That's when I wound up at the vendor on the other side of the pond. I'd love a Japanese maple too. Maybe some day. Actually, I'd love a full sized Japanese maple in my yard.
Good luck with your spruce tree.
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NitaM39
- Full Member
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:44 pm
- Location: central FL in winter/northern IL in summer
You're only 14!!! How wonderful that you're interested in plants, let alone bonsai. You're probably right, an evergreen is probably a better choice. But I'm old and retired, so figured I would have the time to fiddle with my flowering baby. Yes, the people in the Japan pavilion did not speak English very well. I asked what looked like a supervisor where there was more bonsai and I had a terrible time figuring out what he was saying. He kept saying there was a display out by the pond (not for sale). The problem was, it took me a while to understand his pronunciation of display. Anyway, once I got that figured out, I wandered over to China, found nothing - even asked and all they had were ones make from glass.
That's when I wound up at the vendor on the other side of the pond. I'd love a Japanese maple too. Maybe some day. Actually, I'd love a full sized Japanese maple in my yard.
Good luck with your spruce tree.
That's when I wound up at the vendor on the other side of the pond. I'd love a Japanese maple too. Maybe some day. Actually, I'd love a full sized Japanese maple in my yard.
Good luck with your spruce tree.
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Kenshin14435
- Senior Member
- Posts: 284
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 3:33 pm
- Location: Northern VA USDA Zone 7A
Yeah, I'm only 14
Ive had ALOT of intrest in the japanese cluture for a long time.
It all started when I started reading manga.
Anyway, Ive wanted to buy a bonsai for a long time but never had the time or the money.
But at the time I was only 13 and my birthday was literally a couple weeks away so my mom bought me one(my parents failed to give me my allowance before we left).
I had wanted a large 90 dollar one but my said it was too big to take back home and she refused to pay for something that expensive. so she bought me a 30 dollar small one.
She threatened that if I accidentaly killed the thing she would have my head, but that hasnt happened(yet)
Today I finally had enough time to prune and thin out the foliage and pinch out the new buds(I was really nervous and I hope I didnt over-do it)
But, if it does die I'll just go to a local bonsai nersery and hope and pray to find a maple(hopefully a red japanese maple)
BUt right now I'm just happy with what I have(for the mean-time anyway >.<)
K5
Ive had ALOT of intrest in the japanese cluture for a long time.
It all started when I started reading manga.
Anyway, Ive wanted to buy a bonsai for a long time but never had the time or the money.
But at the time I was only 13 and my birthday was literally a couple weeks away so my mom bought me one(my parents failed to give me my allowance before we left).
I had wanted a large 90 dollar one but my said it was too big to take back home and she refused to pay for something that expensive. so she bought me a 30 dollar small one.
She threatened that if I accidentaly killed the thing she would have my head, but that hasnt happened(yet)
Today I finally had enough time to prune and thin out the foliage and pinch out the new buds(I was really nervous and I hope I didnt over-do it)
But, if it does die I'll just go to a local bonsai nersery and hope and pray to find a maple(hopefully a red japanese maple)
BUt right now I'm just happy with what I have(for the mean-time anyway >.<)
K5
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NitaM39
- Full Member
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:44 pm
- Location: central FL in winter/northern IL in summer
Well, am going to TRY to post pix of my grewia or the URL. Now that I've taken a good look at it, I think it's a mess - poorly pruned. It's truly a pre-bonsai - or as someone else said on another bonsai forum I found, it's a mallsai. But at least the rocks are NOT glued down on mine as they are when you get them from Wally World, etc. However, it's a most unusual pot I think - have never seen one like it - see image #1322. That blue spot on the left is a part of the pot - has a little hole in the top and I stuck a toothpick in it. It's as deep as the pot and appears to be empty. There are no holes in the bottom of the pot underneath it. Is it a little "podium" to put a mud man on???
Anyway, here is the url, hope it works.
[url]https://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/563179157AMnvPI?vhost=home-and-garden[/url]
Anyway, here is the url, hope it works.
[url]https://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/563179157AMnvPI?vhost=home-and-garden[/url]
I have no idea what the raised area is for, but I suspect your correct, or close enough to correct, probably a place where something was or is meant to be secured. My initial impression of this tree is that there is not nearly as much new growth as I would expect to see in a healthy, growing tree.
