Mojave Bound, Juniper Found

bonsaial1

I got home from Gary's home about 6:30PM. I was tired and knew I had to pot the monster. I had a wooden box a ready for it and the soil prepared. It did not take long to get the tree planted and roped in. I tie all my collected trees in the container to keep from breaking the tender roots till they grow into the soil a little.

Monday... I came home from work and decided to see the plant in the daylight and clean it up a little. I had to cut back on a lot of branches and tidy up the foliage . The plant just cannot support that much foliage with the meager roots system.

Attached Images

0218.jpg (54.9 KB, 301 views)

__________________
I been kidding the last seven years.
no.... really!

Advertisement

bonsaial1

The trunk on the right is awesome. The trunk bends in just the right directions, the branches are just right. There are plenty of them to style with, and the branches have decent foliage on them and look good now.

The trunk on the left however..is not as good. While the branches are adaquate, the shape is wrong to harmonize with the right trunk. I feel that if the apex of the left trunk were more upright and pointing to the right somehow, it would be better.

I decide to reduce the left trunk substantionlyand jin the top. Many branches are removed from the top of the left trunk and jinned. The entire top is peeled and reduced for taper.

Normaly I would not do this kind of work on a tree that has been newly collected, and would let it rest for a few years. But with this root system and the rains, I felt that the small amount of work would be tolarated.

Attached Images

0219.jpg (53.9 KB, 280 views)

__________________
I been kidding the last seven years.
no.... really!

bonsaial1

I used a stretcher board between the two trunks to bend the top of the left trunk. A guy wire was placed between the two and twisted tight. The two trunks were brought together by almost 6". In a few weeks I will change out the guy wire and put on a tighter one and draw the two together by 2 more inches. This should be about right.

Attached Images

0222.jpg (65.5 KB, 265 views)

__________________
I been kidding the last seven years.
no.... really!

spoonman

looks like a good find, good luck with it

__________________
"Little laurel trees, your roots can find
No mountain, yet your leaves extend
Beyond your own world into mine
Perennial wands, unfolding in my thought
The budding evergreen of time."
-Kathleen Raine, The Trees in Tubs

bonsaial1

I had a blast on this trip and would like to thank Gary for his hospitality and the comradarie we had during the drive there. We talked about bonsai almost 7 hours. I hope he will post some of the trees he dug on this thread and talk about his expierance in digging them. I did get a shot of him sifting some of the premium Mojave decomposed granite foir his soil back home. ( looks like a old prospector and right at home in the hills of Mojave, all he needs is a pack burro).

Attached Images

0214.jpg (57.3 KB, 274 views)

__________________
I been kidding the last seven years.
no.... really!

bonsaial1

I found this tree very unusal in that it was very large and dead. The trunk is about 25" across at the base and it was the only dead juniper around the area.

Attached Images

0211.jpg (71.5 KB, 269 views)

__________________
I been kidding the last seven years.
no.... really!

Gary Biggs

Nicely done, Al.

__________________
Como gastamos nuestros dias es como gastamos nuestras vidas.

bonsaial1

The crown of the tree is about 30 feet across. On colser inspection I found this small ball of green on the plant. It was about the size of a bowling ball, and was supported by a branch about the size of a carrot.

Attached Images

0212.jpg (69.5 KB, 264 views)

__________________
I been kidding the last seven years.
no.... really!

bonsaial1

Near the end of the day, we hooked up with some of the LA party and Mel Ikeda. Long time Southern California Juniper expert. I was given some great tips on collecting and hope to use them the next time I go collecting in Mojave. You will all have to wait till next time to find out the secret.

This is Mel and the tree he collected.

Attached Images

0213.jpg (61.8 KB, 286 views)

__________________
I been kidding the last seven years.
no.... really!