Outdated bonsai get shaggy. The crowns spherical and unfastened readability, the silhouette will get bloated and too huge. They resemble a haircut 6 months overdue.
Older bonsai require a periodic rework to a profile that balances higher with the trunk.
Outdated Juniper bonsai that has outgrown its design, hiding the deadwood. Pushing the reset button on this juniper will reset cover measurement and form. To do that, longer, decrease branches are reduce off and changed with shorter, increased ones.
Carmen took this one on. Right here’s the preliminary rework. There’s good shrinkage of the cover measurement and publicity of deadwood.
After our evaluation, Carmen introduced the important thing department in by 1 1/2” utilizing a pair man wires, and the shoots within the crown had been introduced down on the edges, narrowing the crown’s profile. These small modifications compact and synthesize the design. In case you flip again to the primary picture, now extra deadwood is uncovered and the foliage solely performs a supporting position.
The juniper featured here’s a Rocky Mountain Juniper trunk grafted with shimpaku foliage. Right here’s the authentic submit about its styling.
In Bonsai Heresy there’s a chapter about why we shouldn’t pinch junipers. One of many assumptions about pinching is that it’s going to maintain the tree on the similar measurement, to keep away from doing what all outdated bonsai ultimately want, a transforming. Pinching solely weakens the tree, although, resulting in different issues. (Bonsai Heresy is on sale at Stone Lantern, $5.00 off! To not early to think about stocking stuffers…and it’s a small ebook…)
