Hi Grant,
Are we going to be repotting either of my ashes as i have buds already on both of them. Apart from-today we are having very warm weather her over 20 degrees.

Sorry,

I missed this. yes we can repot this season ; within the next month.

I am studying the photos today and will get back to you today with some advice and a sketch.

Grant

Thanks for the photo of the tangle.

Cut off the lower of the two branches on the left (the lower unwired one) and cut off the higher of the one on the right.

Also cut off the other little ones around them. Do you have a knob/concave cutter? If so finish off the big cuts with it and seal the cuts.

Do you have heavier wire? If so please remove the wire as it is too light and applied incorrectly. To do a sharpish bend down the wire needs to go over the top of the branch near the trunk; not under.

I will include the technique in the sketch.

Grant