200 desert ash

anttal63

02/07/07

December 05, I pulled out approx. 200 desert ash seedlings from my father’s backyard that is totally cultivated for fresh produce of all kinds. ( hated it as a kid love it all now, funny that ) Various seeds blow in and propagate, lucky me. At the time I planted them out into large shallow drip trays in groups of 50. Watered and fed them for the next seven months, this time last year. Because of the method of planting the growth was not prolific, but yet these young seedlings were showing vigour and interesting basal flare and movement. Being winter I then commenced to plant them out in various manners, again watering and feeding them for the next 12 months, which has brought me to now. It is winter 07 they have just lost their foliage and I have commenced the winter work of trunk chopping, selecting new leaders and sacrifice branches and sometimes number 1 branches. As well I am wiring, twisting and bending these trees. The last activity in this process is to work on the roots, being selective and brutal in order to produce outstanding nebari’s in the very near future. Finished with a re pot. Through this process a few things have occurred to me. 1) Similar but more basic methods were used last winter and the trees have rewarded me this year with great design elements and structure. Basic yet none the less great. 2) If I carefully document this time it would be a great idea to share this with you all.



I am passionate about sharing this mostly with you beginners but also with anyone of you who care. MY WAY IS NOT THE ONLY WAY. Good now we have got that out the way I can continue. I have believed and today more than before that my process is a sound, systematic and step by step way of 1) giving birth to great bonsai material and 2) be able to understand and analyse what is happening to your tree and therefore learn from this application to make you a better bonsaist in the future.



Step by step, detailed and in depth I would like to take you on these journeys with me and the different scenario’s of these trees. I will also introduce some other species I have used these methods on. Keep in mind all trees are different and these methods need to be varied from slight to great at times. Another important factor is that these trees I am discussing are very young, so there for age has a large bearing on method.



I intend this thread to hopefully be of some educational value for beginners like myself and others alike. I welcome construvtive debate for us to learn from. Feel free to show us your way.



The first of this series of posts will be on a desert ash I call 3 in 1. yes 3 trees into 1. Nothing new, no big deal just 3 young trees wired together to make one trunk. They were originally strapped and tied together with raffia, then wired as one trunk and made a circular bend. A couple of pics here for you and i will add updates as i find the time.

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Antonio . . .
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anttal63

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Antonio . . .
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anttal63

With all trees at this age best to bare root them when doing root work. Eliminate all the crap and select and nurture the good. By the end of it I will of gotten rid of 90 percent of the roots. Keep in mind there is no branches or canopy developed that need the support of all these roots, only a trunk. There is not much that slows down an ash, come spring this tree will jump straight back into top gear and grow like crazy.

I start by cutting half the root ball away then with a chopstick, scratch and untangle at the bottom of the remaining root ball from the centre out, working my way up to the top but not all the way. Scratching at the sides of the root ball also helps untangle. No scratching from the top therefore no damage to a potential nebari. For this you need high pressure water. Because i have removed so much of the bottom the water blasts through very quickly leaving you a clean and clear result. Here check it out.

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Antonio . . .
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anttal63

Time to refine the roots by cutting all the roots growing straight down, up or across the top of good roots. Good roots grow straight out in an organised manner by natures standard. Once eliminating these there is a much clearer picture of what is there. I then look for a possible point where the most amount of good roots are growing around the trunk. In considering this I am also looking for where the basal flare and movement is most interesting, sometimes compromise’s need to be made and wait for what next year brings.

The books tell you to cut out roots that are thicker than others, in part this is true but at this point of the game some are useful to promote basal flare or sometimes because there is nothing else in that position so pruning it back to a secondary root keeps it in check.

When pruning and refining your final selection of roots, think of them like branches strive to develop primary, secondary and tertiary roots with interesting directional growth.

Make your cuts with the cut wound facing up, this will promote correct secondary roots to grow from the sides of the primary root. If your cut wounds face down then your new root growth will also grow straight down. Remember there is always next year but plan your root structure with just as much emphasise as you do your branches and trunk.

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Antonio . . .
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anttal63

Now to plant it into a quarter size polystyrene box very careful not to let the roots get all over the place. A small mound in the centre then push the tree into it help’s keep things horizontal, bury well water well, sweet. I have also placed several flat rocks around the tree so that the roots won’t get disturbed by wind and birds. It now measures 90 mm around the base. I’m betting this time next year this baby will get up around the 150mm minimum, let’s wait and see. The next word on 3 in 1 will be an update photo when it pushes foliage in spring.



Oh by the way, I would like to also mention that growing your own bonsai from scratch is more than just about the ego. It is about an adventure and journey that has many lessons to learn, about life as well as bonsai.

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Antonio . . .
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stonewala

Thanks. I don't know about anybody else but I found this to be really informative. It's great to get a comprehensive report on a whole process. Good on you for sharing your thoughts and theories with the world.

anttal63

hey stone how you feelin, back broken? mine is. It was a good days work today. yep folks me and stone have been hanging out of late helping each other out with our bonsai projects. 3 hours last week and a blissfull 6.5 today ah such a fix! its great to feed off one another and 4 hands and 2 minds can make such a difference. thanks pal love working with ya.

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Antonio . . .
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zen

Just wanted to say thanks for the informative thread, even though I may never have a desert ash, I do find the information helpful and even more so, inspiring. Keep up the good work,...both of you. :0)

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"Although profoundly "inconsequential," the Zen experience has consequences in the sense that it may be applied in any direction, to any conceivable human activity, and that wherever it is so applied it lends an unmistakable quality to the work."

~ Alan Watts (1915-1973)

http://www.bonsaiswap.com/

anttal63

thanks zen you inspire me to keep on writing and adding to this article.

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Antonio . . .
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