AusBonsai

this tree was my very first bonsai i purchased in 2002 at the age of 12, the tag on the tree said 1998, i picked it as it was the oldest tree amoung the man beautiful sticks... uh i mean bonsai, i purchased it as a little twig in a small black plastic pot with the grand plan of potting it in that beautiful little mass produced blue oval i also picked up that day for a few bucks and styling it into a beautiful circle of foliage on top of the stick,

the earliest pic i could find on this computer is from 2005 3 years on, it has an ok pot and has moved on quite nicely from its little pompom and developed a trunk and branches, at some stage between this photo and present day i had the brilliant idea to stick it in a bigger pot.

yesterday i had some spair time so i got stuck into this fig aswell as another.

this picture shows the material as it had grown in the 4 years. after defoliation i could see the structure a bit better the long left branch that has been grown was part of my master plan to turn this tree into a big old style fig with a spreading canopy after giving this tree a full wiring it was shaped, it still has a long way to go but its development is finally on track when i get my load of soil delivered it will be potted up into a bigger grow box to continue development, its on its way on this page i will post the continued development of this tree, im hoping i can also find the old "paper version" original picture of this tree in its little blue pot to add to the thread.

kind regards
jarryd

Nothing wrong with little blue pots until you get to showing. The tree can't see whether theres a makers mark on its bottom.

Looks great and has come along way since that first pic can't wait to see it progress thurther.

Hugh

nice work jarryd!

the trunk has developed nicely and the wiring out has done wonders, the tree will only get better from here
its amazing what we think of as bonsai when we first start out and then realise years down the track what needs to be done!

look forward to more progression!


jamie

Hi Jarryd , Very nice movement , it has come a long way since the first pic . Cheers

Indeed indeed well done mate! Look forward to it.

Great stuff mate

Ken

Good progression. This tree shows a lot of potential.

Greth wrote:Nothing wrong with little blue pots ....

As a newcomer to Bonsai who is spending an inordinate amount of time in nurseries, on eBay etc., I can't believe how many Bonsais for sale that come in blue pots, a colour that really jars with me when it comes to plants. I guess blue pots have their place, but I just haven't seen one that I think suits the tree.

Blue pots are made for the export market

Blue and green should never be seen

Like the progress Jarryd looking good. Figs seem to feature a lot when we begin, and the markets have them by the truck load.

There are all of these pot legged figs out there now

A good quality Japanese pot in a blue glaze can be very nice. But most you see are poor quality and ugly shapes.

Lovely tree mate. You have developed that trunk perfectly. How big is it now?

Pup wrote:Blue pots are made for the export market

Thats what I was about to say Pup but I would only have been quoting Peter Adams who calls the colour export Blue

This is great work Jarryd it is hard to see where the original trunk went. I like the styling you have done but I do wonder about the large front branch at the top that could be a new leader. Also the bendy branch at the back?
I guess you have left some branches long to thicken but you seem to have not shortend any?

brett this tree is still in very early devlopment. as these branches thicken the curves will become more subtle. however the branch at the back is not as curvy as it apears in the pic that back branch is probably longer then the front branch and it faces backwards so all of that banches movement seems cramed into one little branch, this is the hard thing about photographing bonsai. this tree is being styled to resemble an old fig with a wide sweeping canopy which brett is why i did not use the branch you mention as the leader. and old fig often does not have a single leader, however a bonsai styled fig does, im trying to get this one as close to natural as possible. also this tree will be alot bigger in its final image,

to sum it all up this is the trees initial styling into its new image and it is not supposed to look perfect or finished yet, its just the first major step in its styling development, this tree will soon be potted up into a grow pot to continue growth for the next 5-10 years

jarryd,
Congrats on a very nice progression. You and the tree have advanced remarkably over just a few years. All of us are on the same voyage.
Jerry

cheers to everyone for the possitive comments thanks jerry a compliment from you on a fig is a good sign im on the right track i have been watching the great work yu have done with figs over the yrs and enjoy your passion for the species, you may be interested to know i am about to post another fig progression in a seperate thread.