Thinning Out a Potential Clump

Lifted this azalea from the ground a few years ago and it was root pruned and potted into this seed tray two years ago.  An overdue thinning was necessary:

The potential front with majority of trunks leaning to the viewer.

Getting there. One or two crossing trunks removed.

A drastic thinning.

A lot of leggy branching/trunks so I’m hoping for more backbudding and a reduction in height further still at some point but I’ll keep it tidy from now and change the soil next year.

Amur Maple Airlayer

This tree (of sorts!) recovered from its problems last year and after letting it leaf out and harden off, I’ve decided to follow a friend’s advice from two years ago and air layer the top.

Here’s hoping it takes.  I’ll let the bottom grow out and decide what to do with it after the layer is removed, hopefully later this year.

European Hornbeam Repot

Performed this around a month ago and it’s respondng well so far.

Packed tight with mychorrizae

Nebari rising up

Straight raised root needed removed.

New planting position and soil

Into a deep training pot for the next stage – building ramification.

A wee birthday treat

Shohin Scots Pine Repot

I apologise for my absence online but now that I’m back to work, it’s hard keeping up with the bonsai regularly.   Normally I’d be all over the trees at this time of year but this year has been different.  I’ve found that I don’t have the same level of interest in the trees at the minute and I’ve been unable to attend a lot of bonsai related events or occasions, which hasn’t helped.  Anyway I tell myself that I must continue to make records because one day I shall look back and I shall be glad of it.  In the mean time I’m doing my best to keep things ticking over at the very least.

A long overdue rootprune of this wee collected Scots Pine.  It’s been in this cut down plastic flower pot for a long time.

Good evidence of mychorrizae.  I had no hesitations about reducing the rootball substantially to fit into a plastic training pot.  I never got round to buying a ceramic semi cascade pot.

Mugo Pine Observations

Another tree relocated from the front garden to the back.  One of my least promising trees at the minute, its suffered from my past indecisiveness and lack of attention while in the growing bed.  I’m learning from it though that with conifers the process of field growing is still hands on.  You can’t just plant and forget about them and expect to have decent bonsai material 5 years later.

I’ve pruned this in the past to try and encourage back budding but to little avail so far.

A pretty straight lower trunk and not much taper unfortunately.

Some inverse taper too as the base does not exhibit the necessary root flare or width to suggest stability.  So what to do?

Well I thought a 90 degree turn would produce a better front for a start.  I think I’ll keep the two longest trunk lines as sacrifice branches and keep the shortest trunk line facing forward.  Perhaps a literati style is the only viable option but I know Mugo Pines have a propensity for quite long needles.  Time will tell.

Maybe I can get more buds like these popping.

Japanese Cedar Relocation

The 6ft sacrifice branch on this Japanese Cedar has been impeding the view of my monkey poles from the kitchen window so I recently decided to move it to a better location where it will get more sunlight too.  An overdue thinning out of the tree was performed too. Existing branches are lignifying well on this but its still not ready to put into a training pot.