Ryan Neil Critique

[Jow]

I just stumbled across a couple of videos of Ryan Neil critiquing the Midwest bonsai exhibition. He brings up a lot of interesting points and his explanations are really clear. An interesting watch.

[nealweb]

Very good, I'll keep watching after work. Thanks jow

[mickaus]

Thanks for letting us know, Looks like a great video

[kcpoole]

Will have to spend a few whiles whatcing these Thanks Jow

Ken

[Gerard]

Thanks Jow,
How come none of my work has been done this morning?
(I did have a good morning watching these videos.)

[DavidN]

Thanks Jow. Brilliant. Anymore great critics like this around then let me know.
David

[Waltron]

These are really great videos with some fantastic trees and advice, thanks for posting.
I found it interesting that Ryan says "never ever defoliate a tree", at 2:30 into the 3rd video.

[Craig]

Thanks Jow ,great clips .

[kcpoole]

Just finished watching these and are very impressed!

Anyone who is interested in displaying Good Bonsai these vids are a must see. Great insight and ideas

Also seems like very good presenter of ideas

Ken

[Scott Martin]

Very interesting comments about defoliating the maple. Great videos.

[Jarrod]

definately lots to learn from these!

[chrisatrocky]

great videos, watched all 3, this young man has learnt his trade well, but he did have a great teacher. I noticed a few picked up on his comments never defoiliating, in this case he was talking about deciduous trees in the USA and Japan and why would you, they lose all their leaves in winter, this is when you cut them back and wire them. The rest of the year they are growing or coming into winter, and all you need to do is trim for shape. There was a couple of things which I didn't entirely agree on.
First, he picked out a European beech? and said even though it looked nice and impressive, it was shaped like a pine not a beech, were the branches should come out and up, out and up. Yes, okay, good point, but come to the best bonsai of the show and what was it a Boug, definately not the way bougs grow, I would think.
Second he gave a tanuki bonsai a prize and then went on to say a tanuki is to bonsai as fool's gold is to real gold, tanuki is a way of inhancing a tree which other wise would be very ordinary and done well can be as good as a tree with deadwood of it's own. This particulaur tree (a willow leaf fig), the reason it got the prize was because of the dead wood, because he went on to say the tree needed more development in the canopy and the thing you noticed mostley was the large negative spaces either side of the trunk. Did it warrent a prize in the first place?
Thirdly, he suggest that showing bonsai should be the pinical of a bonsai artist's carrier.I believe bonsai should be shown right from the start, for you may think you have got the best bonsai ever until you show them you can't see were they can be improved and learn how to do it. The pinical of a bonsai artist's carrier is not showing bonsai but, knowing you don't have to because it has been proven you are the best.
Japan is a very elitist society in their work, home and playand every one knows their place, and don't try to get above your station, and that works for them. But I think a little has rubbed off on Ryan in the way he looks at bonsai artist and their work outside of Japan. Ryan is a very talented artist and we will hear alot about him in the future.

chris

[Jow]

Hi chris,
I interpreted the defoliation comment a little differently. I didn't think he meant don't defoliate so much as he meant don't fully defoliate. Also to bare in mind was that he was discussing a Japanese maple at the time and they tend to be a little less robust than other deciduous species.

Now I can't speak for the growing conditions of rockhampton, but here in Melbourne and other places where we get leaf drop we defoliate but leave weak growth so that it is strengthened and the strong tips are weakened which results in a more balanced canopy. Full defoliation doesn't correct energy imbalances and I think this is what Ryan was trying to communicate.

That said I may have interperated him wrongly.

Joe

[NathanM]

Thanks for linking to these Joe. I haven't had a chance to watch them yet, but will this afternoon I think

[craigw60]

I found these videos to be really informative. The debate between partial and full defoliation of deciduous trees is very relevant to those of us who grow them. Branch ramification on deciduous trees is more important than any other group, there is no hiding the twig detail during the winter months. Also due to their growth habits there is only a short window during the year to develop this ramification, so working the foliage over the summer months is vital. Maybe in the cooler north hemisphere climates full defoliation could really shorten that window.
I think here in Australia partial or full defoliation should be determined by species. The stronger growing trees like ash, liquidambar or trident can be defoliated easily and make a quick recovery whereas the slower species like hornbeam, palmatum or beech are better managed with partial defoliation, and leaf pruning.
His comments on the branch structures of deciduous trees are to me spot on, I live in an area with many deciduous trees planted in the late 19th and very early 20th century so they are starting to get some age. The movement of the branches where they leave the trunk is almost invariably upwards. The early deciduous bonsai I developed all have the branches wired flat like a conifer and it is a constant regret to me that I didn't know better at that time.
Craigw