Intermezzo

Hi everyone, no posts from me in a while now, cause I am prepraring myself for my new profession I would like to start my luck in beside bonsais. It´s photography and my hope is that along with bonsai I can make living by doing these 2 hobbies of mine. Here are my 2 latest portraits of my daughter Emma and grandma Jolana. And more bonsai related posts should pour in next spring, when I intend to practice bonsai more intensively with new season enrolling :)

Another literati pine

And back to bonsai finally :P I collected this pine in 2018 from a concrete slab like the rest of my pines. I tried to put some movement into the trunk last year and after I saw it holds shape, I styled it few months ago. And yesterday I gently slip potted it into it´s first training pot. Long way ahead of it, and as this stays in my collection, I am looking forward to it. I know - bar branch. That will be adressed at the later stage when I have some other to fill in the space.

Sunset in our Orchard

Only a few trees are left in our - used to be - orchard at some distance from each other after tractors crashed most of them. But I found the place still interesting as most of them are half dead and with sunset like yesterday it makes nice picture reminding me of African savannas :)

Inspirations

After quite some time I took my family out again finally so we can enjoy a bit of nature and "real" trees :) Here are few of my shots for inspiration from Zadiel Valley and a closeby forest with interesting hills inside.

Milky way and Itoigawa on rock

 When I was thinking about some unusual display for the new pic of this Itoigawa juniper on rock I created last year, I thought why not to connect it with my new hobby that is astrophotography. (Because guitar and bonsai is not enough time consuming I guess, so I got to do something at nights too, right? (I´ll sleep when I´m dead)).

So I decided I am going to take it with me for my milky way photoshoot and improvise a quick display under the stars.
And here is the pic of Itoigawa by the Milky way and Jupiter and Saturn to the left of it.
It is quite a task to make it look natural as you have to focus and iluminate the tree first and then focus on the stars and make some 14 pics of it ... stack them in Sequator and then put it all together in photoshop.
But I am still learning and hopefully I will get better at it 

LITERATI PINE - TWINTRUNK

Another wiring on this pine done.
This is by far my most favourite tree from my collection.
Last pic is approximate plan of how I want it to look like when it gets more compact and needles will be smaller.

JUNIPER NUMBER 1

Some more works done on this juniper I acquired in 2016.
Considerable amount on top of the substrate was removed, exposing more of the lower trunk.
Crown was made much smaller - something I wanted to do long ago but never did.
And some more attempts at carving - to be honest, I am pretty happy how it turned out on top - but not that mad about the lower part. I will try and repair it later sometime.
And it will need a shallower pot!

Wisteria Airlayer number 4

3 years after airlayering.
It spent 2 and a half year in the ground and was moved into it´s first bonsai pot this spring.
And some more flowers - models - Rea and Bea.

Triple trunk yamadori literati pine

Entering it´s fifth year as a bonsai in training.
Still a way to go.

ITOIGAWA NUMBER 4

Little semicascade styled few months ago was slip-potted into more appropriate pot.
I would still like to find even better one, taller and more narrow.
Best thing is that it is growing nicely and the green foliage goes well with the blue pot.

Yamadori birch

Top of the trunk died off after collection on this yamadori pine from last year and only one bud appeared in the middle of it.
It grew strong for the first season and it started off very well this spring too.
That´s why I decided to give this tree an initial styling.
I am getting obvious responses on social media sites as - it need more taper, etc.. :)
I know.
But I see this tree in miniature as it could be in nature very well pictured too - dead trunk, young branch forming a new crown.
Yes, it needs taper. But tell it to this young branch. It wants to grow and it will, eventually thickening up a new trunk leader.
I might keep some sacrifice branch to help it with it.
Or I might not and will enjoy it as it is - just a young branch forming a new crown on a trunk, that was once massive and it still need some catching up to do.


Video of the process here:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KchAXhVmAIk

MY NEW BONSAI YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Hi everyone,

as I am being asked a lot of questions on Facebook in private messages and I don´t feel like replying to same question all over again on forums, I decided to start my bonsai YouTube channel with short and to the point instructional videos, my bonsai creations, styling etc.
If anyone´s interested - please subscribe
Link:
www.youtube.com/channel/UCtzGHCzPA98mkqk2Ezr_3bw

Black Scissors demo from home

Some pics of creating the rock from my Black Scissors demo from home and final result, that has been a bit polished afterwards and promised back side after applying keto and moss in channels for the roots.
More development of trees to follow of course