RED PINE

Posted on 7-Sep-2024 by Neil Padbury

Repotting is almost finished for this spring. Today I looked at a Japanese Red Pine. It didn’t need repotting this year but really needed some shaping so I allocated some time to pruning and shaping. It’s still definitely a work in progress despite being quite old. I’m still not convinced that the smallest trunk is good design but it’s harder to put back than to cut off so it stays until I’ve come to a firm conclusion.

The hour or so I put in only got as far as removing some surplus branches and wiring the right trunk branches. There’s still plenty to do on this one – when I get some more spare time.

Unfortunately I don’t have any JRP for sale at this stage. Seed is extremely hard to get here in Australia. I have managed to strike a few cuttings but they get snapped up as soon as someone finds out I have them. I planted some trees in our paddock with the view to harvesting seed as they mature. They’ve both produced cones for the last 2 years but the few seeds in those cones have all been empty. Frustrating, but that’s sometimes what working with plants can do.

I do have plenty of Japanese Black Pines but only small seedlings and a couple of larger, field grown trees. That’s another hard to get species now, so they tend to sell quicker than I can grow them.

Potting up pines

Posted on 30-Aug-2024 by Neil Padbury

Managed to get another 30 JBP seedlings potted up today.

These seedlings were left over from last Spring. They’ve been siting in the seed tray all last summer and through the winter. Very crowded so they have not grown much but will still be OK to pot up.

After separating the seedlings we end up with something like this.

Because we are growing bonsai we want good nebari. That means removing any deeper roots so these trees will concentrate root growth on lateral roots. No need to be scared, seedlings are programmed to grow roots so we can cut seedling roots fearlessly. Often i cut roots much harder than shown here.

Pine seedlings generally have few side shoots as they prefer to grow tall and straight. If left as they are that will produce a long, bare trunk. There’s a few techniques to overcome that natural tendency. Today I’ve decided to wire and bend some of the seedlings which will reduce the effective length of that lower trunk as well as giving the future trunk some bends.

Spring 2024

Posted on 26-Aug-2024 by Neil Padbury

You may have noticed I have not updated here for some time. I’ve been spending too much time on other projects but have resolved to post here more often. Lets just see how long that resolution lasts.

Spring has definitely sprung earlier than usual here at Shibui Bonsai The trident maples are starting to open buds and my bonsai crab apple has flowers opening. Maybe some pictures of that in a few days at peak flower.

The deciduous trees have been dug from the grow beds, pruned and assessed. trees for sale are now potted and the trunks that were not yet ready to sell have been replanted for another year of growth.

Today I potted up some Japanese black pine seedlings. These are left over from last spring and have been crowded together in a seed tray all last summer. I’m sure they will be much happier with some space to stretch out their roots.

I also dug the first of the Shimpaku junipers and potted it into a 30cm orchid pot.

While some growers transplant with as much soil on the roots as possible, garden soil can cause problems in a pot so I prefer to get rid of field soil right at the start. My transplants still seem to recover well. Junipers seem to recover from root pruning much better when they have active growing tips so it is important to keep some of the branches intact. You can see in the photos that I have reduced the top by removing some redundant branches but still retained plenty to help the tree recover.

Junipers are slower to recover from transplant than the deciduous trees so these junipers won’t be available for sale until February or March. By then it should be clear which are growing well and any that have not coped with the trauma of transplant.

New catalogues

Posted on 2-Dec-2023 by Neil Padbury

The trees that were transplanted from the grow beds last winter have grown well and the new roots should be strong enough for them to cope with the posties now. Most have already had one haircut.

I spent last week dodging storms and rain to get photos and the new catalogues are now uploaded to the catalogue page. Feel free to browse and see if anything takes your fancy this year.

XXL trident seedlings

Posted on 22-Jul-2023 by Neil Padbury

I tackled some bigger garden grown trident seedlings today. Thicker roots so these took a bit more time and effort to extract than the smaller ones I usually offer.

After they are out of the ground and roots separated from each other the trunks and roots need to be trimmed

Trident trunks like this are still available bare root – until the new shoots start to open. Prices from $15 through to $30 for these XXL bare root tridents depending on how good the root base, trunk taper and trunk bends. This one priced at $20 as an indication.

