Japanese Black Pine

[Elias]

Another tree from Mr Hahn, a nice tree I think, it is fairly tall, and has a nice root base and some nice branching work. The pot is an old Japanese hand made pot, unfortunately the photo doesn't do this tree justice, but it did a little bit of tidying up...

[anttal63]

this tree reminds me of a young version of those giant bonsai the japanese plant in the garden. i would love to have it in my garden! but as a bonsai it does not excite me. nor does it evoke emotion. yes the pads are well ramified but the trunk lacks character and as a whole it feels like instant bonsai. since developement on this tree commenced it probably hasnt seen a trunk chop (or not enough chopped to begin with). this has resulted in too tall a trunk with zig zags to compress it.

with a serious reduction in height and rebuild this could make a good tree. it could also make a great literate in the near future!
el thanks for sharing and allowing me to discuss my feelings on this one.

[anttal63]

[anttal63] hey el is that jbp of hahns up fo critique and discussion or should we keep it cool?

eliast and i had continue dicussing by pm but soo realised we should be discussing on the thread. so to bring you up to date here it is. and would love to hear others opinions.

[eliast]Go for it Ant

[anttal63] thanks ouch!

[eliast]For me discussion on trees, is and can be a great learning experience, especially if constructive. As far as improving this tree if it were mine, I would try to incorporate some movement from the trunk to the first branch... And I would possibly even put it in the ground to thicken that trunk, in 3-4 years this could be very nice

[anttal63]thanks for being like that el. yes chop it and in the ground an then chop it again. see the relationship between some branches and the trunk thickness especially mid way to higher. not much differnce there for in the ground this continues to be a problem if you dont get buds to build new thinner branches. there is always grafting. or good old chop down and rebuild which can take longer but be so much more rewarding in terms of a trees character.

[eliast]I do see what mean in relation to size, I suppose grafting new branches would be only way to without chopping the trunk... Out of curiosity do you think if it went into the ground it could develop a wider girth in the trunk and outgrow some of the zig zag effect going on...? Either way I guess it needs further development.

[anttal63]

if it were to go in the ground as is the trunk will definately gain girth and the base will flare if all growth let go. in turn the zig zags would definately soften up to. you at some point will still need to find taper and good branch proportions.

but i think you would be better to either choose literate or smaller tree and continue to container or box grow. the literate option for me would entail some heavy wiring and softening the zgzg.

planting angle and bit more bending in the base will improve things as well.

[Leigh Taafe]

Yes, I agree.....that would look awesome in my garden.

Great tree.

As a bonsai, either needs to be simplified as a literati, or stuck in the ground and compressed as an informal upright.

Cheers,
Leigh.