[A Forest Tale] Matt S – Callitris Canyon

[greg27]

This competition continues to be instructive .... With a bit of googling - I just found out what FruChocs are! Perhaps they are a dessert to another south Australian delicacy, the pie floater.

A pie floater is a bit suss (I've never braved one) but fruchocs are awesome, get on it!

[Matt S]

Bit of an update. The trees have been growing strongly so I've just been letting the two primary ones grow unheeded but I've been giving the rest a light trim. Of the seeds I planted directly into the pot, a grand total of 2 germinated and one of those dampened off at the base after the heavy rain and hot temps of last week. So I only have one extra tree. I might try again in Autumn but I seem to be destined to not have as many trees as I originally wanted.

canyon 31Jan21.jpg

canyon 31Jan21 closeup.jpg

Matt.

[Matt S]

There hasn’t been much change from the last post other than a bit of extra height and a little thickening of the trunks. Not much more to do until Summer except for fertiliser and maybe a bit of wire. The two main trees are about the same thickness so I’ll let on go longer before I cut back to a new leader so they don’t look the same.









Matt.

[melbrackstone]

Gee they've grown well!

[Matt S]

This group continues to power on, although I've noticed that most of the growth has been in the two strongest trees at the expense of the rest. It's hard to see in the pictures but I've wired most of the lower branches including some on the two trees that will be removed later when the trunks thicken. The thickness of the trunks on these two trees are almost identical so I've taken the top off the one I want to be the thinner of the two and wired in a new apex. Over the next few months I'll start trimming all the trees other than the largest until I get the thickness I want.

canyon 03Jan22.jpg

canyon 03Jan22 base.jpg

canyon 03Jan22 top cut.jpg

A couple of the rocks have come loose so I'll need to cement them back in place with something stronger.

Matt.

[greg27]

Shrink me down and I could get lost wandering about in there. Looks great.

[MJL]

Thanks for the update Matt.

If I’m not mistaken, all these trees started as similar sized seedlings. In a group planting, trees of different thicknesses create a sense of age and so, I would often start with trees of different age - even if a year or two apart.

Yet, what I have found in my limited experience with bonsai is that you can start with trees of the same age because, as in nature, some trees will flourish and thicken while others struggle and their size is impaired.

This Canyon is looking good - thanks again for the update.


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[Matt S]

Finally the main trunk is now the thickest, so I've cut it back and created a new apex. The lowest branches on this tree will also be cut off close to the final entry so you can see into the group. Most of the trees are growing strongly, other than the smallest off to the left. It's going to take a long time to get this one to look decent so I won't touch it for a few years.

I'm happy with the variation in thicknesses of the trunks, so now I'll be concentrating on the foliage.

canyon 24Aug22.jpg

canyon 24Aug22 closeup.jpg

Matt.

[Matt S]

Not much to say for this update other than the canopy is filling out and getting better defined. I'll keep the lowest branches on the tallest tree until the last moment when they'll be removed so you can see into the group a bit better. I find I have to keep pinching back the strong growth every week to keep it all under control.

canyon 11Dec22.jpg

canyon 11Dec22 closeup.jpg

Matt.

[Matt S]

This competition is long gone but it's a good progression so I'll keep updating it.

I didn't like the original rocks so I found some better layered sandstone and I also upgraded the pot to a larger oval one. I suspect that one day the rocks will be removed entirely but for now they are staying. I've just given the trees a good haircut and they are starting to look better defined, so now it's just regular trimming and tweaking.

canyon Apr25.JPG

canyon Apr25 closeup.JPG

Matt.

[TimS]

I'd forgotten about this comp! I sold my trident forest off years ago!

really like what you've done with the rock adjustments, i can completely imagine it as a natural formation growing in the wild. Lovely stuff