Bonsai
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I was over at my new Bonsai friend Ben's house exploring his growing collection of trees. I was there to help him with some trees, teach him some Bonsai technique, and have some laughs. We were walking through his trees and this Burtt davyii nana was a tree that caught my eye. This tree was bought from my good friend Mike Rogers. It was bought because it's a ficus and hard to kill. This tree was begging for some love so I told Ben this tree would be a great way to start the day and teach him a few things. So we got to defoliating and trimming Some ask why defoliate trees. The reason is to be able to see into the tree and make it easier to wire, but to also reduce the size of the leaf. Now it is time for wire and placing branches. Something I was always taught and I told Ben this, is to do all the tree work in the current pot because if you take the tree out and put it in a new pot then try to move branches... The tree isn't secure in the pot so you will be shaking the tree which isn't good for the tree's roots. Now that all of the tree work is done, lets take the tree out and look at the roots. This tree looks like it hasn't been repotted in a few years. The soil is very broken down and is in need of new soil. Lets go to the hose to see what roots we really do have. That big tap root needs to go! Then those circling roots. Lets get to cutting! Here is the result Now it is time to choose a pot. I found this pot. Ben said the pot is by Tani Ranzan and we both agreed that the tree would look great in the pot! Here is the pot. So then I showed him how to tie the tree into this cool pot. Here is how the tree turned out. The top of the tree needs to be moved right but I didn't because the tree was cracking. This would give me nice movement. Mike the original owner thought the tree came out nice. Ben and I both were very happy with the result and can't wait to see what it looks like in a few years!
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Hello Everyone, On Friday the 20th, I was at a bonsai club meeting. While I was there, I found out that my friend Dustin had gotten hurt a little while back and could not work on his tree that he brought along with him. So he asked me for help! Below is an old picture of the tree I will be working on: I unfortunately did not get a before picture... I had Dustin send me a picture of his tree and this is what he could find. When I worked on his tree, it was a lot more flushed out and had a ton of growth on it. Snip! Clip! I trimmed and wired the tree. It was a ton of fun to work on this tree! Thank you Dustin for letting me help you work on this tree! Below is the result: And here is the top of the tree: The tree has a good pin wheel look to it from the top!
If you would like to learn more about the Tiger Bark Ficus and just ficus in general, click here. I hope you have enjoyed and learned about the Tiger Bark Ficus! (by clicking the link) Ben Jamin Where I live, the leaves on maples and elms are changing colors because of the cold weather. It is the wrong time of year to repot a ficus because of this cold weather. A ficus is a tropical plant, which means you are suppose to repot it in the spring and summer. But I am going to take the risk of repotting it.. The tree I am repotting is a Ficus Burtt-Davyi. This tree has been in this tiny pot for many years. The tree is a relative of our original Ficus Burtt Davyi. Working on a baby from the original Burtt Davyi, Mike Cartrett suggested that this root be put in a pot and that if it is planted above ground, it will grow leaves and branches. The part that is underground will grow roots. The tree mostly grew roots above the pot. It grew some branches and leaves, but not many. The reason I'm repotting this tree in this time of year is because it is not healthy. If I wait any longer to repot this tree, I could risk loosing this tree. Below is what a healthy Burtt-Davyi should look like: Back to work. I rinsed off the broken down bonsai soil and got these roots. There are some big tap roots, but I am not going to mess with them because it is not the right time of year. I put the tree in a pot and added some fresh soil to it. I put the before picture next to the after picture so you the reader can compare. Hope you have learned about Burtt Davyi's (by clicking the link) and when to repot tropical trees.
~Ben Jamin Hello All, It's almost the end of October and it has rained, A LOT! Everything has grown, A LOT! All of the trees look like they have grown into one huge tree! Some trees where really being clingy to one another. We have an ilex next to a ficus and it's root's were wrapped around the pot! Below is the root that was attached to the tree above. Our Brazilian Rain Trees have been growing a ton! I got down to look at one of them that when looked up to, it looks like it could be a massive tree in the ground, but is really in a pot. Below is the picture. It really does look like a real tree! Maybe one day I will see a tree that looks just like this in the future! If you look hard enough, you may be able to see a face!
Hope you have enjoyed, ~Ben Jamin Lorber |
Ben jamin LorberI LOVE Bonsai!! I have participated in many styling competitions and have even won! I have also displayed many trees in many exhibits! Archive
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