Larch #4

This is the tree I got for a bargain about two years ago. It had some surgery done and it also went through a beheading. It also has had wire on it for almost two years now so there goes the myth that wire can be on for only so long. The best trick with wire, is to leave it on as long as possible. From the previous season I am focusing on building a new crown from the previous one. Because of haste and poor planning I potted this tree from the training pot into something that made the tree look like it was going to launch into orbit and then finally something a bit more suitable, at least in my opinion. The growth last season was then simply trimmed off and some new branches wired and other ends left alone. Those will need to be wired fully again in the future but I want the tree to rest before then. I hope for more growth this year because I will not be touching the root system at all.

This was the original tree. Great potential I thought but needed styling. Props to the previous owner though for splitting each sub branch into two’s and so forth.

Some time after wiring for the first time since I got the tree and what I thought needed to be done to improve the tree in the long run. Doing the right thing is not always easy with Bonsai and I think many people would have kept the top to keep the Bonsai looking “nice”. This approach will get you mediocre looking trees every time. Do the hacking and rough work as soon as possible and in five years it will show that these actions, where your tree looks like garbage for a while, are worth it.

bigger brother, nekid.. In the spring it will go into a better suited pot. The top will get chopped for a more mature look.

November 14

The following are the repot into a pot I didn’t want to use but because of the situation with the roots I wasn’t able to use the pot I wanted. With no other choice I stuffed my beloved larix into this candy bowl and created the first rocketship Larch.. the last three photos are making the chop and placing it into a pot I liked much more by a local potter, Jiri Svacina.

few days after re-potting and a couple weeks later. I wish Larches stayed like they are in the early spring all the time.

I don’t have any pictures during the growing season, it looked ugly for the most part but I wanted the roots and tree to gain strength back. On the left you can see how I let the tree grow unrestricted.

This is what the tree looks like now. Thanks for going through this novel and I hope you enjoyed the progression so far.

T*