Your thoughts please.

Share your success stories about defoliation, bare rooting and anything else relating to maintaining healthy bonsai.
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eliass
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Your thoughts please.

Post by eliass »

Hi all.

Had some extra time this morning thought I would post some videos and ask some questions.

This is the stick from the other day, the leaves have started to turn yellow could this be from the stress of being repotted twice during these warmer days? It receives adequate water and shade is there anything else I can do to make sure it remains healthy? I have read that yellowing of leaves can be caused by an iorn deficiency in the soil surely this wouldn't happen so quickly would it?

Image


This is a pine that I potted the other day should I start training the branches in the mid section downwards?
I have include an image and a link to a video below.

Image

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i69/e ... 36c2f7.mp4

This is a juniper starter I purchased and thought by adding a rock it could have a story :lost: perhaps the rock protected it from the wind and one it grew over the rock the wind formed it into a windswept tree? Your thoughts

Image

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i69/e ... 3174b8.mp4

Also I was at bunnings yesterday purchasing some things for new years eve and found this for under $40.00 thought I would wait till winter and then chop the trunk and wait for some regrowth? Your thoughts ..

Image
Last edited by eliass on December 29th, 2011, 11:47 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Re: Your thoughts please.

Post by Bougy Fan »

With the maple you can try defoliating it and giving it a few seasol baths. However it will most likely die - if you have played with the roots which I seem to recall from your first post you did. If that is a liquid ambar you bought from Bunnings it is deciduous too - so don't touch the roots until it is dormant.


Tony
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Re: Your thoughts please.

Post by rowan »

Hi Eliass,

Just my thoughts:
Tree 1 - Probably not the best idea to repot it at this tiome of year, but what is done is done. It is stress, just keep it in some shade and water it (but don't waterlog it) and it should be fine.

Tree 2 - I know it can be hard to not be impatient when you start but I would have started styling before repotting this tree. I think you should wait with this pine until it settles in the pot. It might take 6 months to a year before doing any major work on it. Right now I think you should take off one of the bar branches (the bottom ones) or you might end up with a bulge there. It looks like it might make a nice tree BTW.

Tree 3 - This is one tree that you should not do anything with for a few months. Sometimes if you put a tree away for a while you get a jolt of inspiration when you see it later. Personally I might consider chopping it down to the first branch, just leaving a bit of the trunk as a jin. That might go better with the rock. This might seem a bit drastic to you though, it is hard to chop off most of a tree.

Tree 4 - Some people have done great things with straight trunks but I think that sometimes you need to keep your cash in your pocket and think a while before buying, or look for something better. I would grow this in the garden instead :imo: I would love to see photos of what you do with it later on though if you do intend to use it as bonsai.

I see big things for you so please don't think I am being harsh, just commenting on what I see.

Cheers,
Rowan
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Re: Your thoughts please.

Post by kcpoole »

I agree with Rowan on the trees,
#3 I would consider layering the top off as the bare section between the first branch and the top growth is far too long, unless you want to make a literati style, but the trunk looks like it has curves too "smooth" and regular to be a nice literati. I would be looking a the lower branch to make the eventual tree from. Either way, there is quite a few viewings / Coffees / Beers required to decide what suits it best and will get the most out of the tree.

The last new maple is a large straight trunk which is not good o needs to be cut back hard to develop some low branching to work with. This could be done now usually.

Ken
Last edited by kcpoole on December 29th, 2011, 9:53 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Your thoughts please.

Post by eliass »

I have read that when it comes to a tree of this size I should cut it back slowly to the desired length(ie 20 cm at a time) is this correct or can I just cut it down to say 30cm tall?
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Re: Your thoughts please.

Post by kcpoole »

Maples will shoot back from bare wood, so you can cut back as hard as you like and it should shoot all over. If you want to be tentative, then you could stage it but I would not bother and just cut back hard.

Ken
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