Czech Yamadori

 Long autumn evenings, short rainy days - what a great time to spend some time on dead wood carving.   Well, for sure.  There is a lot of other work to be finished before the winter but my fingers were itching so badly that I have no other choice than to grasp a Dremel and few chisels.    Still long way to go but it starts showing the potential...   Airlayered in spring 2020, separated in Sept.   There is more details in the post published on 26th Sept.  Reworked at the end of October Possible new front Need to decide about the direction of the main branch.  Semi or full cascade?  I would prefer a cascade - just a matter of my preferences - but the trees is quite strongly asking for a semi... and much more work on the dead wood. 

Basic data: Origin: Yamadori Collected in 2011 Height: 38 cm Width: 50 cm Pot: Growing - China  The tree has been nicknamed "The Drunkard"  thanks to the lower section of the trunk.   The current inclination of the trunk is +/- the same as it was on the original biotop.   At the very beginning I was thinking to follow the line of the trunk and develop a subtle crown  with opposite inclination.   You may recall a Collin Lewis's hawthorn  that I had in my mind as a design to follow.   Well, I guess most of us was trying to imitate someone else's bonsai in their early bonsai age.   Worse for me, I was in bonsai for nearly 10 years then.  Shame on me... Luckily I have decided  to make it different.  Maily because of the character of the trunk - not much movement in the middle section and overall thickness not very suitable for the Bunjingi.  So I have built a kind of Myogi instead.   Maybe not the best choice but at least it's me behind it... And here we go.   Strong

There was an article about this topic on this blog last spring.  Leaves on twisted branches have turned back within few days after the twist.  Surpriced?  Not really, I had noticed the same thing on a number of occasions on different deciduous species in my gardem.    Based on this results I have decided to make another test later in the year  to check what would be the reaction at the end of the growing season?  All plants are at that time working hard to store as much nutrients ( maily carbs ) as possible.  Having the largest possible  surface area of leaves should be one of the most important factor for production of carbs.   Based on this assumption I thought that the leaves on twisted branches should turned back within few days.  Results? 4.10.   Cotoneaster.  Just twisted.      13.10.   Nineth day after the twist.  C'mon quys - get moving!   Some changes there but most visibly at the end of the branch ie only the youngest leaves are back in their normal position.  The others

 Yamadori collected in 2019.   Air layered at the end of May 2020.  This time I have used only pure zeolite small fraction 3-5 mm.   First check in mid of July.  I would say this was much earlier than I normally do but I was a bit concerned about the substrate used.  Does it hold enough water based on my watering schedule?   The answer was: probably not.  So I have added chopped sphagnum moss & little bit of compost.  Another check at the beginning of Sept.  Much better results.  But I have waited with the separation till yesterday.     It looks much more like a Nessie than a smaller  sized  semi/cascade.  Let's see where we can get in 5 years time.  Stupid me.    I am all the time complaining about the fact there are far too many trees for me to manage properly.  Still,  I cannot leave out any opportunity to take home any tree that has a reasonable potential. And in fact,  even a tree with a questionable potential when it comes to cascade...

 It is quite common to ask this question.   Supported by many professionals who sell trees and instead of providing details of origin, variety  and substrate used they try to impress the potential buyer with AGE of the tree.   Just comparing the size of the tree and its presented age, I do have a strong feeling that there is obvious clash.   If these guys are just like me each of them would add some years once the tree moves from their hand.  So at the end the tree that  in my oppinion is about 3-4 years old is claimed to be 8-10 years in propagation.    Unfortunately,  this AGEING is typical not only for the bonsai retailers.   A great bonsai amateur Mr. Pall is a good example of  that.  Well,  I believe  that he IS in fact a well established bonsai retailer with great marketing skills, but because he always disclaimed that  he must be an amateur then. What really strikes me was the Mr Ryan Neil's pages with promo sales of some of his trees.  RMJ,  185 years old...  Frankly,  I ca

 European wild pear is one of my favorite tree.   Aged bark, wild appearance, blossoms, tiny fruit and beautiful autumn colours make of it a great candidate for  Four Season Bonsai.   Collected in cental Bohemia in 2017, air layered in 2019.  Current height:  22 cm - the top shoot included, target  18-19 cm Width:  24 cm  Front Left side   Alligator skin nicely developed.  Nebari - nothing to see there (YET ), but it is on the way - just look closer. Another five years and it might be there...:)  After the late summer inspection. Wiring, adding new load of Biogold and then back under the plastic cover to keep moss in place.  The moss will be removed in late autumn just before the winter rest to have better control of soil moisture.

 In the last two - three years I have started a good number of new projects with some plants I have never dreamed having them in my collection.  Frankly, I am quite sure that a good number of them will turn into something that could be described in Czech language like a osina v prdeli.   The English equivalent " pain in the ass" seems to be quite close to the Czech expression but it is much less colourful.  The translation of OSINA = AWN. An awn in the ass??? Anyway. Just check with me some of the projects: Prunus mume grafted on a Prunus cerasifera understock.  Well, if you are the real bonsai aficionados YOU simply MUST have this plant.  Really?   One month of eager expectations watching every single morning the development of flower buds, 2-3 weeks of ACHHH to admire the beauty of blossoms and... THAT  is for the rest of the year - apart from the quite tricky horticulture and desired expectation of next blossoming period.  Not to mention the frost prevention excercices..