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Bonsai Doer
Join Date: Aug-2001
Location: Fresno, CA
Country: USA
Posts: 5,452
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Juniper's again?
It's the one tree that can be collected with the most potential at having something worthy of a speciman tree. Unless you happen to have access to a couple of myrtle trees that are about 60 years old!
On January 14 Harry found his way to Mojave. He brought along some members of Santa Cruz bonsai club as guests. The weather was great, a little nippy in the morning but otherwise a sun filled day with clouds dancing overhead. The rains in the desert have helped make this a great year for digging. The soil is soft and the rocks just pop right out of the ground. When this soil hardens up in a few months, you can't dig these with anything but dynamite.
I was guest of Garetth Shepard, (JGSbonsai here) along with Melisan and bonsaikoi.
I was able to bag four trees. Three of them have enormous potential and one will need a few years to fill out in the branch dept. It has great potential too or I wouldn't have dug it. It's just that the foliage was way out on the tips of the branches and it will have to be chased back in close to the trunk. This will take a few years. The other three can undergo bonsai techniques next year after settling in.
The photo's I will post are mostly self explanatory. The large juniper with a great trunk was along the road. I took a picture because of its shape. This tree is a large as a bus. The picture of the bush along side my shovel is the first tree that I dug. It was the least suitable. I have photographed it in detail to the wrapping stage of the roots. The shovel handle if for size referance.
There are some photo's of a few fellows parked near us, and from the look on their face, they are happy with what they have dug.
I have some photo's of a great oak dug by Garreth and Koi. It was about 4 feet tall, about 6 inches across at the bottom, and great shari at the trunk line. I have no photo's of the tree by itself. Garreth, want to show us the whole thing?
There are some pictures of Melisan packing the oak with wet newspaper. A great way to keep the precious roots wet.
I had a lot of fun and can't wait for the next dig. Some time this month or next.
Regards, Al
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I been kidding the last seven years.
no.... really!
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