Grow grow grow grow
Eat eat eat eat
Shrink!
Swell swell swell swell
Drink drink drink drink
Squeeze!
Swallow swallow swallow swallow
Lick lick lick lick
Spit!
Progress
An Original Nonsense Poem by @creativetruth
Check out my last post on this tree's development in my collection:
ID: 0019
Nickname: Jubilee
Type: ???
Age: 2.5 years
Grown: yamadori
Last repotting: 2016?
Wired: never
This little #tree was ready for a #trim.
The goal is to maintain its overall size so it can stay proportional to the pot it is growing in.
This #plant has a tendency to send long #shoots out in all directions, which causes it to look more like a #shrub. I prefer for my bonsai to look like old trees, so I am going to be shortening most of the new shoots to promote more side #branches of smaller #stems and #leaves to form along those shoots.
Here is what it looked like after I trimmed the new growth this past May, 2018.
Notice that the branches that were hidden by the long stems and large leaves are now fully visible.
There was no #pruning of stems along the length of the branches, on my part. The branches are bare in the middle of the branches because of the way the the tree grows in Spring. The tree spent all of its energy stored from Winter by sending growth to the shoots on the tips of the branches instead of forming buds all along the branches. In other words, the tree was trying to grow taller to gather more sunlight.
Now that the tall stems have been cut shorter, the sunlight is hitting all of the main branches more evenly. The tree is forced to redirect growth along those branches if it needs to create more leaves and stems.
Healthy #shrubs tend to put out new leaves throughout the #growing season.
Here is the tree today, only three weeks after I had trimmed it down. The tree has regrown new leaves and smaller stems along the branches.
From the top, it is starting to fill out the #canopy. Leaves are quickly filling the open spaces.
The new, smaller leaves are starting to compete for space with the older, larger leaves. Sometimes I'll even pluck off single large leaves to allow clusters of smaller leaves access to more sunlight. Trees tend to send growth quickly to the new growth areas where the tissue is soft and #healthy.
Scroll back up to the cover photo, and decide for yourself. Doesn't this version look like a better version of a proper tree shape?
Future Plans
Next season, I may get a bit wild in my design choices for this tree. The trunk is lacking an interesting shape, yet the branches are bending into many interesting forms. In the winter when the tree becomes dormant, I may select one of the lower branches to become the new central leader.
In my drawing above, you can see how I estimate the tree will develop next Spring if I were to prune the tree trunk at the first #branch, or at the second branch.
Do you like the tree the way it is, or do you like one of the versions in my #drawing above better?
Photos in this post are all #originalworks by @creativetruth.
Find me on discord and chat with other tree growers, bonsai enthusiasts, and gardeners. We have quite a few accredited experts filling out our ranks, and a helpful Spanish-speaking community.
Bonus Photo
Found these #fresh #strawberries ripe and ready to eat today in my front yard. Yum.
I'll leave some of the half #ripe ones on the #plants, which should ripen by the afternoon so the children can pick any they want to eat as a snack on their way home from school. I don't mind sharing with the local kids. Every year I should have more and more strawberries to share as these plants multiply.
Every once in a while my camera will focus in on something awesome. Below are the sweet #pea #blossoms I have been growing. They are in a hanging basket under an ornamental pear tree.
Dream big. Run far. Tell your story.
