The following progression article was a Professional – Collected Stock entry in the “2007 Knowledge of Bonsai Progressive Styling Contest” and was entered by Enrique Castaño of Mexico. This entry received a score of 26 out of a possible 30 points from the judges. We feel that by featuring these progressions, which contain the thoughts behind the decisions made as well as a photo-journal of the various stages of design, a better understanding of not only the “how” but also the “why” of bonsai design can be shared. Thank you Enrique for deciding to enter the contest and for providing us with an excellent article that will be read and learned from by many over the years to come. ES The following article has been modified for clarity.
Enrique Castaño – Mexico Category: Professional – Collected Stock White buttonwood (Avicennia germinans) Starting height: 112 cm (43 inches) Pot source: None
I collected this material recently from the a construction site in the coastal area in Merida, the southern part of Mexico. This Avicennia was left for 3 months to regain it self and its ready to be work on. Due to the harsh conditions where it was collected as seen on my blog the the deadwood has been generated over several years. How many? Who knows but many. I chose this Avicennia due to the simplicity of the design that can be don and the clear distinction of the life vein, nice taper and the dead wood already on the tree. Furthermore the leaf size can be reduced, it grows quite fast and it tolerates a lot of root pruning and it will be nice to introduce this species to the world of bonsai . The jins and shari are very interesting and with a bit of work will show a great movement of the tree. However it has several problems that will be discussed during its progression so a clear picture of the lines will be generated. Other trees that have great potential as well as more detail on the work of this tree will appear on my blog on this web site. So do take a visit!
First I removed all the branches that I would not use in the design. After removing these branches and cleaning some of the dead wood one can see the real beauty of the tree that has to be enhanced. One can also notice on the last figure on the before submissions the pot that I got from Klika on my last trip to Prague. I have chosen this pot for its simplicity and its mate color that would harmonize quite well with the color of the leaves. Even though the contest rules mention that the pot should not be taken account by the judges, the tree still needs a pot and I think this one will do fine for know. But before I plant the tree I left the tree grow for two weeks. The branches have not been wired and they will not be until stage 3 of the work. Since my design requires the tree to grow some new branches, wiring the existing branches at this point would slow down the process. I can Pot, grow, defoliate and grow again just because: 1 this tree is an Avicennia, which can tolerate quite a lot of work being done at the same time. Don’t try this with your just any species. 2 the time of the year is great for maximum development (I would like to thank everyone at KOB for this) 3 the health of the tree is quite good. One should always remember that the health of the tree goes before design, this is bonsai no Ikebana! 4 I will try to carry my design in the order that the tree would develop the fastest; if I were working with a juniper or a pine the order of the work would be quite different. I think it is very important to know a bit of basic botany and how different species respond to specific bonsai techniques while thinking on desings. Probably something like a mix of architecture and engineering is needed when designing a building. Anyway still the design will be carry over two months so I hope you enjoy the progress. The main guy wire has been use to lower the trunk line to improve the overall impact on this tree. This will be adjusted week by week in order not to stress the tree to much from one quick bend. Obviously the tree needs to be changed to a better angle, and some of the dead wood still needs far more work to be done. Lets remember this is stage one. One of the close ups shows some of the suckers that are coming out from the base, this have to be remove constantly so all the nutrients and growth goes to the top of the tree.
