Not another shimpaku post

bonsaial1

I have been nurturing these two shimpaku's for about 3 years. They are coming around real good, and have put on a lot of new growth this year.

The first tree is a shimpaku about 10" tall. I have twisted the trunk and induced some shari on the trunk. It has a few jinned branches and will have one more in the back next spring since a back branch died this year. You can see it right behind the trunk. I have worked on this tree in a few Ted Matson workshops. We added more twist to the top to try and introduce more movement there to match the rest of the trunk. The pom pom apex is the place that needs the most work. The tree is just starting to push some growth there. I pinched the bottom of the tree too hard and caused juvinile needle foliage to come out. The tree has been pushing hard at the bottom and the top just sort of sat there. The tree has stabilized now and the apex is beginning to grow normaly. This is a foto of the tree in Jan 2002

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bonsaial1

This is how the tree looks this month. You can see the increased growth at the apex. The fertilizer regimin that I use has worked perfectly. I have written it all down to make sure it becomes second nature next year. The branches are starting to fill out and it is well on its way to becoming a nice shohin. The trunk seems amall in the foto's but in person the trunk size seems to look larger.

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bonsaial1

In this foto I have changed the camera angle to look down on the tree. At this angle you can see what I mean about the trunk. You can also see how large that first branch pad is. I will just let this tree grow for another year. Now that it is past the initial shock of its first styling, which by the way takes about 2 years to recover from, the tree will concentrate on producing foliage. The tree should be ready for its first bonsai pot in the spring of 2004.

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Real men don't wear coats with "happi" in the title.

GaryS

Al,
Ain't it a shame that Shimpaku is a dwarf? I wish they had the vigor of a Pfziter and the foliage of Shimpaku!
Even when they are grafted they're slow.


This is a picture of the Japanese Alps wher you can still find Shimpaku but you can't collect unless your somebody special.

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GaryS

bonsaial1

This is shimpaku no. 2. I aquired this tree 2 years ago from Muranaka Bonsai Nursery. I did the first styling last year. The tree is recovering from the shock much faster than the other tree did due to the massive amounts of organic fertilizer I now use. This is due in large part to Bio-Gold Pellets.

This tree is 9" tall. It has the same size trunk as the other tree, about 3/4 inch. This tree has a much better exposed root system that the other tree. They radiate pretty uniformly around the tree, come out at the same height around the tree, and look pretty good as is. I will give them the once over when it gets repotted next year. This tree will probably see its first bonsai pot in spring 2005. Its hard to see, but some of the branches have been twisted into peculier shapes in hopes of making one of Jim Gremmel's yamadori style junipers. There are quite a few jinned branches allready, and I will add more in the next styling, probably in spring of 2004. At this time I will just let the tree bulk up and see what I get for 2004.

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GaryS

Sorry for the double post.

Nice little juniper. It looks like it has good foliage for a shohin...not to big. I'd just let that top grow and next year shorten the bottom branch a bit to force some more on top. I have one that's got the same problem with the top. It's a grafted Kishu that's on Hetzi stock. Man is it slow!

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GaryS

bonsaial1

The infamous Jim Gremel Squashed... er.. I mean Yamadori Style Juniper. Photo courtesy of Matt Croust. AK

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bonsaial1

Thanks Gary, I have found real pleasure in Shohin. I started to favor them when my collection got so large that when there is a show out of town ( I belong to 4 clubs) I could not carry very many trees in my truck. Now when I go with the small trees I can put them in a box, take 7 trees, and carry them all in the cab. AK

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TreeBay

I was there and I photographed that tree, but I don't think I ever posted the photo. It's probably Mike Page's?

He has a pretty strong sideflash, so I think it would throw a shadow to one side like that.

Regards,

Matt

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