BIG OLD BOUGIE
Posted: November 28th, 2017, 9:48 pm
Hi All
This is for everyone's entertainment especially tree collectors.
When I started bonsai nearly 4 years ago I would surf the bonsai internet all night. Come to think I'm still doing it
but a little less. One tree that I saw 4yrs ago and wanted ever since was a big bougainvillea.
As they say' be careful what you wish for.
Turned out my next door neighbour happened to have one that was causing problems with overhanging branches
Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees!! I looked all over for one and it was on the other side of MY fence.
Initially it seemed a good chance to take some thick branch cuttings' maybe an air layer.
That clearly didn't work out too well because I soon decided it was worth "trying" to collect.
The day I made that decision was October long weekend. Now I can't honestly say if ' Dutch courage" was involved
in my thinking on the day or possibly I had what a 20th century writer D.G. termed "a momentary lapse of reason"
Either way I got to work first cutting back one weekend then clearing an area to dig the next.
The tree was between a rock and a hard place for sure.
Deep retaining wall a foot away from stump with fence and road opposite. Digging I normally run away from.
My friend came over to help with other bonsai work
so I talked him into giving me a hand digging the trunk out.
Must say he was not impressed with my idea but to his credit he chipped in and didn't stop until we had it down.
I did go back to my place a few times looking for any equipment that would help do the job
When we first tried getting it into my barrow the so called heavy duty plastic tub split in two. At that point I decided
turning it into a giant cutting was the only way two of us could get it back to my place.
That's the point you think [quietly to yourself] Why the hell didn't I do that before the digging
Anyhow it was reduced much more top and bottom before we were able to get it in a box/pot.
After 40 days and 40 nights it showed signs of life. lol. Actually it was the seventh week of TLC that shoots appeared.
I had to be sure so scratched around and found young whitish roots in a few places. Roots & shoots so far so good.
This is for everyone's entertainment especially tree collectors.
When I started bonsai nearly 4 years ago I would surf the bonsai internet all night. Come to think I'm still doing it
but a little less. One tree that I saw 4yrs ago and wanted ever since was a big bougainvillea.
As they say' be careful what you wish for.
Turned out my next door neighbour happened to have one that was causing problems with overhanging branches
Talk about not seeing the forest for the trees!! I looked all over for one and it was on the other side of MY fence.
Initially it seemed a good chance to take some thick branch cuttings' maybe an air layer.
That clearly didn't work out too well because I soon decided it was worth "trying" to collect.
The day I made that decision was October long weekend. Now I can't honestly say if ' Dutch courage" was involved
in my thinking on the day or possibly I had what a 20th century writer D.G. termed "a momentary lapse of reason"
Either way I got to work first cutting back one weekend then clearing an area to dig the next.
The tree was between a rock and a hard place for sure.
Deep retaining wall a foot away from stump with fence and road opposite. Digging I normally run away from.
My friend came over to help with other bonsai work
so I talked him into giving me a hand digging the trunk out.Must say he was not impressed with my idea but to his credit he chipped in and didn't stop until we had it down.
I did go back to my place a few times looking for any equipment that would help do the job
When we first tried getting it into my barrow the so called heavy duty plastic tub split in two. At that point I decided
turning it into a giant cutting was the only way two of us could get it back to my place.
That's the point you think [quietly to yourself] Why the hell didn't I do that before the digging
Anyhow it was reduced much more top and bottom before we were able to get it in a box/pot.
After 40 days and 40 nights it showed signs of life. lol. Actually it was the seventh week of TLC that shoots appeared.
I had to be sure so scratched around and found young whitish roots in a few places. Roots & shoots so far so good.