AusBonsai

Well i'm legging it around after 14 weeks on crutches so i have had a wee holiday up the mountains for a few days and then back into some serious bonsai training . Whilst away i forgot to mention to the wife to water my tree's , bugger me i have a trailer load of trainers to run to the tip . Now i have some space to collect a few more These are a couple that weren't effected , they were basically pot plants and using a bamboo stake i wound them around so they would develop some nice 3D movement . I have left one trunk to train as a formal upright, however i intend to use this for a few tests. This is a Full Cascade , movement was placed into the trunk 2 years ago using the bamboo as per previous trainers then wired down to the pot rim using a padded wire to form the cascade for the next season . Today i trimmed , needle plucked , wired and shaped the trainer All up it been a good productive week .These trainers will undergo some root pruning and re-potted into bonsai pots over Winter to slow the shoot and needle length down somewhat .

Cheers Alpineart

These are a couple of the Deodora's that i have trimmed .They were wired last season with electrical cable to prevent wire marks . The wire was removed last winter and they have just had their first magor trim .It may not look like it but they are less than 12 months in training . Cheers Alpineart

For less than 12 months in training, this cascade really looks fantastic alpine, nice work! It is one of the many species I have wanted to try for bonsai, either deodora or atlantica, but I am yet to find any stock that looks to have any potential as a starter.

Very inspirational, thanks for always sharing

James

Hi James for a bloke who doesn't know what his doing they look alright .

Cheers Alpine

This is 1 of the 5 i have from the same batch , the topic should have read 5 not 3 .. I will get them all done today .

Cheers Alpine

That cascade looks great already!

Devastating to hear about the trailer full of trainers though

Hi DENAz , mate that's the breaks when you do Bonsai .I have taken 5 trailer loads of trainers and Yamadori to the tip in 14 months since breaking my leg , shari happens to the best of us .

Cheers Alpine

One of the smaller trainers from the same batch.

Cheers Alpine

Hi Alpine, I enjoy looking at mature trees in parks and gardens very much, but when it comes to bonsai I have never used them so I know nothing about growing them etc.
But I have read that they take a while to set when wired and that they can stay marked when wire bite happens.
So...if they take a bit to set when wiring, why did the trunk you shaped around the bamboo stake stay set after only one year?...or is this a normal amount of time?
Is it because it is a fairly young tree? I am curious because it is a trunk and not branches (so I thought it may have taken longer to set?).
Nice trees for the future
Cheers, Dario.

alpineart wrote:Hi DENAz , mate that's the breaks when you do Bonsai .I have taken 5 trailer loads of trainers and Yamadori to the tip in 14 months since breaking my leg , shari happens to the best of us .

Cheers Alpine

So probably bettter to NOT get attached to my plants?

Dario wrote:Hi Alpine, I enjoy looking at mature trees in parks and gardens very much, but when it comes to bonsai I have never used them so I know nothing about growing them etc.
But I have read that they take a while to set when wired and that they can stay marked when wire bite happens.
So...if they take a bit to set when wiring, why did the trunk you shaped around the bamboo stake stay set after only one year?...or is this a normal amount of time?
Is it because it is a fairly young tree? I am curious because it is a trunk and not branches (so I thought it may have taken longer to set?).
Nice trees for the future
Cheers, Dario.

Hi Dario, mate i have been growing and "killing not so much today" cedars for close to 20 years . If you put a 20mm long x 2mm wide wire mark in a 2-3-4 yo cedar you will have a scar in 20 years time 10-15mm wide and 30-40mm long . The mark exaggerates or increases with cedars , it doesn't grow out . When you have a 2 year old plant , whip , stick in a pot , you simply wind not bend but wind it around the Bamboo stake . This won't mark the bark the bamboo is a thick as the trunk or thicker in most cases. When you grow a straight tree it grows straight up When you grow a wound trunk it will grow in a cork screw fashion / spiraling and NOT mark the bark . If you wire it and bend it with wire it won't grow in a bend it will try to grow straight up this is what puts the marks in the bark as well as wire doesn't give , whereas the trunk can slid up and around the bamboo stake . You can't get excessive bends with stakes but good movement is a piece of cake .

As these were only 2 years old the next seasons growth is as thick as the previous year so it "will" hold , if you try to hold a 15mm trunk by adding 2mm of growth your whistling dixie , it will take at least 10-12mm of growth to hold the old wood in the new shape . Most wire and remove and wire and remove , sooner or later you will end up with a mark or 10 in the bark .

The branches are grown too length first not trimmed and chopped , Deodora's elongate up to 12 inches in a season so you can have a branch in a year , then they are wired loosely with electrical cable , {the guru's might wrap their wire in rice paper} to prevent scaring . This is applied along the branch with few rosette's as per here then as the side growth burst into life the bends set quickly as the branch will thicken and the wire is removed . With the branch set the rosette production continues full steam ahead .

Hope this helps .

Cheers Alpine

DENAz wrote:

alpineart wrote:Hi DENAz , mate that's the breaks when you do Bonsai .I have taken 5 trailer loads of trainers and Yamadori to the tip in 14 months since breaking my leg , shari happens to the best of us .

Cheers Alpine

So probably bettter to NOT get attached to my plants?

Hi DENAz , mate i get attached to all my plants , thats why a cant have a sale , need to toughen up and get rid of a few .

Cheers Alpine

alpineart wrote:

DENAz wrote:

alpineart wrote:Hi DENAz , mate that's the breaks when you do Bonsai .I have taken 5 trailer loads of trainers and Yamadori to the tip in 14 months since breaking my leg , shari happens to the best of us .

Cheers Alpine

So probably bettter to NOT get attached to my plants?

Hi DENAz , mate i get attached to all my plants , thats why a cant have a sale , need to toughen up and get rid of a few .

Cheers Alpine

Haha with your collection, I can understand! If you do though, I'd be more then happy to take some off your hands

Hi DENAz , i don't think they will allow me to send past the S.A Border . Perth i just out of the limit with restrictions regarding posting plant material .

Cheers Alpine

Hi Alpine, thanks very much for explaining that to me
It is very helpful!
Cheers, Dario.
Another hot day in Melb coming up...lots of watering needed!