Cotoneaster Cascade

Shambhala

Yesterday I ran out and got what I thought was a twin trunk cotoneaster. It turns out it is two seperate trees; one looks like it'll make a nice cascade and the other... well I have no clue.

Keep in mind this is my first wiring (I've done a bit before, but not like this) and my first massive styling.

Any opinions would be helpful! Again, the wiring sucks, so bear with me

BTW, that weird ball of wire is attached to the tree and the container, just to make the angle nicer.

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Shambhala

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Shambhala

A somewhat fuzzy view of the trunk.

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cotoneaster_5h78.jpg (20.2 KB, 169 views)

Shambhala

I have to admit that I am somewhat pleased with this tree. It's my first real take at transforming a nursery tree to a bonsai with radical chopping and wiring, so I am just relieved that I didn't do too bad

Again, opinions and suggestions wanted... no matter how brutal

TreeBay

The wire is much too small a gauge to manage this tree.

I was staring at the first two photos trying to figure out how you were able to achieve even this much of a bend before composing a reply, then I read the caption in the third photo and realized it is the guy wire doing all the work. Since you have it the way you want it, might as well let it go for at least six months and then have another look.

Next time:

1. Use much larger wire and you need greater spacing between the coils / / / / as opposed to ////// (exaggerating of course). The smaller wire is closer to correct. The bigger one would not do much of anything at this angle.

2. Also, when you change wire lengths, be sure to run the two wires parallel for at least a couple of turns to anchor the second wire.

Regards,

Matt

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Shambhala

I also thought the wire was a little too small. Believe it or not, I actually achieved most of that bend using that wire, although the guy wire helped make it point down. I went to the bonsai store and told him I wasn't sure about wire gauge, and told him how large the branch was and he gave me this

Do you know of a guide or anything to help me figure out what wire gauge is needed?

And that wire on the trunk was giving me a hard time... The second tree I mentioned was in the way, so I had problems getting the wire around at a decent angle

Also, how long do you think the wire has to stay on for (assuming I get a proper gauge soon)?

Thanks for the tips!

Carl_Bergstrom

First off, seems like you've made a great start. I like the movement in the downward portion of the cascade, and I like the bright fruit.

My main concern is the "rainbow bend" leading from the trunk to the cascade. I much perfer at least one if not both of the following: (A) more abrupt movement and changes of direction in the upper part of tree and (B) a cascading portion that heads downward much closer in to the trunk. Obvious that's tough to do while the tree is still planted in the middle of a nursery can - but some other strategy may be necessary (e.g. planting off-center in a box) next time around to get a sharp descent off of the trunk.

But nonetheless, great start. I wouldn't have even mentioned these things if you hadn't asked for whatever criticism anyone could come up with.

All the best,
Old Mister

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TreeBay

Aluminum wire will relax quite a bit. I don't know if you have any on there under the raffia or what, but if you used wire this thick you would need at least two pieces applied with about 1.5x as much space between the coils (half again as much, I mean), and one of them would need to run out pretty close to the tip.

Selecting wire size is all based on experience, which you are getting. Mas Imazumi had a trick for picking wire. He would extend a piece about the length of the branch and use it as a lever to push down on the end of the branch. If the wire deflects more than the branch, (use a larger gauge or two wires)

My first tree was wired with a coathanger! I had no idea there was bonsai wire or where to get it, so you are about ten steps ahead of where I was.

Regards,

Matt

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Shambhala

I know what you mean Mister Crow, I was trying to get a more subtle bend but with the position it's at in the container, this is the best I could do. The 'rainbow bend' makes it look more like a branch stretching out than a tree growing off a cliff.

I'll most likely change that when I repot, which will most likely be in the Fall.

Thanks for the encouragement, I was definetly having some fun wiring and pruning, glad it didn't turn out too bad

BTW Matt, when did you start? I would love to have seen how the coat hanger wiring turned out, must have been tough work!

LOL I just noticed... in the third picture, that orange and white blob in the background is my cat sneaking around