AusBonsai

All dressed up and ready for a show. I think this was my first ever bonsai?

Very nice Mike. How old is it?
Cheers
Kirky

KIRKY wrote:Very nice Mike. How old is it?
Cheers
Kirky

Probably getting close to 40 now. In training about 30.

Nice one.
The trunk shows its age.

i really like the contrasting textures in the second shot, with the fine rock and mosses. Last year before our exhibition we were lectured on presentation for exhibition, and were told that the trees should not have any rock or stone, but should be fines sifted from potting mix. The judge would mark it down otherwise. That was personally very disappointing, and when I see your presentation here doubly so, because it looks so natural and yet neat.

Fine tree, as well!

What a lovely tree. Thanks for posting.

As an aside and to give you some insight into my strange mind ... the shari in the first picture looks like a platypus or a lizard resting on the trunk. I realise that's not the intent - it's just the picture that comes to mind. Looks great.

I hope to have similar specimens in 40 years and at 90 .... I hope my daughters care enough to help.

Are they exposed roots or carvedbase of the trunk?

Ken

melbrackstone wrote:i really like the contrasting textures in the second shot, with the fine rock and mosses. Last year before our exhibition we were lectured on presentation for exhibition, and were told that the trees should not have any rock or stone, but should be fines sifted from potting mix. The judge would mark it down otherwise. That was personally very disappointing, and when I see your presentation here doubly so, because it looks so natural and yet neat.

I'm aware of that issue but firstly I believe that this material is fine enough to pass as an appropriate surface. Secondly, because the grains interlock so well it makes watering so much easier and more effective. It also holds moisture well which will encourage the growth of moss, especially as I've mixed it with a little peat moss. And thirdly as long as I'm happy with the way it looks, I don't really care about conforming to what any ''judge'' might think. Nor am I interested in scoring points.
The particles are about 2mm or less. They don't really appear as stones from the average viewing distance which is about like this...

kcpoole wrote:Are they exposed roots or carvedbase of the trunk?

Ken

Exposed roots with a bit of shari.

The dead wood on this is awesome, looks a bit like a lizard of some kind gripping the trunk ... very cool.
I know age is not the be all and end all in bonsai, but it sure helps to give the sense of "authenticity" that this tree has.
Beautiful.

Marvellous tree. It lets the imagination run away; looks like a dragon hiding or having a sleep in the tree. Well done Cheers RodM

I'm aware of that issue but firstly I believe that this material is fine enough to pass as an appropriate surface. Secondly, because the grains interlock so well it makes watering so much easier and more effective. It also holds moisture well which will encourage the growth of moss, especially as I've mixed it with a little peat moss. And thirdly as long as I'm happy with the way it looks, I don't really care about conforming to what any ''judge'' might think. Nor am I interested in scoring points.
The particles are about 2mm or less. They don't really appear as stones from the average viewing distance which is about like this...

I appreciate the fact that the grains work so well as a mulch, and make watering easier. I was hoping the sieved potting mix thing was just a local requirement... bugger.

I'll not have anything worth exhibiting for a decade or so, however the points this person made stuck in my head, and I'm still sure that your presentation would be my preference to any of the trees I've seen with the sifted fines... I often use tiny grained zeolite to hold down the ground up sphagnum I use as a surface mulch....and that was when I was told it was "unacceptable." /sigh

Thanks for your input, as always, much appreciated.

melbrackstone wrote:

I was hoping the sieved potting mix thing was just a local requirement... bugger.

I'll not have anything worth exhibiting for a decade or so, however the points this person made stuck in my head, and I'm still sure that your presentation would be my preference to any of the trees I've seen with the sifted fines... I often use tiny grained zeolite to hold down the ground up sphagnum I use as a surface mulch....and that was when I was told it was "unacceptable." /sigh

Can I clarify. Do you mean sieved bonsai soil or organic based potting mix?

Looking through photographs on this site from a number of different societies, there doesn't seem to be a consensus on what is used on the surface. I am also not in the exhibiting category yet, however, just as the stand and accent contribute to the setting, I would think the pot surface should as well. I don't see too many natives in mossy green hillsides in this state.

Terry this person who was giving the talk just said use some potting mix and sift it to get the fine stuff, and use that. I am sure you can use whatever mix you like, as long as it's a fairly even, bland, darkish tone...

The whole reason they were giving the talk was to prepare us all for what the judges might be looking for, and using a plant I'd taken along as an example, they said my mulch wasn't acceptable. (Being a newbie I hadn't even considered any part of my tree/pot/presentation would be acceptable, to be honest.) However, that was why it stuck in my head, and I wondered if Mike had anything to say on the subject.

terryb wrote:

melbrackstone wrote:

I was hoping the sieved potting mix thing was just a local requirement... bugger.

I'll not have anything worth exhibiting for a decade or so, however the points this person made stuck in my head, and I'm still sure that your presentation would be my preference to any of the trees I've seen with the sifted fines... I often use tiny grained zeolite to hold down the ground up sphagnum I use as a surface mulch....and that was when I was told it was "unacceptable." /sigh

Can I clarify. Do you mean sieved bonsai soil or organic based potting mix?

Looking through photographs on this site from a number of different societies, there doesn't seem to be a consensus on what is used on the surface. I am also not in the exhibiting category yet, however, just as the stand and accent contribute to the setting, I would think the pot surface should as well. I don't see too many natives in mossy green hillsides in this state.

Hi Terry
I agree (if that's what you're saying) that we don't need to be slaves to the Japanese aesthetic. I think the frowning given to the use of stones is that it can make the surface look unsettled/disturbed = unnatural. This may be the case, so the finer the material the easier it is to present the settled, ''untouched'' look. But I think that as long as we can arrange the soil surface to appear natural, we should not need to rigidly adhere to the ''essential'' moss covering. It just so happens that it takes some time for moss to naturally cover a natural surface so by applying to the potted tree it we can give that impression. However there is nothing to say that we cannot get an attractive and acceptable appearance by trying to copy the natural screes or plain compacted and moss-less ground we can find in the Australian bush. Especially when we exhibit wild wind blown Australia trees! Simply laying stones on the surface is not very appealing though and should be avoided IMO. (I think dead leaves might be going too far too ) There's nothing wrong with using a fine dark soil for the covering either. I've seen many Japanese bonsai displayed that way but it must look very settled (by compressing it) to look right. That also means taking it off again when you bring your tree back home.
I may do a bit more work on the surface before I take them in??