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This is the second Kuromatsu that I acquired on my last trip to Sydney. This is the start of its transformation.
Still a lot of development work ahead of this one as well.
Japanese Black Pine branches can be bent to very acute angles. With the combination of branch 'v-cuts', thick copper wire, and 'guy wires', I can eliminate the need for raffia wrapping and other cumbersome techniques.
Last month I featured this and one other Kuromatsu that I acquired on my last trip to Sydney. This is the first time in more than 40 years that I have aquired large stock like this; and I was very keen to start their transformation.
Still a lot of development work ahead of this one. There are parts of the tree that can be refined this season.
Japanese Black Pine branches can be bent to very acute angles. With the combination of branch 'v-cuts', thick copper wire, and 'guy wires', I can eliminate the need for raffia wrapping and other cumbersome techniques.
I have been going through some old Bonsai Australia magazines - The, then, "Official Journal of the Bonsai Society of Australia". These old magazines had some really useful information.!
The following image is an article detailing a demonstration by Mr. Nakajima & Mr. Komatsu in 1985; from Bonsai Australia - vol.3 number 4.
I am only assuming that the pine was one of the original Koreshoff pines, as it is from 1951 seed.
If you recognize this tree I am sure that the bonsai community would like to see some recent images.!! Please, if you have any information, I would like to publish and share.
Every year, at this time, I prepare my copper wire for use in the coming year. I buy 'annealed' copper wire but it is never soft enough so I go through the annealing process myself, in Winter when it is safe, and cold enough, to sit around a fire. I have always heated the prepared coils to a 'dull red' and quenched the coils in water. Quenching in water is not necessary for the softening process but helps blow off some of the oxide that forms during annealing; giving the wire a really natural look that blends well with the bonsai.
I generally use 1.22mm, 1.63mm, 2mm, and 4.1mm copper on my bonsai. After softening even the 4.1mm wire is easy to apply. !!
700mtrs of Copper Wire ready for the annealing process
Now wouldn't it be a dream-come-true to be spending a season at Kobayashi san's Shunka-en Bonsai Museum.
I posted a story almost two years ago about the opportunities to enroll in the International apprenticeship system at Shunka-en. I still have this on the top of my 'Bucket-List' and it is great to see that the cost of these apprenticeships is still very low.!!
The Shunka-en website, has all the details. HERE
I snapped this shot of the workshop at Shunka-en in 2016..... still wishing.!!!
The Australian Bonsai Gallery has been making it's own Akadama for some time now. We have found that it passes the Dispersion Test and can be used in mixes for all species of bonsai.
We make two sizes and use the smaller size in our Swamp Cypress soil mix. Our Swamp Cypress never suffer from leaf burn and actually thrive in our Akadama.
The old Swamp Cypress forest, pictured here, is planted on a rock slab and grows rapidly with little fertilizing and in full sun.
Anyone who has access to volcanic soil in their area should experiment with soil taken from varying strata...... give it a go. !
For some further information go to the video clip HERE
The Australian Bonsai Gallery has very few High End bondai left for sale.
There has been an unpresedented demand for our bonsai, particularly over the past few months.
This old Swamp Cypress, developed by us from 1981 tube stock, has been waiting for the right buyer for some time now !!
We have just completed Winter pruning and wiring - ready for the Spring flush.
It is availabe on our For Sale page.
This old ficus 'Yamadori', collected in 1981 and rock planted in 1998, has gone to a good home today. The Gallery has sold quite a number of our old ficus, particularly over the past 2 weeks.!!
The Japanese Maple in this clip was purchased from The Koreshoff Bonsai Nursery in 1977. It was only a basic nursery stock plant back then but the Autumn colour was very good. It has been re-worked to improve the basic branch structure and to facilitate future ramification.
The Liquid amber is from 1985 nursery stock and, like the maple, was field grown for many years. I have been working on the ramification for a few years now. The results have been good with the resultant leaf size being reduces significantly.
Bud selection should be done well before the Spring so that growth can be directed only to important structural bud-points on the tree. Selecting two buds from each terminal will help to accelerate good ramification.
I was adamant that I was not going to start any more new bonsai projects...... that was until I saw these two large Japanese Black Pines.! .
At just over 20cm at the base, they are fantastic material to start with. Looking forward to the transformation to bonsai. 'Fatty', it's your fault !
