Step by step shohin from nursery stock Part 1

jeremy_norbury

Rob

Nice work and a lovely little pot - I have questions:

1) Is this nursery stock from a bonsai seller or from the garden center?
2) Did you draw a sketch of what you expect as the final (future) image for this tree? (if not could you do that and post it :-) ?)
3) Do you expect to fill the space between the crown and the first branches or what?

BTW, if you float over the photos in the browser with your cursor - the "original" picture numbers can be seen.

Jerry
Amsterdam

__________________

All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy. Spike Milligan
I told you I was ill. Spike Milligan's Gravestone

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october

Thanks John and yes,,,,,the tree will benefit from some age, afterall, thats what a literati is a old tree stuggling to survive. However, I will be keeping this tree at its size for as long as I can and for as long as I have it.

Even though small, I already somewhat structured the sub foliage. ( too young for branches ) In about 4-6 years when the interiors really start to wooden out, this tree will be something.


Hello Jeremy. 1)This tree is nursery stock from a bonsai nusery.

2)No, I did not draw a sketch before I began. I inspected it in the nursery and got an idea of what I wanted. Then during the styling, I realized that the upper trunk needed some wiring. After bending it, before wiring, I got a definite picture of what it was going to look like. I think it came out better than I thought from my initial vision of the tree.

That is a good idea to draw a sketch of how I see it in the future, I'll try to whip something up in the next couple of days.

3) No, I do not want any more branches to grow. Since the tree is a literati, it should only have branches at the top third or quarter of the tree. If the branches began lower on the trunk and the tree was shorter, it would be an informal upright, which I am happy that I could make it pure ( so to speak ) literati.
Thanks for taking interest in my post.
Rob

october

subnet_rx

I'd love to try this. I see a lot of bonsai junipers, but very few that you can buy that look like a pine tree like yours ended up. Where could I find junipers that are good for creating an upright, informal upright, or literati style? We have a limited selection locally, as a matter of fact, I don't think I've matched up one variety that I've seen put into this style.

october

Hello subnetrx....I take it there is not a bonsai nursery near you that sells stock like this..Well, my advice would be to comb the local garden centers....Not necessarilly the chain stores like Home Depot or Lowes...but independently owned garden centers. They usually have a more diverse selection of species and some unusal things. Also, sometimes they have a bunch of old trees that are in so so health and you may get them for cheap. This stock is excellent for fine tuning your skills.

Also, if you are deciding on a tree, it helps to come up with a rough plan for it right there at the nursery. I usually look for the trunk first, then look at my options for side branches, then maybe back branching and apex. Before I leave the nursery with a tree, I usually have about 60% of the future plan formulated for the tree.

If you have a good eye and a lot of patience...going to these garden centers and going through about 100 trees may bring future quality, not quantity results. You may find 1 tree out of a 100 that has potential, but that one tree may become the pride and specimen of your collection.
I have a couple of very nice trees, both literati that cost me around 6 or 7 dollars from bargain places. After a couple years of training, they are looking pretty good. Actually, I may post one of them today or soon. Good luck with your search and be sure to post pics if you find anything.

Rob

jeremy_norbury

Rob, that's sage, sage advice...abosolutely true.

The thread I started about the huge garden center here in Holland is NOT the place to find good bonsai material (outside the bonsai department in any case) because the stock is TOO GOOD. You need the abused stuff out the back of the parking lot. Good garden centers won't HAVE poor, unattractive (to Joe public) material. Tree nursery's are better - actual tree growers, not just re-sellers.


100? Try several hundred...

Very true - and of course you have to visit every single garden center within driving distance as part of the deal... the older the better. I cannot count the number of fields of trees and shrubs (not bonsai) I have walked round looking for that hidden "gem".

I find that going round the garden centers in winter (or at least early spring) gives the best results (where I live at least). That's because you can more easily see the trunk lines. It's always a bit hit and miss with roots though.

For all the dozens of garden centers I've scoured (also on vacation etc), I have to admit to having found really very very few useful trees. YMMV...

__________________

All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy. Spike Milligan
I told you I was ill. Spike Milligan's Gravestone

october

Hello Jeremy..Yes, you have to make it a mission to go to a ton of garden centers to maybe find one potentially good future bonsai. There are about 8 garden centers, including the chain ones, within 30 minutes from my house. Some days, I'll go to like 3-4 in a day and find nothing. However, after going to all 8 of these stores practically once a week for nearly the last month. I did find one tree...HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I found it at a farm stand that sells trees during the season. It is one of the ones that we talked about. Independently own and has some good stock. The sales lady came up to me and before she got too far into her sales pitch, I stopped her and told her why I was there. She said oh, if your looking for something for bonsai, you should go around the back of the green houses. She said, thats where we keep our, not in so good shape, stock. Either unhealthy or neglected stock is back there. I went back there and saw maybe a couple hundred trees in so so condition. I was just about to give up and leave, when I found a silver arborvitae vareigated that had some interest. I bought it and paid $16.99....I had already formulated a styling plan at the nursery and have already completed the styling, well for now. It came out pretty well, I think. However, it will need a couple/few of years, at least, for refinement and root training.

Rob

jeremy_norbury

Just what I predicted - out back in a bloody corner. Another great place is the on the commercial sized compost heap! Stuff that's near death...

$17 sounds very reasonable.

Tomorrow I'm potentially going to the HUGE Bonsai seller (Lodders) - I'll make a photo story.

__________________

All I ask is the chance to prove that money can't make me happy. Spike Milligan
I told you I was ill. Spike Milligan's Gravestone

subnet_rx

Thanks, I have seen this done here and in books. It may look like a stick in a pot to some here, but it really looks like a lot of the pines we have around here. I think that it would be the first one that any visitor looking at my collection would identify with. I don't live near a bonsai nursery, and can't find anything like this even online. It's going to be trial and error for me to buy, prune, and wire. As long as I can find them cheap, that's ok too.