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bonsai
- shopping
- general
- care
- care & training of trident maple >>
- progression
- re-potting & root pruning
- when re-potting, cut off any large branches. This allows more room for preferable fine root system to grow.
- video: repotting, a general guide
- post: soil mix >>
- video: re-potting >>
- video: John Naka re-potting Goshin >>
- post: root pruning of seedlings to encourage good nebari >>
- post: encouraging nebari in a seedling using a CD >>
- post: root pruning of an advanced deciduous tree >>
- slip-potting >>
- post: pruning a Banskia >>
- post: re-potting & root-pruning a deciduous tree >>
- post: re-potting, pruning & wiring a dwarf jade >>
- styling
- do not wire branches when they are still very thin and green. Not only will the branch grow more slowly, but the shape won't set, either.
- list of styling basics >>
- post: how ramification works >>
- post: experimental pruning of saplings >>
- online book: bonsai artistry >>
- best way to prune juniper >>
- video: detailed pruning & shaping of a young juniper >>
- video: detailed wiring tutorial >>
- video: first pruning & wiring of a nursery pine >>
- video: pruning a yew, inc. how to keep growth compact >>
- improving a broom-like ficus >>
- post: wiring and care of a jade plant >>
- black pine before and after >>
- encouraging smaller leaf growth >>
- bending a thick branch / better cascade style >>
- notching to bend a thick branch >>
- video: bending thick branches w/ raffia and guy wires >>
- more techniques for bending thick branches >>
- post: chopping a thick trunk >>
- post: styling and pruning a pine >>
- styling a cascade jade plant >>
- re-styling an upright ficus >>
- video: styling an old yew log, inc. creating a jin >>
- video: carving in detail >>
- fixing the style of a juniper >>
- pruning of a difficult trident maple >> and trident maple big chop >>
- clip-and-grow pruning and carving of a trident maple >>
- video: fixing an ugly saw cut >>
- video: styling/carving a deciduous tree; use of a turnbuckle >>
- how to remove wiring >>
- post: example of a styled callistemon >>
- post: how to create a root-over-rock style >>
- post: clip-and-grow theory
- other techniques / videos / demos
- article: fast tree/trunk growth >>
- post: how to plant moss in your pot >>
- video: air layering >>
- post: air-layering a Japanese maple >> and, removing the air layer >>
- growing seedlings >>
- video: restoring a neglected shimpaku >>
- video: styling a shohin Japanese larch stump >>
- post: creating a new branch by splitting the trunk >>
- video: collecting large trees from the field >>
- post: thread grafting >>
- GWP channel >>
- pots, tools & accessories
- Quick tips:
- buy trees from cheap-arse places. This is where the lowest-quality trees are sold. Often the 'worst' trees for landscaping are the best for bonsai.
- in determining the front of a tree, look at the roots first. It is much easier to change the upper part of the tree than the roots.
- slower growth encourages ramification, so don't fertilise. Faster growth means wounds will heal over faster, so do fertilise in this case.
- if you have done major root pruning, make sure the tree is tied back into the pot as firmly as possible: any movement will set back healing of the roots.
- when trimming a tree, leave more on rather than cut more off. Not only will this give you more options later on, the tree is more aesthetically pleasing in the meantime.
- when working with heavier trees, after pruning the roots, place them in a tray of water as you're pruning the branches, then re-pot afterwards. They're easier to manoeuvre that way.
- for good ramification, don't fertilise in the spring. The internodes will grow too long and the branches will look leggy.
- if you have just done extensive pruning or cut large branches off, do fertilise as healing will be faster.
- to encourage a branch to thicken, trim off all the leaves except those at the very end (summer pruning). You can wire the branch.
- Tenaoshi (手直し; "hand fixing") refers to the task of maintaining the tree and making small changes inbetween major styling. Check the tree regularly to make sure the wired branches are still in the same position they were originally set in.
- the best way to imitate old trees is to combine wiring (smooth curves) with clip-and-grow (sharp kinks). Old trees have both of these qualities in their branches.
- azaleas: don't prune the top too much or the whole top will die.
- seedlings: cut out the central tap root before planting. This will encourage a better root system later on.
- if you have an area of weakness or a gap in the root system, use a fertiliser cage in that spot.
- hollows tend to collect water and debris, and will cause rot fast. Pay regular attention to them. Or, when creating a hollow, make it open at the bottom so water can drain out.
- to help a large cut heal evenly and quickly, carve it into a point at the top and bottom, and make it slightly deeper in the middle to create an elongated shape.
- pin oak: if the leaves suffer from yellowing, the soil is not acidic enough. Prefers constantly moist soil.
- pomegranates: use a diluted Lysol dip on your tools between each cut, to prevent rotting.
- banksias: use a low P (phosphorus) fertiliser. If a thick white mass of tiny roots forms, it means there is too much P in the soil.
- Australian natives: re-pot them in warmer weather during the growth period. If re-potting/root pruning is done in winter, they suffer.
- soil mix: try using a product made for absorbing oil (a low-fired rough clay pellet).
saikei
- wikipedia on saikei >>
- demo: grouped Chinese elm >>
- demo: group with several rocks >>
- show-off: landscape with stream >>
other
- Yìjìng (意境)
- Bonsai Quinn: Yìjìng is hard to explain ( it’s a little like wabi-sabi). I will try with synonyms. Artistic conception, theme, mood, artistic detail or story. For example, when I styled trees in Shanghai, my teacher would ask me: “Ma Xiu, what is the Yijing of this penjing?” One time I answered that this is the edge of a forest, with a path leading into it. As I pointed to a small mudman figurine sitting on a rock, I would also explain that the traveler decided to stop on the rock for a rest and drink some wine while he gazed upon the wheat fields near the forest. That was my Yijing.
dec 6 2013 ∞
apr 7 2023 +
apr 7 2023 +