Trunk Splitting a Shimpaku Juniper

[NBPCA]

Hi all,

About a year and a half ago I saw a visiting Chinese Bonsai(not Penjing) practitioner split a juniper trunk once, twice, three times and then four times(In effect the trunk was split into 8 pieces). The trunk was about inch and a half diameter.
He then tightly bound the trunk with string in the direction of the intended bend and twist; then wrapped with electrical tape; then wire.(I use rubber or thick grafting tape and then Vet wrap)
He bent and twisted the branch into shape no worries.
I have since done 2 cuts(trunk cut into 4) numerous times without any deaths on Junipers. (He said don't do it with pines)
Anyone out there done the 4 cuts(into 8 pieces) on Junipers and with what result?

I split a 2 inch diameter Shimpaku juniper into just 4 pieces on the weekend and it was a bugger to bend as it was still too stiff.

Grant Bowie.

[shibui]

Have not used this technique yet but I have some field grown shimpaku with rather uninteresting lower trunks that might be candidates. I have seen this idea in the magazine articles I think (but seem to remember the candidate was a pine??). Just to clarify, do you split the trunk the full length of the tree so you end up with pieces that are not joined at the top so that the individual sections can slide past each other to allow the trunk to bend easier? or are you talking about just splitting a short section in the middle of the trunk where the bend is needed?
From your experiments and experience, what happens when the split comes to or near a branch?

[Grant Bowie]

Commencing the split away from the knotty and dead bit.JPG

After having gone all the way in one plane you then do the 180 degree opposite.JPG

[Grant Bowie]

Have not used this technique yet but I have some field grown shimpaku with rather uninteresting lower trunks that might be candidates. I have seen this idea in the magazine articles I think (but seem to remember the candidate was a pine??). Just to clarify, do you split the trunk the full length of the tree so you end up with pieces that are not joined at the top so that the individual sections can slide past each other to allow the trunk to bend easier? or are you talking about just splitting a short section in the middle of the trunk where the bend is needed?
From your experiments and experience, what happens when the split comes to or near a branch?

Hi N,

I only split where i wish to bend and no further(well alittle bit); the trunk stays intact but can be bent and twisted. Twisting is actually quite easy. I have turned trunks about 270 degrees so far.

I avoid knotty bits that are dry and also dead stretches(a dead live vein for instance). These tend to break, fracture and snap rather than bend.

I can split past branches but only in one plane rather than two.

So far no casualties. ( breaks or catastrophic snaps)

Grant

[Grant Bowie]

Before bending the very straight portion. The rest of the tree was bent using the drill out technique.JPG

I did mange to snap fairly loudly a portion of the other trunk during bending about a year ago but it survived OK.

I thought the straight short bit needed more help so thats why I split that one.

Grant

[Grant Bowie]

4 Wrapped with a broad grafting tape.JPG

5 Over wrapped with a non stretch fabric to allow some twisting but not too much bend.JPG

6 Then over wrapped again with the grafting tape and then thick wire. Now ready to go with the bend.JPG

7 branch lightly bent in middle and rotated about 90 degrees towards the back and up. Observe it is no longer down near the pot rim.JPG

[Sean M]

Although I haven't tried splitting a branch, I have successfully employed Grant and Leighs technique of drilling on a juniper. I don't own a plant big enough yet to try splitting!

[daiviet_nguyen]

Hi Grant,

Thank you for the post. I appreciate the details given.

Would be able to describe how you did the drill out please?

Thank you and best regards.

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Hi shibui,

I have seen this idea in the magazine articles I think (but seem to remember the candidate was a pine??).

Would you by any chance remember the white pine split by Mr. Kimura? If so, it was in a Bonsai Today, if I remember it correctly, it should be between issues 1 and 50 ( ). Mr. Kimura split an entire white pine into several "wedges" to make a clump style. There were no bending or twisting.

Best regards.

[shibui]

Thanks for the extra details Grant. As Daviet points out this technique is different to the Bonsai Today article that I referred to earlier.

I can see that this would make it very easy to twist a thick trunk and it seems to allow some strong bends too. I will have a look at some of the trees I have put aside and see if I can use it here.

Does anyone have any ideas why it would not suit pines???

Thanks for the ideas.

[kcpoole]

Does anyone have any ideas why it would not suit pines???

Interesting Question, and a good answer is eagerly awaited.

I ahve carved out the heart of a pine recently, and that seems to be fine. I have heard of pine being split and or drilled before so if anyone knows more please enlighten us

Ken

[Grant Bowie]

i don't know why the gentleman said not to do it on pines and the attempted translation did not clear it up.

As with most people we talk from our experience and for some reason he found he did not have success doing it to pines.

I too have drilled, bent, split and hollowed out pines to no ill effect. I haven't tried bending and twisting and splitting at the same time with a pine.

Grant

[Grant Bowie]

Hi Grant,

Thank you for the post. I appreciate the details given.

Would be able to describe how you did the drill out please?

Thank you and best regards.

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* *

Hi shibui,

I have seen this idea in the magazine articles I think (but seem to remember the candidate was a pine??).

Would you by any chance remember the white pine split by Mr. Kimura? If so, it was in a Bonsai Today, if I remember it correctly, it should be between issues 1 and 50 ( ). Mr. Kimura split an entire white pine into several "wedges" to make a clump style. There were no bending or twisting.

Best regards.

Drilling out is just inserting a drill bit (on the inside of the curve you wish to create) and moving it about to take out some of the heartwood but leave only a small entry hole..

You can put in a number of drill holes until it is flexible.

Bind and wire then bend. Easy.

Grant

[Steven]

Nice pictorial and descriptions of this technique Grant. Thanks for sharing!
How long will you leave it now before you continue with the restyle?

Re heavy bending of pines and drilling/carving of trunks, David Benavente has a great pictorial on his site. Here are some of the pictures of him bending a substantial trunk;

01 Pinus sylvestris before.jpg

06 Pinus sylvestris carved out.jpg

08 Pinus sylvestris during.jpg

26 Pinus sylvestris after.jpg

Pinus sylvestris comparison.jpg

The original article can be seen HERE.

Sorry to hijack your Juniper thread Grant

Regards,
Steven

[Dario]

Hi all, interesting stuff.
Below is an example of bending a pine with a split and some drilling through the branch to relieve pressure, which is related to what you are talking about, but not the same technique. Hope it is helpful and adds to this post?
http://vimeo.com/11134944
Cheers, Dario.

[daiviet_nguyen]

Good morning Grant,

Thank you for the explanation. I appreciate that.

Hi Steven,

Thank for the link. Great info.

Hi Dario,

I was looking for this video the other day, I had to links to the two parts of this video, but they had gone bad.
I went to Mr. Kwong site, but was under the impression that we need to register

Thank you for the link.

Best regards.