I need an Apprentice !

It is times like this when I wish I had an apprentice. !  This old Kuromatsu is ~1.4 mtrs high and is very heavy.!!  It has not been re-potted for 9 years so it is high-time that it was done.

This tree spent many years in my field beds gaining a height of 2.8 mtrs before it was finally removed and drastically pruned to arount 1.0 mtrs high. It spent another 2 years in a training box before being transferred to the bonsai pot pictured here.

I am looking forward to further development and refinement in the future.

Swamp Cypress on a Rock !! 

 Yes, Swamp Cypress on a Rock.  I have had so many conversations about "how to maintain Swamp cypress bonsai" ...."You must keep a tray of water under the bonsai pot to keep them healthy".

Well, I will say it again... this is absolute rubbish.  A soil mix rich in 2-4mm akadama is perfect for keeping these bonsai in good health and growing well.

Here I have created a border of 'Muck' (a 50-50 mix of 'akadama dust' and well composted cow manure), covered with a layer of ground moss (I find that ground moss is the most resilient). 

This border will last for a number of years.  Over time, roots will penetrate the border and 'air-prune' as they emerge from the border.  This will cause the roots to branch within the thick border.

Although this swamp cypress is over 40yrs old it is still possible to bend the trunk.  When this tree settles in I will be adding a slight bend in the trunk lifting the apex to the left.

常滑

Thanks Dominic, for the info on this 'chop'.  Didn't realise that it simply means 'Tokoname'! I have quite a few Tokoname pots but this is the only one with a second, separate stamp of origin.
Tokoname (常滑)

Old Tokoname Bonsai Pot

This old Tokoname bonsai pot from Marushi Shigeharu, by Mr. Sawada Shigeharu has the usual pot stamp, pictured here in the centre.

The mark on the right, however, has not been identified.  It is the only pot of this type, that I have found, that has this additional mark.

If anyone has a pot like this with the second mark please let me know.  Better still, if you know it's meaning it would be great to find out.!! 

Japanese Black Pine-02 - into a Bonsai Pot

This is the second Kuromatsu that I acquired on my last trip to Sydney. This is only the start of a very long journey for this pine.

Note the sacrificial branch half way up on the right hand side of the trunk.  It will be allowed to grow, un-pruned, to thicken the bottom half of the trunk and nebari.

Old Kuromatsu and Tokoname Pot come together.

This old Kuromatsu was a generous gift from a very accomplished bonsai artist many years ago. Ian Hearn is probably one of the best black Pine bonsai growers in Australia and I was privileged to have been gifted this tree after it had been developed and shaped by Ian more than 10 years ago.

This bonsai had started from seed in 1970 and now has been re-potted into a pot that will do it justice.... an old Tokoname pot from the Yamayuki Kiln, by Kiyohiro Yamamoto.

Bonsai Gallery old 'yamadori' Ficus has just been sold. 

Going to a good home in Sydney.... A perfect reason to isolate and work on something special over these testing times.

This old Ficus was collected in 1981 in western NSW.  At close to 40 yrs old it has been developed into a very strong 'Formal Upright' style with a very attractive 'nebari'.

Some arial roots give this bonsai some added interest with a lot more starting to form.  In our very cool climate it has been difficult to develop good arial roots on our ficus.  Some have been grafted successfully from other wild ficus.

Japanese Black Pine-02 - structural development

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.

Japanese Black Pine - structural development

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.

Where is this Black Pine Now

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.