AusBonsai

nice tree, and nice discussion re the soil surface.. not that im anywhere near having anything show worthy its not something ive really ever thought about before. i have allways used a larger stone as a top dresing though, mainly so that when i water in a hurry i dont blast it back to bare roots.. that and i cant manage to keep moss alive for more than a couple of weeks.

its a big ask but i dont suppose you have any photos of this tree over its 30 years of training? it would make for a pretty impressive progression thread if you did.

is it a Tanuki ? or would that be telling

Thanks for your clarification melbrackstone and discussion treeman

Lovely tree Mike. I love the way the shari weaves it's way around and through the base, and the foliage isn't too manicured.

Surface moss can look very nice but there's no way I can get it to look like the Japanese examples with our climate. As long as the surface looks natural and matches the species/style of tree then use what works in your backyard.

Matt.

Mbunro wrote:nice tree, and nice discussion re the soil surface.. not that im anywhere near having anything show worthy its not something ive really ever thought about before. i have allways used a larger stone as a top dresing though, mainly so that when i water in a hurry i dont blast it back to bare roots.. that and i cant manage to keep moss alive for more than a couple of weeks.

its a big ask but i dont suppose you have any photos of this tree over its 30 years of training? it would make for a pretty impressive progression thread if you did.

I don't have many early pics of it but I do have a photo somewhere not long after I dig it up. Ill try to find it.

no idea wrote:is it a Tanuki ? or would that be telling

Wash your mouth out with soap!

Matt S wrote:Lovely tree Mike. I love the way the shari weaves it's way around and through the base, and the foliage isn't too manicured.

Surface moss can look very nice but there's no way I can get it to look like the Japanese examples with our climate. As long as the surface looks natural and matches the species/style of tree then use what works in your backyard.

Matt.

It's easy enough to transplant moss onto the surface a week or 3 before the show and keep it sprayed to get it to grow a bit but I agree with you. At home all you need to worry about is keeping the surface integrity so you can water and feed the thing properly. I find the crushed scoria is excellent for this.
On reflection, I did think that my surface looked a bit raw so I sprinkled a bit of very fine compost/peat over it and it looks better now. Darker in colour too.

nice age and design as is - -(just a thought) have you considered not changing the planting angle but 'leaning' it on an appropriate largish rock behind and under to give the base more breadth and a 'reason' for that base development.

tgward wrote:nice age and design as is - -(just a thought) have you considered not changing the planting angle but 'leaning' it on an appropriate largish rock behind and under to give the base more breadth and a 'reason' for that base development.

It was leaning a lot more than it is now. I'm in the process of bringing it up closer to the vertical. I can't see any rocks in it's future. The main branch on the right will go eventually as well.