XL trunks are a bit thinner, usually around finger thick – that’s about 1.5-3cm thick at the base – and priced at $10 – $15 each depending on quality as above.

As shown, XL and XXL tridents are usually tall and thin. They are good for larger groups as is but can be trunk chopped and grown on to create trunks will have good taper in a few years.

There are a small number that already have forks in the trunk which will give a natural point to chop for taper and for trunk bends. $30 for trunks like this one with good roots and a natural fork for trunk reduction. Not many of these so get in quick before they are sold.

Some have lots of side branches. Expect to pay $20 for a trunk like this. Only while stocks last.

Shohin Root over Rock – establishing trunk lines

Posted on 7-Jun-2023 by Neil Padbury

Now that the roots have been thinned and adjusted it’s time to take a more thorough look at the overall shape in case trunk lines need any work.

When I initially planted these I tried to match trunk shape to the shapes of the rocks while also trying to get good root lines. Since then strong growth of new shoots and trunk thickening have often changed the appearance so they need to be reassessed. Some will obviously need to have slight adjustments, others may need more radical pruning and a few will just be so bad I’ll scrap them.

Many readers will already be able to assess and prune for developing trunk lines but for newer growers I’ll try to work through some of my decisions with the following tree.

Check the appearance, roots, rock, trunk line and any branching from all sides and angles.

The main trunk line seems to compliment the shape of the rock from a couple of viewing points so that’s a good start. I can see that the original trunk was wired and bent (thinner upper section) but a new shoot has grown strongly vertical. Both those lines would be Ok as a trunk but the new, thicker shoot is almost the same thickness of the lower trunk meaning almost no taper in the trunk. Also that new shoot has long, relatively straight internodes so I would not be able too develop branches where I want them if that’s chosen as the main trunk. I decide to chop that new part just above the first node. New buds will sprout and grow in the coming growing season and I’ll reassess again next year.

Both trunk and roots would be better with some more thickening so I decide to rewrap and plant it in a grow box for another season.

Next subject

This one has also grown a few strong new shoots over summer which have done a great job of thickening both roots and lower trunk.

The new lower left branch is not a good candidate as new leader because it would make the new trunk line too straight and leading in the wrong direction to compliment the shape of rock and roots. It is also way too thick to be a branch on that trunk so I’ll cut it close to the trunk.

Thinner branch to the right is in a position to be a possible branch but the sweep upward won’t work and it also has long internodes so I’ll chop that one above the first node too and hope for better results next season.

After pruning the top. I’ve elected to leave 2 possible trunks to see which one looks better after another year.

A final tree to look at for this post. Note the thick lower trunk.

A closer look reveals something interesting.

The thicker trunk has spiral marks. The thinner part has more pronounced wire marks and near the end is a piece of copper wire protruding from the trunk.

This trunk is the result of some experiments with wiring very young seedlings the previous year to get really twisted trunks suitable for shohin sized trees. This is one that grew so quick I was not able to remove the wires in time and the trunk has grown right over the wire. That’s not something I would normally do or recommend but, in this case I think the results might possibly be good.

The twisted part of that trunk comes down too close to the top of the rock now. As it thickens it might obscure the view of the top of the rock. The new part is more upright so probably a better trunk line. I chop the thinner section.

After chopping the thinner part a close look shows the copper wire is now right in the middle of the trunk.

The remaining stronger, upright trunk has little taper or movement so I cut it back hard. Fortunately it does have some shorter internodes as the lower part so I’ve retained 2 nodes this time. Depending how many buds break in spring and which directions they grow I may cut further.

Shohin Root over Rock – the opening

Posted on 6-Jun-2023 by Neil Padbury

Removing the foil wrap is easy. Unlike some other methods the roots do not get tangled up or grow over and through the bindings.

Here’s the first after unwrapping.

And some more.

Now I can assess the shape better. Look at shape of the rock, flow of the trunk, flow of roots, etc to determine which side looks better. That can determine where the longer shoots will be chopped. These still have some growing to do so they may still change appearance. At this stage I’m just making some guesses and anticipating what may happen in the next few years and trying to direct future growth along the lines that I think will look best.

