Making a Cascade Bonsai From Scratch

Thomas_J.

I was going to title this "The Correct Way To Make a Bonsai Cascade" but someone else might think their way is better, and start thinking that my ego has got the better of me. The reason I think it's the correct way is because anytime you use a juniper for a cascade, you have to use the best friend of your bonsai to help you. And who might that be you ask? The best friend of your bonsai has been and always will be TIME. The last thing you want to do to make a cascade juniper is to try and make an instant one by taking a juniper whip that's sticking straight up in the air, and then bend that baby until it's hanging far enough over to be called a cascade bonsai.

This juniper started out as a $7.00 nursery plant in 1998. This picture was
taken a year or two ago, so that puts it eight years work at that time.
Read on down to see the history of it.

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pic1.jpg (48.4 KB, 89 views)

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Thomas J.

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Thomas_J.

Here it is at purchase after I already did the chopping and began the initial work.

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Thomas J.

Thomas_J.

At this point what you see is a juniper bonsai that just did nothing but grow for four years. I never even pinched it, just let it grow. The second pic shows the start of the branch work. That was the reason I did nothing for four years, because I really had nothing to work with. I had to wait until I had some branch structure to work with and began some small wiring and pruning to open the tree up.

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	pic2.jpg (24.7 KB, 46 views)
	pic3.jpg (35.4 KB, 51 views)

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Thomas J.

Thomas_J.

The first pic shows the tree beginning to take on a semi cascade look finally,
so it was then ready for a pot of that nature. The second pic shows that it's
coming along nicely and the crown is starting get really full. These guys
will easily get away from you if your not always there watching.

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	pic4.jpg (49.0 KB, 30 views)
	pic5.jpg (38.0 KB, 38 views)

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Thomas J.

Thomas_J.

Finally the tree is now where I want it and I can start thinking about a different pot, something a little smaller to suit the tree better. The second pic shows the tree as it is today. Ten years and loving it.

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Thomas J.

greerhw

Killer !!!!

Harry

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I never make the same mistake three times, well almost never.
Greerism

Thomas_J.

The best thing about it Harry is that It's your size, 8 inches.

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Thomas J.

greerhw

Thanks Thomas, but I wouldn't touch that statement with a ten foot pole it would get me banned for life Nice bonsai though.

Harry

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I never make the same mistake three times, well almost never.
Greerism

Thomas_J.

Some how I knew you were going to take it that way.

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Thomas J.