BonsaiCam Friday April 9, 2004

TreeBay

Group 2:

This Juniper finds its new home.

UL: Trunk seen on-end, I'm photographing with the still camera. This operation really needs about five or six people to pull it together, but we're one man, woman and a baby. Anyway, you'll find a lot of Cal Junipers have these fin shapes that are almost aerodynamically shaped. We're looking right into the fin structure that makes up the bulk of the "trunk" visible in the other views.

UR: I have just manhandled this baby into the box. Kathy rushed over to chock up the jins on the right so the trunk was stable. In one of the still views you'll be able to see some impromptu measurements I made before lifting this into the pot. Up until that point I was not sure it was going to fit.

At this point I knew it would fit into the pot, I knew it was heavy (maybe 80-100 lbs) and the thing I was not sure of was whether it would balance or not.

LL: It's sitting on a turntable I made for this purpose from a 12" lazy susan and a couple pieces of plywood

LR: Whew. I can't believe it's in the pot. It was supposed to be harder than that! I really don't believe it's balanced as well as it is. You can already tell it was meant to be a cascade, though.

Attached Images

junipercam2.jpg (67.7 KB, 237 views)

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Group 3

Securing the trunk.

UL: Driving a few screws into the hardest part of the deadwood to secure some of the wires I had prepared beforehand. I used #10 wire, which is a pretty good gauge, but it turned out that I should have gone larger!

UR: Covering the exposed roots with some wet newspaper I had ready. Gosh, I had everything ready except another pot if this one didn't work for some reason! Kathy is continuing to steady the trunk.

LL: This wire is frail, even though it's the largest I have used for this purpose. The trunk is almost balanced and I dropped in a couple of wood blocks to help keep it aligned.

LR: Trying to tighten it as best as I can. I broke the wire a couple of times trying to get the turnbuckles tight. I think perhaps un-annealed copper would work better - the annealed stuff seems prone to breaking under strain like this.

Attached Images

junipercam3.jpg (68.4 KB, 232 views)

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Group 4 - Completing the planting

UL: Securing some of the wire to the screws I put in the trunk.

UR: Adding soil - it took just over three of these 3-gallon nursery tubs full of soil. I had five ready just in case. I used a 1x1" stick about 3' long as a dibble to get the soil in.

LL: Baby Melissa steps in for a shot. She sat through this entire 70 minute repotting session without complaining. She was actually enjoying the show. We only found out right here that she was wet-through. Poor baby.

LR: here's the tree afterwards. It's really just started, but it's an exciting accomplishment.

The entire operation went much faster and more smoothly than I could have imagined. I will post up some higher-resolution stills I took with the fixed camera tomorrow.

Regards,

Matt

Attached Images

junipercam4.jpg (67.9 KB, 230 views)

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Here's just a shot from the high-resolution stills to come later.

It's a good thing I wasn't watching this, because despite having measured and checked, it really doesn't look like this thing is going to fit, let alone balance!

Attached Images

willitfit.jpg (45.5 KB, 219 views)

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spoonman

im sure i posted already but neways, i enjoyed watchin this bonsai cam. good work.

oh and is your wife into bonsai as much as you? or has she just watched and learned of you?

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"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

Dale Cochoy

Matt,
A fine specimen.
You didn't mention who collected/established it? Definitely worth some credit.

These don't seem to do well anywhere but southern California :>)
I know they've had trouble at the National Arb in Wash. DC and cover the soil if it rains. I think I heard they lost one.
A local club person won one in '96 at Wash. DC BCI convention that Kimura restyled ( Originally from Ernie Kuo) and it never survived in Ohio even after repotting with the same REALLY porous Ca, soil Ernie used. The rain, damp and humidity just seems to take a serious toll.
Ditto with SAGE plants away from their natural habitat BTW.

Is that 10 years worth of foliage in the first pics?
If so, good luck with the virtual foliage :>)

Jim Stone....
I'm suprised you are on the computer,,,,
Why aren't you out standing in the line around the theater to see the opening of "The Alamo"
:>)

Dale

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If you want to be Different....
You have to DO something Different!
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Some people NEVER take the time to do a job right the first time....
but, they always seem to make the time to do it over again...
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Dale Cochoy
Wild Things Bonsai Studio
Yakimono no Kokoro Bonsai Pottery
Hartville, Ohio

TreeBay

It was the habit for the southern california folks to pot in close to 100% decomposed granite. From the environment where the trees were collected. The quality of that product varies widely, but it's pretty well known to break down into a sledge within a year under the influence of constant moisture. It might not work very well in regions where there is actually precipitation

I'm sure that continuous drizzle is not very good for these trees. If someone were to try to grow them in an environment like that it would be worth doing what a local cactus grower does - cover the plants under a fiberglass arbor and water them as they require it.

Most all these junipers are established with periodic misting. One guy has his in a greenhouse with mist going off a couple times an hour, but it's not in DG, but white pumice.

Anyway, California Juniper thrive up here and are found in central, southern, northern and Baja California. In neighboring states they have their related species, that pretty much holds throughout the west from Mexico, Nevada, up to Utah and Wyoming.

I think there is enough foliage here to work with already. Time will tell. It is a little deceiving seeing it in front of a white background.

No details on the collector yet... Perhaps soon!

Regards,

Matt

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