new ponderosa pine challenge

[dick benbow]

Monday, I take a class taught by one of the top teachers in America, afectionally known as "Boon".
I have chose the pine here in the pictures. I envision a cascade for this subject but it's two most dynamic branches run 180 degrees up the cascade branch and will be challeneged to correct thier position. Will let you know how it goes.....

[Robert]

Thanks for sharing this journey Dick. Hard to see where the first branching starts, but looks to be waaaaay out on the end of those leggy limbs. Looks to be a real challenge, looking forward to seeing what ya come up with.

Here's a couple pics. that are interesting.

Robert

[dick benbow]

Around these parts is a retail craft francise called "Michael's"....I bough thier biggest bag of raffia grass to protect the bark and assist in reshaping the branches. I notice the pics you shared also had lots of raffia used....

[dick benbow]

Ok, I'll admitt it...I was too scared to bend the limbs like Boon did. I raffied the branches but he had to bend them. Amazing they didn't even crack

[Robert]

Good day Dick

Thats some nice work. Glad nothing "snapped" ha ha, been there done that a few times.

Have you considered thread grafting one or two of those nice long flexible branches back to that straight area just after the twisty bend in the trunk line?

Robert

[Robert]

Talking about extreme bending. This one always amazed me. A straight as an arrow bald cypress styled by Guy Guidry. It was six foot tall, bent down to a total height of 40".

Robert

[JasonG]

Hi Dick,

Ponderosa bend very easily. I have bent branches and trunks the size of your forearm with no ill will. Branches the size of the ones on your pine here would have been very easy, and a few cracks (for the most part) wont hurt the tree at all.

I am kinda suprised Boon left that apex branch sticking straight up like that with no movement to mimick the trunk and other bracnes.

Off to a good start....
THanks for sharing, Jason

[dick benbow]

Wow! amazing bending especially for that species.

Unfortunately ponderosa buds extend about a half an inch a year for growth so thread grafting might be a long wait exposure But I'll see what can be done. I want to get it healthy next year without working too much on it so it can recover from what i just did to it.

[dick benbow]

Hi Jason, Always good to hear from you!

In defense of boon...he had 6 students and four hrs and ran out of time with me. I think you input is valid and will definetely use that as something to do as I still have some wiring left to do on it.

You ever get into the seattle area?

[dick benbow]

Jason I went back and looked at the pine and discovered my angle of final shot was off center for viewing. If you go back to the next of the last shots you'll see a nice curve.
I marked the front with a piece of snipped copper wire to mark the front so when I repot it in February I get it "right".
I've had the priviledge of studying under many fine teachers, but I really learned from being around Boon. he just knows his stuff and is very unassuming. Would love to get an understanding of what it's like to get some schooling from walter when he gets away from germany!

[bob m]

Unfortunately ponderosa buds extend about a half an inch a year for growth so thread grafting might be a long wait exposure But I'll see what can be done. I want to get it healthy next year without working too much on it so it can recover from what i just did to it.

ha ha, I hear ya Dick. Sometimes i will run across something interesting and think HEY I can have that looking good in ten years or so, then I'll come to my sences and look for something that is a little farther along in it's development.

Robert

[dick benbow]

Like the beauty of most aspects of japanese cultural life, the hobby clubs...Koi,Bonsai, Ikebana, suiseki are filled with "older" ladies and gentlemen. We need to start more youngsters in the hobby to get the trees started small and developed strong. Most folks in our club buy nearly completed trees feeling they don't have the decades left to develop them. Our numbers continue to grow but I saw just 2 in thier twenties at the last meeting. Time IS of the essence.

I'm gonna post some pics of the suiseki display from the bonsai club. Watch for it Kinda cool.....