How to grow good bonsai stock like the Japanese nurseries

[Jow]

I was given a couple of straight larch which also got the bending treatment.

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[nathan987]

They can really take a hiding. Nice work and great, uncontrived movement.


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[Promethius]

I was given a couple of straight larch which also got the bending treatment.

Looking good. Were these bent this year (at the thickness you show), or during a previous season?

[Jow]

They were bent about 5 minutes before the photo. This year as thick as they are in the pic.

I was surprised how flexible larch is! Didnt even need rafia.

[Ryceman3]

I'll stick this here although I'm not sure it is "stock like the Japanese nurseries" ... apologies if it's taking the thread off topic but it did remind me a bit of the last pine post that Jow put up so I thought I'd share it. It's very small ... a bit different to my normal stuff, needs to grow into that pot a tad I think.

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[shibui]

I've also been trialling broadleaf deciduous trees wired and twisted. It's not quite as easy to get a good result but can work.

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Maples are quite brittle so I've had to resort to very thin seedlings to get any real bends. The problem then is that they grow so quick so getting the wires off before they mark the trunks is not always possible. Some of these still have the wires embedded inside the trunks. Sometimes the wire marks look dreadful but occasionally the trunk starts to look quite rugged as the scars heal over.

Apologies for the sideways pictures. Ausbonsai seems to autorotate files so 'portrait' ends up sideways. I'll have to try to remember to take photos in landscape to post here.

[thoglette]

The problem then is that they grow so quick so getting the wires off before they mark the trunks is not always possible.

Same story here. I find that it’s worth loosening off the wire at the base of the sapling almost as soon as new growth is seen. Then continue on up the trunk as the ire is seen to “tighten up”.

[shibui]

I find that it’s worth loosening off the wire at the base of the sapling almost as soon as new growth is seen. Then continue on up the trunk as the ire is seen to “tighten up”.

Definitely, but it's not the loosening of wires that's the issue. Its the remembering to do it that causes me problems

[shibui]

Some work on the dead wood on a few of the twisted Shimpaku.

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This one still needs extensive wiring to refine the shape more but is still coming along OK. I'll leave the wiring until after the spring growth spurt to reduce chances of damaging the branches.

[Ryceman3]

One year update on the Itoigawa juniper I initially bent last February. See this link back to the post in this thread ...
https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/forum/view ... 89#p303389
It actually grew a lot more than I thought, which again shows the importance/benefit of documenting trees over time.
Took some wire off, added some more wire and kept things twisting. It has a lot of foliage to enhance development/thickening from this point. I need it at least twice the trunk thickness it currently is before I really get involved in the final development phase, but it is coming along!
Should I be thinking about shari from this point? Mmmm... probably, maybe.

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[Jared k]

Not sure on the age of the new Itoigawa (purchased whips), but yeas about the same size, so maybe 3 years old?

I bought 40 x 4 inch starters, wired them all, put light shari on some and some heavy full length shari on others to see what is too far. I had one or two die, but not the large shari ones so I think you can go pretty hard when young.

Good job getting in on the action Jared, try and find some smaller stock to get some more exagerated movement. I did some the size of the one you have wrapped in raffia and the younger stock has caught up in growth and has much better movement.

The below came from bonsai south and have just had their second wiring. The first wire established low bends and twists and this wiring compressed these bends into better shapes. The plan now is repotting into larger pots this year and feed for accelerated growth.
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I have found that these junipers may have been too thick. Assessing them today I found some cracking in the trunk which has caused the weak points in the tree.


In the future I will try and use some with the thickness you have sent in your photos. Any idea the best place to get some Itoigawa variety around the size you have in these photos. Located SEQ. Will try and do some more this year. Thanks

[Matt S]

This is an update on a juniper that was part of a batch I started on this thread back in 2015 - https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/forum/view ... 18#p204118

Last year I took it to a workshop being run by Wyn Lee and he flipped it 90 degrees and created a penjing style that emphasised all the twisty turney branches by turning them into jins. There's still a lot of refinement to go and God knows what kind of pot it needs, but the basic structure is now in place.

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You can see the sharis that were created by applying the techniques outlined in this thread, and how regular application of basic methods over time can create a nice effect.

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Matt.