Well the growth has been good so far and it is time to start pinching the apical portion of the branches, this slows down the growth, and will cause the main branch to start the process of lignification, therefore wiring of the main branches and what would be the trunk like has to be done while the tree still flexible. The removal of the apical meristem of each branch also provides the signal for further ramification which is require to reduce the size of the leaves and for the design to be successful. However, wiring does send a stress signal, and the tree solution will be to send growth in a different direction, For the moment this is not a concern as the main branches do provide more light absorption and therefore more energy to the tree, but soon all branches will have to be wire in order not to weaken the main line of the tree. The wood slowly is being carved a bit more at a time. There are main areas that the trunk looks just to straight so to solve for that problem a deeper lines have to be carved. Also the main jin at the top had its first line of shaping as well as the jin at the lower portion of the tree. These was carried out with power tools but at the end it will require hand carving to provide a more natural look of the shari. For know the tree will be left to slowly branch furthermore and to thicken the back branch that its needed for the design I have in mind. Again if you want to know more about this species and other trees that I´m working on take a look at http://www.knowledgeofbonsai.org/enrique_castano/index.php
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After a couple of days the tree is finally potted into its new container. Some roots have to be bend with a trunk splinters in order to keep the roots but make them more flexible and to move 8 cm further down. As it can be seen from fig 1 the tree would not normally fit with the angle that I wanted. This is rarely done but it does allow a tree with long roots to maintain a large amount of roots and to fit into a small container. Care has to be taken as to what would be the substrate for the tree in these conditions. Since I worked alone I could not take more pictures, as the roots would dry if let unattended. I used a mixture of 60% sea sand with 10 % pumice 30% granular soil. This is used to provide all the nutrients and high level of humidity that this tree needs. The pumice provides a good aeration for the roots which should improve its growth. For other well know species used for bonsai, sea sand would be deadly but this species does benefit from the sea salt left in the sand. High levels of salinity prevent some disease that would affect the roots otherwise at this young stage. Fig 2 The planting angle has been chosen to show the life vein and a lot of the shari a bit of moss has been added for it to being to spread on the container Fig 3. Also this new angle also shows the tree more of its great dead wood at the base especially from the back Fig 4. Also the left and right side look quiet interesting Fig 5, 6. A few of the new leaves were removed to avoid dehydration and weakening of the small branches and almost all branches were wired and set in place. There still much work to be done, but time its need it for new branches and leaves to develop. Also there is much carving to be done, but that will have to wait a few more weeks. For know it is already beginning to take the shape I had in mind.
The final shows the current front. One can see that the upper section of the trunk had to be reduced (A bit more would have been better from design point of view, but I had to stop at the life vein in order not to hurt the tree), the cut branch that was changed into a jin has been refined as well as other jins. I decided to copy a jin from this species more than the traditional simple pointy branch. The angle of the tree has been lowered in order to show a more dramatic movement. Further improvement will come once the branches thicken and divide. The back branch is place showing the direction but many more branches would need to appear for this lonely branch to fill the space properly and provides the depth needed. Also leafs should be reduced several times more, and obviously get used to the new angles, but that would take a bout a year to accomplish. The dead bark has been removed and more character added to the dead wood. Many changes were carried out in the roots so they would fit the container, and provide a pleasing view and angle for the rest of the tree. The contest does not require a specific type of container to be judged but I think part of designing a tree involves the tree should fit a specific container if the problems of the roots are not solved the tree will never look good in a oversize pot. Of course for many species this would not be advisable in a two month period. At the bottom a simple jin was carried out after bending this old dead root to give a little signature to the tree. Finally the wood has been treated with jin fluid and left to the sun to pick a natural type of white color. Some broad leaf trees would require a different color added to the jin fluid. However, just like junipers, Avicennias and other mangles acquire a white color to the dead wood. In the case of the last two is due to salt from the sea that serves to protect the wood for a long long time. Also the whitish color allows a high contrast with the life vein. Figure 2 shows the back side where one can clearly see the back branch in need of more development. However only with time this can be created. Figure 3 left side. I must say I enjoy this tree in many angles. And other “fronts” can be chosen, I have left more or the life vein in the back side that necessary for design, But I need the tree to be far stronger before I can reduce this, otherwise I could hurt the tree and that would not make any sense. The main line of the tree has to become stronger over time, and it needs to improve the apex, finer branches and smaller leaves will improve the image and the back side branch needs to grow a bit more to give the perception of depth, I would like to put a few pictures of from the first quarter compared to the final, one can see how the angles of the main trunk was changed to give a more dramatic flow, and how everything else developed. I think this was a great contest, hopefully next time the rules would be allow to style a tree in each of the tree categories. I would like to give special thanks to Paul and KOB for all their help and attention. I thing they are doing a great job to make this web site one of the best sources for bonsai information.
