Expediting Age Of Bark

pdbbonsai

Do you do anything to age your bark faster than normal?

I read with great interest last week in Colin Lewis' 'The Art of Bonsai Design' about maturation of bark.Somewhere in the text, I read that aging to the appearance of getting that "flaky" fissured bark can be done quickly.

Loads of moisture around the trunk is one way....the soil can be another (fertilizing). Length of growing season. Rapid trunk growth etc....

With respect to the moisture thing, I have notice things while collecting in swamps for larches. The seedlings have fissured barks already.

This Prunus is just a year or two old. It is near a marshy run off near on my land. It trunk is no bigger than a pencil. But look at the bark!! A nearby Prunus in drier conditions does not have the fissured bark as this one does.

I want to add that I read that adding wet sphagnum near the base of your tree, (therefore increasing the moisture) will increase the fissures. Any one do this?

Paul

Attached Images

flaky bark.jpg (39.1 KB, 127 views)

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splinter

The bark definitely has an aged look - especially for a tree that young. I wonder if it would do the same thing to trees in a misty, tropical area. (Whether the "mist" was natural or artificially done.)

freakwent

I read the same thing in Colin's book
Growing and Displaying Bonsai; Wrapping the bark in loose wet sphagnum moss for a year will encourage cracking and flaking. Have yet to try it though.

BonsaiMon

Paul : I dont do much to encourage aged bark ... maybe over watering in the summer months...jus let em do their ting

Splinter : many tropicals depending on the species will sprout with roots if wrapped with spagnum moss.

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splinter

BonsaiMon,

Thanks for the info - I don't have any tropicals as of yet, but have wanted to get one in the near future. I'm still new enough to bonsai that I'm more in the sustaining phase - as in just trying to keep them healthy.

KZitzewitz

I also have read that part of the book. It was very interesting to me, and I plan on purchasing the book to further read some of is techniques. One thing he mentioned with that was taking (ccoarseness unknown) sandpaper and just rubbing enought to damage the bark, but not to the green. It seems as though he has had success with this, and I will attempt when a tree of mine reaches a point that it needs final aging affects.

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DavidN

Yep, wet spagnum moss is one of the ways to get the aged look in the trunk. That is why you have been seeing what you have seen in the wet areas with those trees.

David

Bonsainut

I used this method (sp. moss) a few years ago and did a whole trunk layer! A million little roots appeared all along the trunk. What a mess!!!

I have since used a tape used for protecting young trees. It is white, porous, and easy to apply. Get it at your local garden center or orchard supply.

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