After preliminary pruning the tops.

Look at the mass of roots. Many of those finer white roots have grown since I wrapped it last winter. Provided moisture levels are adequate conditions between the rock and foil are ideal for root growth.

Roots do not actually need soil to grow. Humid conditions is all they need and that’s what foil wrapped rocks provide in abundance. Some of these did not even have roots sticking out the bottom of the foil last year but have since grown down and out into the soil.

From experience I know it is important to assess and manage the roots now. Too many roots may seem a good problem to have but over time they will all thicken and spread to completely hide the rock. No point having a root over Rock planting if nobody can see there’s a rock!

Also need to deal with crossing roots. As well as being confusing to the viewer, a root growing under another will push the overlying root out away from the rock as it thickens and spoil the arrangement.

After cleaning many of the new, smaller roots and removing some that cross over or under. This should allow the rock to show through the spaces even as the remaining roots thicken and spread.

The reverse side of the same tree before cleaning excess roots

and after cleaning the roots on that side.

Here’s another case of crossing roots.

A closer look at the root marked with blue….

Shows that it comes from the other side of the tree, ender the base of the trunk, under another important root then down the front of the rock.

That’s one root I will definitely remove now, before it gets the chance to start lifting the entire tree away from the rock.

A few of these little ROR starters are already good enough to pot up and begin training trunk and branches. Others still need some more grow time so those are rewrapped with fresh foil and will go back into pots or boxes so the roots and trunks thicken a little more next summer.

Wrapped ready for another year’s growth and development.

Autumn work

Posted on 13-May-2023 by Neil Padbury

Now that the leaves are dropping it’s time to get some trimming done. Maples tend to ‘bleed’ clear liquid when pruned closer to spring. Losing some juice from pruning cuts does not usually seem to hurt them but when I trim earlier in autumn there’s little, if any, bleeding so I prefer to trim as soon as the leaves drop.

There’s lots of small trident maples on the sales benches in 11 cm pots and these trees often drop leaves earlier than the larger trees so I’ve started with them. Here are some examples of how I trim the smaller trees.

The older bonsai are also trimmed now but it takes much longer due to the extra branch raminfication.

The trident maple shown above is still for sale. It is around 35 years old and is actually root over rock though the rock is small and the roots have spread to almost cover it.

Group plantings are also trimmed when leaves drop. This took quite a bit longer due to all the branches and having to select which parts to remove to stop branches becoming too thick and dominant. This one definitely NOT for sale at this stage.

For bonsai growers in the southern hemisphere, now is a great time to give your deciduous bonsai a good tidy up. For the northern cousins you’ll need to way a few months.

Some more autumn colour

Posted on 13-May-2023 by Neil Padbury

We are now well into autumn here in North East Victoria. The deciduous trees have been progressing through their autumn colour changes before dropping leaves.

Japanese maples changed colour a little later than many of the tridents I posted a few weeks ago. These Japanese maples were at their best when these photos were taken last week.

Trident maples also develop good Autumn colours here in North East Victoria. Different trees of the same species can have different colours. Some of that is genetic, some is due to conditions – whether the tree is more protected or exposed to cold, sun, etc.

Bonsai North-West Show

Posted on 25-Apr-2023 by Neil Padbury

Shibui Bonsai is pleased to be asked, once again, to supply stock for the coming show and sale at Footscray, in Melbourne.

For those who have not attended before, BNW show regularly features some of the best bonsai in Melbourne on the display tables. Well worth going out of your way to attend.

As well as a great range of awe inspiring bonsai on the show benches there’s a large and varied sales area featuring all things bonsai from small starter stock plants through to aged bonsai worthy of the show bench themselves. The club stocks a range of tools and equipment, wire, pot mesh, etc and several vendors supply pots, both locally made and imported.

Bonsai Northwest exhibition and sale: Footscray Community Arts Centre, Moreland rd Footscray. Saturday and Sunday 29th and 30th April 2023, 10am-4pm, both days

For more on Bonsai North West see the club website: https://www.bonsainorthwest.com.au/

Here’s a small sample from the trees I’ll be taking down.