Clip And Grow (Lingnan School)

Bart Thomas(deceased)

I recently bought a 1985 book about the Bonsai & Penjing at the Montreal Botanic Garden by David Easterbrook (Curator) in association with Wu Yee Sun (of Man Lung Penjing fame).

It includes the following paragraph:

The Lingnan artist will prune a trunk or branch just above a new twig or shoot. This new shoot is then allowed to grow in size as well as in length until it reaches almost the same dimensions as the branch or trunk from which it sprouted and looks like a natural extension of the tree. This unchecked growth will sometimes require years and will result in a branch reaching out several metres before the grower is satisfied with its size. The process of prunings is repeated, as the grower chooses a new direction in which to orient growth. This method requires a great deal of patience as growth periods between prunings may last as long as ten years. (Italics mine)

This seems quite at odds with the method we call clip and grow here in the US. Thus I thought it might be of interest to the group

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agraham

patience

andy

Bart Thomas(deceased)

Even in Florida!

Attila

As I see it, it can be ten years and it can be one or two years. It depends on what kind of branch we are talking about. When you do a trunk chop of a 5" diameter tree and you want the new branch to catch up with the trunk and grow to 4" diameter (allowing for taper), you may have to wait 10 years with a slower species. Especially if the tree grows in some kind of pot. I have several books on penjing and most of them are large trees, between 3 and 6 feet tall. For that size, it take many years to achieve anything.

For small branches, the waiting is much shorter.

So, I don't see anything unusual about the way they do it vs. the way I do it.

BTW, recently I am using a faster way to achieve an effect similar to clip and grow. The effect I am talking about is the zig-zag like, sharp change in direction. Instead of cutting it back to the first internode and wait for a new shoot to grow, I cut the branch half way through with a sharp knife, and then insert a little wedge (sometimes a large grain of pumice will do it) to hold the change in direction. Then I seal the break with grafting paste. Basically, I break the branch. No wire is necessary.

This way I save instantly a few years' growth on a branch. I still need to do "real" clip-and-grow at certain locations on the branch to achieve taper, but not at every change of direction.


Regards,
Attila

rockm

For what it's worth, about five years ago, two days after I bought this particular title at a used book store, I put in on a shelf and haven't picked it up since. It is dated and the trees really aren't that great. Always judge a bonsai book by the quality of the material being worked. It adds substantially to it credibility...

gnosis

i think the author is including trunk chops also. that is what he means by ten years

dbz12fan

Down in Florida, it takes two years from clip and grow to make a decent bonsai. This is of course using species such as ficus salicifolia, etc. With slower growing trees such as junipers and pines, we find it much easier to wire.

Now, I must ask myself why I do not have a finished tree after three years in bonsai. It took me two years to figure out the two year process of clip-and-grow. So, in one more year, some finished trees may be popping up in my back yard.

__________________
"Success demands understanding"-Andy Rutledge

Charles Bevan
Vero Beach, Fl

Attila

Is that two years from a small cutting, or maybe seed?
That has to be a very tiny bonsai.

When talking about bonsai using clip and grow, it means developing the whole tree, starting from the nebari, and all the way up the the apex and to the end of the branches.

It also means collecting a yamadori and using clip and grow to restyle the whole tree (this is usually the case when talking about the best examples of penjing).

We are not talking about just refining the secondary and tertiary branching.

BTW, the Lingnan school also makes use of wires (according to the best english-language book on this subject). It just uses it sparingly, only when it is absolutely necessary (such as, changing the angle of an entire branch, for example).

Regards,
Attila

dbz12fan

Attila,
It is two years from rough bonsai stock. If you have seen pictures of my stylings in the past, you will know what I am referring to. Here is a good example- http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/showthread.php?t=7626 . Two years from this first styling, this tree will most likely be finished. That is if I do not slack off on working on the tree.

__________________
"Success demands understanding"-Andy Rutledge

Charles Bevan
Vero Beach, Fl