Here are some of mine:
Front
[img]https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y201/KDodds/IMG_0613.jpg[/img]
The new growth at the bottom of the cascade will be straightened with wire once it's woody. Note the compact growth. This is acheived mostly by tight pruning. I think I'm probably more aggressive than most with new trees, but still, even a tree in training, IMO, should not be leggy.
Top
[img]https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y201/KDodds/IMG_0614.jpg[/img]
Note the trianglular outline beginning to form. The largish cut in the center was an unwanted largish branch removed a few months ago. It was a fairly large cut and is healing nicely.
Back
[img]https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y201/KDodds/IMG_0615.jpg[/img]
From this angle you can kind of see where the left side as viewed from the back is being kept short, but there, to balance the overall picture, at least I hope that's the effect.
Right (as viewed from front)
[img]https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y201/KDodds/IMG_0616.jpg[/img]
Here you can see how the front and the back of the tree balance, as well as some exposed root. I did not have much choice on the roots as the tree was received planted very deeply. If the exposed roots do not thicken, I will likely remove them.
Left (as viewed from front)
[img]https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y201/KDodds/IMG_0617.jpg[/img]
In this image (I hope) you can see the "dancing" quality a little better, the "movement", that is potential in this tree and is, I think, more common to Chinese style than to the somewhat more rigid Japanese styles. Anyway, you'll also note the large cut in the forground. This was the initial leader, but was removed because of its awkward growth, which moved up and back, that would have not been possible to correct into a semi-cascade design.
Bottom
[img]https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y201/KDodds/IMG_0618.jpg[/img]
This is an important one as you can see the branch structure most clearly from here. Notice the ABSENCE of cuts. Imagine standing the tree up. One side would be bare. As a specimen growing out, it's my belief that the grower intended this as the front from the upright position I received it in. This would not have made a very pleasant looking upright, slanting, or informal upright, or even literati style. So, in some sense, the tree chooses its shape, and we just help it along, help it acheive its potential. You can also see, low on the trunk, what I mean by back budding occurring anywhere on the tree.
Hope these images help.
Here are some of mine:
Front
[img]https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y201/KDodds/IMG_0613.jpg[/img]
The new growth at the bottom of the cascade will be straightened with wire once it's woody. Note the compact growth. This is acheived mostly by tight pruning. I think I'm probably more aggressive than most with new trees, but still, even a tree in training, IMO, should not be leggy.
Top
[img]https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y201/KDodds/IMG_0614.jpg[/img]
Note the trianglular outline beginning to form. The largish cut in the center was an unwanted largish branch removed a few months ago. It was a fairly large cut and is healing nicely.
Back
[img]https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y201/KDodds/IMG_0615.jpg[/img]
From this angle you can kind of see where the left side as viewed from the back is being kept short, but there, to balance the overall picture, at least I hope that's the effect.
Right (as viewed from front)
[img]https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y201/KDodds/IMG_0616.jpg[/img]
Here you can see how the front and the back of the tree balance, as well as some exposed root. I did not have much choice on the roots as the tree was received planted very deeply. If the exposed roots do not thicken, I will likely remove them.
Left (as viewed from front)
[img]https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y201/KDodds/IMG_0617.jpg[/img]
In this image (I hope) you can see the "dancing" quality a little better, the "movement", that is potential in this tree and is, I think, more common to Chinese style than to the somewhat more rigid Japanese styles. Anyway, you'll also note the large cut in the forground. This was the initial leader, but was removed because of its awkward growth, which moved up and back, that would have not been possible to correct into a semi-cascade design.
Bottom
[img]https://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y201/KDodds/IMG_0618.jpg[/img]
This is an important one as you can see the branch structure most clearly from here. Notice the ABSENCE of cuts. Imagine standing the tree up. One side would be bare. As a specimen growing out, it's my belief that the grower intended this as the front from the upright position I received it in. This would not have made a very pleasant looking upright, slanting, or informal upright, or even literati style. So, in some sense, the tree chooses its shape, and we just help it along, help it acheive its potential. You can also see, low on the trunk, what I mean by back budding occurring anywhere on the tree.
Hope these images help.
