Pussywillow: Transformers... Bonsai in Disguise [Bonsai]

creativetruth (67)in #bonsai • 5 years ago (edited)

Enjoy another transformation of a tree I've wired. Perhaps one day it will become a bonsai masterpiece.

As a hobbyist, I learn mostly by observation and experimenting, as it gives me real life experience. Look closely with me and get an inside view of a few of the details I've been noticing as I hone my craft skills on this elegant Pussywillow tree.

One thing I love about this tree is the candy apple colors it exhibits. Smooth lines, and shiny reds and greens that look delicious enough to nibble on. Even the earliest leaves have a tinge of rouge inside the bud layers.

When the tree is a dormant, leafless skeleton of a tree, I like to perform a final pruning before the leaves pop open. When the buds look so full that they look like they going to pop, this is perfect time to prune, as it is easiest to discern which branches are alive and which ones are full of developing new life.

This photo above is a perfect example of a clean pruning cut. The wood is cut back close enough to a bud so the wound can heal without damaging the bud. No evident stump will be visible, as the buds extend as the new tip of the branch seamlessly.

When many branches cut in this way, to the lowest bud, it releases hormones inside the vascular system of the entire tree to allow all remaining buds to receive a more even supply of growth energy. Without pruning, buds on the top of the tree tend to receive the most growth energy, while bottom buds might receive so little energy that they never grow. On branches that I want lots of explosive growth of many new small branches, I always prune back down to the lowest two buds, to encourage two new branches to spread out where there was once only one.

Above is the tree in late March after it was lightly pruned. In my opinion, the branches have a better looking front from this angle. However, the tree was planted correctly in the pot to give the better front view of the widest base of the developing tree trunk and surface roots, known in bonsai as the nebari.

After wire was spun around the pliable branches, I was able to re-orient many of the topmost branches to curve into the entirely empty left side side space. I believe this balances the profile of the tree into a more identifiable shape.

Even though the branches are flexible, they are starting to become full of water, and so I have to be more careful not to split the wood by applying too much pressure along junctions where the wood is weaker. Anywhere the wood bends evenly with well-distributed pressure (like a good spring) is a good choice area to apply pressure from the guiding wire.

In the future, I envision the lowest branches becoming more and more important to the final style of tree shape that I want it to have. This is why I angled all of these low branches into very lateral sweeping shapes, so that they will become the heaviest-looking, and oldest branches of the tree.

Although the upper branches have been stretched into a more appealing profile for my own temporary satisfaction, they provide too much depth and they are very thick. Thick growth on top bent into a radical shape becomes the focal point of the tree, and that is not my aim to point out a stress point on the tree that I made. In the future I think they will be completely removed.

My goal is to promote a plethora of small sprouting branches form a nice lawn of green leaves to crest over the crown of the tree. Smaller branches on top, and thicker branches on the bottom is my simple wish. It may take five more years for this young tree to become properly balanced in this way. Each season when the tree puts on more buds, I'll have options to guide the tree towards that end goal.

Each day now I watch as the shoots extend from the leaves. A pinch here. A pinch there. Always, I pinch back the tender stems down to the lowest set of leaves. Each time I do this is sends more growth energy evenly to all of the other growth points throughout the tree's other developing branches. If I get lucky, two new buds will also start to form along each of the leaves opposite of the pinch wound.

Looks like we're due for about a month of solid rain this April. These trees are going to have nice and fat roots full of nutrients to support a full canopy of sun-gobbling healthy leaves this Summer.

Photos in this post are all #originalworks by @creativetruth, unless stated otherwise.

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.