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Now we fast forward to last week. I spent most of the week carving the deadwood and deciding on the best position for the trees front. Carving was done after it was discovered that all the bark on the tree under the jins ofn the right side of the trunk had become very loose. I picked at the bark witha dental pick, and the entire piece of bark came off and gave me the entire right side of the tree a cool shari.
This part of the trunk was rather large due to all the branches protruding from the same place. In the first photos you can see that the tree would look better if rotated 10 degrees to the right. This would give the trunk a sort of slimming effect, and not make it look like it flares so large above the jins, which it does.
I did all the carving work with three different dremel bits, all of which were in the ball shape. Grooves and furrows were carved in and small holes and knots were enhanced. The fuzz was burnt off with a torch and the tree was checked for prorportion. I was happy with the carving at this point and decided that the tree would recieve its exhibit pot. I took the pot and scrubbed it out, since it had been planted in before. New screen was installed and the first layer of akadama was prepared. I plant in mostly oure akadama now, as the result of experiments over that last two years. I have made lots of soil, many recipeis have been tried, and I can say without a doubt that trees grow in akadama like no other soil.
The tree was tied in, and the soil placed around and worked into the roots. As a precaution, all of my shohin trees are turned upside down and soil worked into the roots before they are placed into the pot. I want absolutly no air holes in the pot to cause premature death of the plant. Moss was placed on top of the soil, and will be the subject of a future article.
This tree is now complete for the moment. There is still much work to do on the canopy, and I wish to make it a little larger and a little taller. The pot now is perfect in shape and color. and The very thin walls of this pot allow for very nice details in the band around the bottom. The pot does not look bulky, one of the things evident in cheap shohin pots. This pot is yixing ware from China. The only negative in the pot at present is that it is a little large for the plant. With a fuller canopy, this will disappear and the plant should be just right.
This project has been very rewarding considering what I started with. The goal was to have a plant near this goal in five years , and I was able to achieve it in 2 1/2.
Species: Juniperus Chinensis "shimpaku"
Height: Six inches
Trunk at soil: 1.25 inches
Pot: Yixing ware from China
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