FIRST DEFOLIATIONS


I was getting ready for full defoliations on my crazy growing hornbeams over the weekend, but I came across a recent video by Bonsai Mirai where Ryan says that he do not recommend this practise, that it might work for a few years and one year the trees might not respond as we expext and it might actually do some harm - so I tried partial defoliation as he adviced instead. All the leaves were cut by half or even 2/3.
It took me some 3 hours for these 2 penjings.
Long branches were cut back to 1-2 leaves.
The trees are only second year on a marble plate but the branch development using clip and grow technique is coming along nicely :) I love the Lingnan´s school of penjing branch development methods where you let the branch grow to required girth and then cut it back to 1-2 leaves. I am fascinated by the ramifications built this way.


SK:


Prvé defoliácie


Cez víkend som sa pripravoval na moje prvé defoliácie hrabov, no v poslednej chvíli som sa doklikal k nedávnemu videu od Bonsai Mirai, kde Ryan túto praktiku neodporúča. Vraj to môže fungovať pár rokov a potom raz o pár rokov strom nemusí na ňu reagovať ako by sme čakali a môže mu to ublížiť.
Preto som na týchto dvoch penjingoch vykonal čiastočnú defoliáciu ako odporúčal - skoro všetky listy boli strihnuté podľa veľkosti - na polovicu až 2/3.
Trvalo mi to asi 3 hodinky.
Dlhé vetvy boli strihnuté na jeden až dva listy.
Stromčeky sú len druhý rok na mramorových platniach po vykopaní ale vetvenie sa celkom pekne vyvíja :) Používam na tvarovanie techniku "strihni a nechaj rásť", podľa Lingnanskej školy penjingu, kde nechávajú konárik rásť na požadovanú hrúbku a potom ho strihnú na jeden až dva lístky.
Fascinujú ma takto vybudované koruny.

QUEST FOR PENJING ROCKS

I took a trip to a great place for collect interesting rocks for penjings. It´s called Bokšov rocks, over the village of Mala Lodina and it is really nice place to visit with nice views, great rocks you can choose from fallen trees roots and beautifull oaks with great movement.
Anyway, on our way back we took a wrong turn, went down the steep hillside with lots of fallen trees, collecting ticks, and there was no way to go down that hill with bag full of rocks. So it was flying down in front of me as I was unwilling to leave the rock I have chosen there. Most of them got crushed so the whole endeavour was in vain and I was risking a bit too much just to have very few rocks I can use in the end.
But I am happy that I, nor my friend Robo didn´t get any injuries on that dangerous way down and I still got some nice shots from the trip. Here they are for you all to enjoy.

RETURN OF UNCLE CHOP CHOP


More head chopping today.
Wisteria flowers were nice, but I would like it to look nice without them and foliage too.


SK


Návrat strýčka sekáča


Dnes som zase sekol hlavu.
Kvety wistérie boli krásne, no chcel by som aby vyzerala dobre aj bez nich a bez listov.

My fingers are itchy for this juniper - may the force help me to resist the urge to style it and leave it for a year to get some strenght after last year collection and early spring repotting after the wooden pot it was planted in dissintegrated while we were placing it on it´s summer spot. No more wooden improvised pots ever again!!!

Svrbia ma prsty na tvarovanie tejto borievky - nech mi sila pomáha odolať túžbe pohrať sa s ňou a nechať ju aspoň rok na zregenerovanie po minuloročnom výkope a jarnom presádzaní po tom ča sa drevená improvizovaná "miska" rozpadla pri prenose na letné miesto. Už nikdy viac drevené improvizované "misky" !!!