What to do with my most ugly tree

[Boics]

Hi there.

I've had this ugly duckling for wow probably around 15 years..
Yes it's minuscule for it's age but that is what you get for neglect, no feeding, and too much tinkering!

So as much as it's more suited to the trash bin it carries sentimental value.
I still stare at it trying to see a tree somewhere but alas it continues to escape!

Unfortunately lack of technique has led to some pretty leggy stuff to work with.
And this type of tree (Dwarf Spruce?) does not lend itself to back budding...

So ideas, suggestions, virts welcome..
Rise to the challenge!

[MoGanic]

Mate I'm useless at virts, but pic no. P1010793 (side)... wow. That is your new front.

There's a bit of compressing to be done, and the top half of the tree has to be jinn! But youd have a nice canopy just above the semi cascade and ofcourse the cascade itself. Get me? I'll do a sketch hang on!

[MoGanic]

Turns out I'm pretty useless at those also...

You've seen pups post on bending trunks by cutting a sliver out the trunk from the base to the top of where you want to bend, inserting a thick wire then double wrapping with raffia then electrical tape? If not, search it.

Bend the trunk so that the main line goes (in an twisty bendy fashion) uppish then leftish then downish. Then bend the other part just to match the movement you've just created and wire some basic positioning into all the primary branching. Then jinn the top, thus saving a lot of energy for the tree in terms of what the roots need to support (once it's recovered from this treatment of course) or just chop it depending on what you like. End up with something not unlike the pic here...

http://www.makebonsai.com/guide/photos/ ... cade_2.jpg

but if you imagine a more compact apex with jinns poking out

Up to you! But if it were my tree this is what I'd be doing .

[MoGanic]

And here is my useless sketch... sorry for bombing your post lols!

[Boics]

HaHa.

Virts can sometimes be easy but often not so...

Thanks for the advise.
That link you posted to makebonsai doesn't work for me for some reason?
Looks like the website is down at the moment.

I think your talking about Bodhi's thread on the sliver cut?

I haven't seen one from Pup?

P.S. Just saw your sketch... Thanks a lot for going to the effort..
I'll mull that one over and see how practical it might be..

[MoGanic]

Pups? Bodhis?... ummm yeah probably bodhi my bad!

I think its pretty doable Boics, but I haven't seen the tree myself . Good luck with it anyway mate, but if you need to palm it off let me know haha

[alpineart]

Hi Boics , mate this is the sort of material i pick up in the hills and its a challenge . If it was mine i would remove a small vee {no more than 1/3 of the thickness of the branch} section from above the exit point of the first branch cutting into the trunk at about a 45 degree angle and pull it up to around 60 degree's as a new leader and use all the shoots on that single lower branch for the completely new set of branches , add a couple of bends for some balanced movement in keeping with the lower trunk and new leader .

Cut or trim the rest of the tree back reasonably hard but leave some foliage on every old branch to keep the branches alive and the sap flowing past the vee union , the upper older branches and trunk could be used later for some jin and shari practice . It may take a season or two to fuse and heal the vee section , what a couple of seasons when its this old and going nowhere . It will become a nice informal upright and give you some practice at extreme makeovers using a single branch for the purpose of constructing a new tree .

Cheers Alpineart

[MattA]

Quick & dirty but shows how little changes every so far can bring the first branch up without need for extreme methods & also give some movement to the straight lower trunk. Each sectional rotation was just 15 degrees

Boics.JPG

Edit: I would slippot into something with plenty of room, get some heavy wire one it & bent then let it grow for 5yrs. At the end of that time I would reduce the new trunkline & start working on the branching but leave the rest untouched. For the next 5yrs work to fill out the design & let the top half keep fattening the lower trunk. Then maybe remove the sacrifice growth & start reducing the rootball until your back to a decent size for display & bench care

Just thought, since you have spent 15yrs with it, your committed so why not lay it out for you

[Andrew F]

And here is my useless sketch... sorry for bombing your post lols!

This!!! ^^

[Boics]

Thanks all for feedback thus far.

Personally I have flirted with the idea of some sort of windswept concept.
This would require some less drastic measures than those currently advised.

See attached pics.

It is basically a composition based on the 3 branches (numbered in red).
The virt is of course very basic and this would be accompanied with a pot change and bend and lean in trunk position.
Pretty much everything else would be either jinned or removed.
My concern is the wrap around required for branch 2 as this branch originates on the "wrong" side of the tree.

So having said this I will go back and have a really good look at how feasible the general consensus is around the lower branch usage over the next few days.
I put this tree up to gain views and suggestions and it is most interesting to see the different perspectives that others see.
I certainly welcome any more views, virts and suggestions and look forward to sharing the journey of this ugly duckling with those on the forum.

[kcpoole]

And here is my useless sketch... sorry for bombing your post lols!

This!!! ^^

Totally agree with Andrew here
Great concept Mo and probably very doable with this tree

Ken

[GavinG]

Maybe consider putting it in a big pot, feeding heavily, grow long, cut back hard (particularly on the low right branch) for five years at least. Then you've got a solid base trunk to deal with. With the needles being quite large, you'll need something meaty at the base. Then, as others have suggested, maybe tilt the trunk 45deg to the right, cut it off after the low right branch, which will then go down and out, and straighten it further out to about horizontal. If it's sentimental, it will be worth the wait.

Best of luck,

Gavin