With the fall bonsai exhibits still two months away, now’s a great time for some last minute show prep.
The owner of the pine below plans to exhibit the tree in the U.S. National Bonsai Exhibition in Rochester, New York, this fall.
Black pine – one month after decandling
To show the tree at its best, we’d like to improve the silhouette by wiring and move the tree into a better quality pot.
Here’s the tree after wiring.
After wiring
And here’s the tree after minor root work.
After root work
A few months ago, the tree’s owner asked MC2 Pottery to create a pot or two for the tree. Two pots arrived in the mail, each with designs on the front and back of the pot.
Pot 1 – side A
Pot 1 – side B
Pot 2 – side A
Pot 2 – side B
Looking around the workshop for more pots to try, we found a couple less traditional options. One was a bit small, the other was too big.
Pot 3
Pot 4
The winner for this round was pot 2, side B.
After repotting – pot 2, side B
Because the root work was minor, little aftercare is required. I’d try to keep the tree in a shady spot in hot weather for the next few weeks, and after that it can return to its sunny spot in the garden.
A big thanks to Hurley Johnson of Timeless Trees in Rosenberg, Texas, for use of his workshop (and for a fun bonsai weekend!) and to Vern Maddox for the chance to work on this pine that I started from seed in 2004.
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