Comments on: Field Growing #6: What’s with S Shaped Curves? http://bonsaibark.com/2009/05/24/field-growing-6-whats-with-s-shaped-curves/ Promoting and Expanding the Bonsai Universe Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:07:09 +0000 hourly 1 By: wayne http://bonsaibark.com/2009/05/24/field-growing-6-whats-with-s-shaped-curves/comment-page-1/#comment-246 wayne Fri, 29 May 2009 23:42:18 +0000 http://bonsaibark.com/?p=1226#comment-246 I've seen it done both ways. I think the slanted cuts leave bigger scars, but can create more radical taper. Most of the trees I've seen from China have slanted cuts. Brent Walston of Evergreen Gardenworks likes the perpendicular cuts, as do many Western bonsai enthusiasts. Brent has written a very informative article on trunk development that you might want to check out. http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/trunks.htm I’ve seen it done both ways. I think the slanted cuts leave bigger scars, but can create more radical taper. Most of the trees I’ve seen from China have slanted cuts. Brent Walston of Evergreen Gardenworks likes the perpendicular cuts, as do many Western bonsai enthusiasts. Brent has written a very informative article on trunk development that you might want to check out. http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/trunks.htm

]]> By: Dylan Ferreira http://bonsaibark.com/2009/05/24/field-growing-6-whats-with-s-shaped-curves/comment-page-1/#comment-242 Dylan Ferreira Wed, 27 May 2009 03:27:15 +0000 http://bonsaibark.com/?p=1226#comment-242 Are steep, angular cuts really the best way to reduce the height of a trunk and induce "movement?" It just seems that making such a cut leaves a large wound for the tree to close and may look unnatural. I learned from a very well known bonsai artist and teacher a while back that it is best for a tree to cut as close to perpendicular to the angle of the trunk as possible; the tree will close the wound in a manner that appears very natural with time. Given my rudimentary knowledge of bonsai I could be very wrong here. Does anyone have any advice on this topic? Are steep, angular cuts really the best way to reduce the height of a trunk and induce “movement?” It just seems that making such a cut leaves a large wound for the tree to close and may look unnatural. I learned from a very well known bonsai artist and teacher a while back that it is best for a tree to cut as close to perpendicular to the angle of the trunk as possible; the tree will close the wound in a manner that appears very natural with time. Given my rudimentary knowledge of bonsai I could be very wrong here. Does anyone have any advice on this topic?

]]> By: Brian Van Fleet http://bonsaibark.com/2009/05/24/field-growing-6-whats-with-s-shaped-curves/comment-page-1/#comment-241 Brian Van Fleet Tue, 26 May 2009 17:27:35 +0000 http://bonsaibark.com/?p=1226#comment-241 Another very effective way of creating movement as well as taper in trees growing in the ground is to let them grow strongly for a few years, then cut the tree down to a few inches tall: Make the cut at an angle (which creates the first outside "bend" of the "S" shape). Allow one shoot to continue growing at the top of the cut, and encourage the new shoot to continue the line created by the trunk chop. This will give movement and taper. Look at the trident maple; you can tell where the trunk was chopped if you visualize the tree growing straight up from the nebari instead of making the first curve to the right. The back (or back-left) side of the tree likely has a healed-over scar where it was cut from upper-right to lower-left, creating the outside curve of the first bend. The resulting growth (the one shoot that was kept)is what continues the movement to the right. Do this as many times as you want bends, creating one section of trunk at a time. The upside is that the look can be much more natural, and you don't slow down or scar the growth of the tree by wiring. Regards, Brian Another very effective way of creating movement as well as taper in trees growing in the ground is to let them grow strongly for a few years, then cut the tree down to a few inches tall: Make the cut at an angle (which creates the first outside “bend” of the “S” shape).

Allow one shoot to continue growing at the top of the cut, and encourage the new shoot to continue the line created by the trunk chop. This will give movement and taper. Look at the trident maple; you can tell where the trunk was chopped if you visualize the tree growing straight up from the nebari instead of making the first curve to the right. The back (or back-left) side of the tree likely has a healed-over scar where it was cut from upper-right to lower-left, creating the outside curve of the first bend.

The resulting growth (the one shoot that was kept)is what continues the movement to the right. Do this as many times as you want bends, creating one section of trunk at a time. The upside is that the look can be much more natural, and you don’t slow down or scar the growth of the tree by wiring.
Regards,
Brian

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