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bonsaiTALK Master
Join Date: Jul-2006
Location: massachusetts
Country: United states
Posts: 457
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Hinoki Cypress, six years in training
This is a Hinoki cypress that I have been training for about 6 years. It was one of my first styling attemps. I consider myself lucky that it is turning out pretty well because 6-7 years ago, I had very little bonsai experience. Also, these trees are very unforgiving. Anybody who has worked with these trees knows that they will not bud back on old wood. It only grows from where it is green.
When I first purchased this tree from a local garden center ( paid maybe $32 ) it was essentially just a bush. I noticed, even back then, a beautiful slight curve to the lower trunk. I took it home and used my practically non existent, at the time, knowledge of styling and clipped away a few branches...lol really didn't know about wiring at that point either. Anyway, I left quite a bit of foliage on it becasue of my lack of knowledge. Which actually worked out well considering me learning down the road that it would never back bud.
After this first styling, it was taken from the 3 or 5 gallon nursery container and put in a grow pot. Not a very good one though. It stayed in this grow pot for about 3 years. It survived, but didn't do well. I would lightly prune here and there. About 2 or so years ago, it was put in its first bonsai pot. A slightly over sized bonsai pot. This is when it started to flourish. Within one year, it bushed out with fresh new foilage and filled the whole pot with feeder roots. A year or so later, it was replanted in the same pot a little deeper to cover up the slight reverse taper.
Recently, I actually went through the whole tree and broke down all the pads and fine wired. Basically, the whole tree is currently wired, except the trunk. Here is the progression pic series. Unfortunately, I do not have much from the middle years of the development, nor the tree in its original container. However, you can still get some idea of the progression.
All comments welcome. I love hinoki cypress' and would love to see other artists work with Hinoki's. Also, if you are wondering what the rock is doing there. I relaize it doesn't belong. However, I put it there when I first began work on it 6 years ago. Everytime I go to remove it, I think, well, its been there since the beginning, why seperate them now lol.........
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