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NitaM39
- Full Member
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:44 pm
- Location: central FL in winter/northern IL in summer
What a wonderful looking little tree. Oh, that I could be that aggressive and prune mine. Maybe I'll see if I can find a bonsai club back home in Illinois this summer and I can get some constructive criticism and suggestions as to what to cut off. Believe it or not, there are some new leaf shoots I noticed today. As I said earlier, I have no bonsai tools - will have to rectify that this summer. When I do get the nerve to prune, do I put something on the wound?
Thanks for all your pictures.
P.S. How do you get the actual pictures to post in the forum?
Thanks for all your pictures.
P.S. How do you get the actual pictures to post in the forum?
Thanks for the compliment.
You can always start pruning back just a little, just 2 or 3 leaf pairs back on longer branches. As far as bonsai "tools" go, I use mostly the scissors on my Swiss Army knife and my nails.
Current;y, I'm not putting anything on the wounds, as big as they are in relation to the tree, they're not that big and the wood is still young.
The pictures I posted are actually hosted on PhotoBucket and only linked to from here using the img button. PhotoBucket actually provides the text that you can cut and paste, too.
You can always start pruning back just a little, just 2 or 3 leaf pairs back on longer branches. As far as bonsai "tools" go, I use mostly the scissors on my Swiss Army knife and my nails.
Current;y, I'm not putting anything on the wounds, as big as they are in relation to the tree, they're not that big and the wood is still young.
The pictures I posted are actually hosted on PhotoBucket and only linked to from here using the img button. PhotoBucket actually provides the text that you can cut and paste, too.
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NitaM39
- Full Member
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:44 pm
- Location: central FL in winter/northern IL in summer
Well, I don't have Photobucket, but since you were able to see my pix using my Webshots link, guess that should work OK.kdodds wrote:Thanks for the compliment.
You can always start pruning back just a little, just 2 or 3 leaf pairs back on longer branches.
The big problem is, I don't even know where to start cutting.
As far as bonsai "tools" go, I use mostly the scissors on my Swiss Army knife and my nails.
Ha, your Swiss Army knife and your nails. Well, I've got one of those and I've got some pretty wicked toenail clippers, so I'msure they would work.
Current;y, I'm not putting anything on the wounds, as big as they are in relation to the tree, they're not that big and the wood is still young.
OK, then I won't worry about putting anything on mine.
The pictures I posted are actually hosted on PhotoBucket and only linked to from here using the img button. PhotoBucket actually provides the text that you can cut and paste, too.
Well, darn, as you can see, I didn't do the "quote" thing right. So my replies are included with your quote. Well, all I can say is that I'm an old bird and the brain and fingers don't work well together.
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Gnome
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 5122
- Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:17 am
- Location: Western PA USDA Zone 6A
Nita,
You can link to your images too. Click on the one you would like to post. To the right click on "Link to it" Then choose a linking code and copy/paste it here.
This one is "Post in a forum" It gets a thumbnail.
[url=https://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2512067210055516584osNStt][img]https://thumb4.webshots.net/t/52/652/0/67/21/2512067210055516584osNStt_th.jpg[/img][/url]
Norm
You can link to your images too. Click on the one you would like to post. To the right click on "Link to it" Then choose a linking code and copy/paste it here.
This one is "Post in a forum" It gets a thumbnail.
[url=https://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2512067210055516584osNStt][img]https://thumb4.webshots.net/t/52/652/0/67/21/2512067210055516584osNStt_th.jpg[/img][/url]
Norm
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NitaM39
- Full Member
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Mon Apr 14, 2008 11:44 pm
- Location: central FL in winter/northern IL in summer
Hmmmm, ok, let me try. I'm so glad you're so willing to help old birds!!Gnome wrote:Nita,
You can link to your images too. Click on the one you would like to post. To the right click on "Link to it" Then choose a linking code and copy/paste it here.
This one is "Post in a forum" It gets a thumbnail.
[url=https://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2512067210055516584osNStt][img]https://thumb4.webshots.net/t/52/652/0/67/21/2512067210055516584osNStt_th.jpg[/img][/url]
Norm
[url=https://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2916355360055516584hsvgyz][img]https://thumb4.webshots.net/t/69/469/3/55/36/2916355360055516584hsvgyz_th.jpg[/img][/url]
HEY, whaddya know - it worked!!! I'm going to break my arm patting myself on the back. I guess old do- er, old birds CAN learn new tricks.
Now all I have to do is take better pictures, I.e., closer up.
Thanks Norm.