Additional Notes:
Avicennia germinans A good species for bonsai. Introduction of black mangrove into the bonsai world, the scientific name is Avicennia germinans . Despite its common name, this is the lightest in color of the mangroves. Black Mangrove has opposite leaves, pale gray-green that can become almost white, which is also why it may be known as white buttonwood, the leaves shiny above, and often found encrusted with salt. The leaves are usually larger than most mangroves at 4.5 to 15 centimeters (2 to 6 inches) long and are oblong to lanceolate in shape. However, they can be reduced to ½ cm or less if the branches are constantly pinch, just like normal buttonwood as can be seen in figure 1. The tree can grow up to 8 meters (24 feet) in high. The flowers are small — 0.2 centimeters (1/8th of an inch), white to yellow in color, and blooms from November to May. The fruit is about 1 centimeter (0.5 inch) in length and irregularly oblique shaped. Black Mangrove is one of the few mangroves that don’t grow on stilt roots. The root system consists of long underground cable roots that produce hundreds of thin, upright pneumatophores in the water around the tree. These structures have numerous pores that are thought to conduct oxygen to the underground portions of the root system. This tree is particularly strong and cuttings will take very easily, I have yet to see someone use it for bonsai. Although passing through Pedro Morales house I saw a little one being develop. I wonder if anyone else has use it. Here I like to show a few more pictures from beginning to the current form of the Black mangrove I chose for the design contest. Let us begin the tale several months back in March 2007 I was passing through a section near the coast of Tulum about 300 miles from my home, and I saw a lot of death trees as can bee seen in figure 1, must of them had great movement and the white dead wood was incredible, I decided I could used some for tanukis or just simple Ikebanas. Of course one had to get into the mud and get soak, It was however as sad site, as one can see hundreds of dead trees and many more will follow the same trend. As I was passing I saw a few that were still slightly alive, So I decided to collect them. This particular Avicennia had a great lifeline and interesting deadwood that need it just a bit of work. But first the health of the tree had to be established. The soil in which they were living is only a 30 cm deep and contain almost no useful nutrients with high salinity and no air it. Although the species is very tough few plants in the world would be able to survive such conditions. Also been exposed to hurricanes over the decades prevents any tree to grow very high, and the constant currents of air will kill sections of the trees. The high salinity in the mist also covers the wood giving it a white appearance and preventing it from getting rot. A few weeks after collection the trees health was much improved. New growth came quickly and most important new roots were begin to form. I had chosen a soil that contained a rough structure and a lot of volcanic rock that would keep a lot of humidity but providing more air into the roots. Many times beginners and non practitioners of the art think that bonsai artist want the trees to grow slow. Quite the contrary, the faster it grows the faster one can shape it. Using the right growth conditions and knowing them gives the artist the plasticity to think what to do. One can follow simple rules and that’s fine but one has to be know of what it’s the time frame we want the tree to look like something decent. Here is where I made a little mistake in the contest. Some how I had the idea that the contest would end on the 30 of September and then I got Paul’s email reminder for the 1st. But well, things happen. Anyway lets back track a bit. After getting the tree growing I decide to enter the contest. I had a few possibilities some had been post on my blog some I had been just to busy or lazy to post them (but soon, I promise!) I decided to procrastinate and wait, after all I had to travel to Europe give some demo, and yes get married, plus do some research along the way publish a couple of scientific papers and deal with a grant. Anyway I came back and of course I went to see the competitors in Puerto Rico, well I called PR competitors since they have the same weather and have more or less some similar species. Of course they have been doing bonsai for quite a while. It was there where I saw Pedro Morales having a small Avicennia at his house. That’s the only other Avicennia that I have seen as a bonsai. But I belief there most be more out there. Anyway. I came back register the tree shown in figure 2. The tree had lots of potential, the last few moths had given the tree to grow a new root structure, and increase its health, The tree was ready to be worked upon. And lets say it really need it. The suckers at the base of the tree were growing to fast, one or two years more and the rest of the trunk would die and these straight suckers would be the only thing left of this old tree. So I remove them, and remove those branches that were in the way. One could already get a clear picture of the tree after this first branch selection I placed a news paper so people could see the dates and check that this tree was worked upon the time frame given. The main problems that the tree had are outlined in figure 3 were we can see the tree at this stage. Once the problems are identified the next step is to select the order of correcting for the problems. One can start with wiring the tree, or potting the tree in its new container. But I decided to wait! It was obvious to me that I couldn’t start working of the tree at this stage, because wiring would slow growth for a few weeks, the same with repotting, and I needed secondary and tertiary branches in a few weeks. I need it for the tree to use the new roots that it had grown to feed the upper part of the tree, know that the suckers were removed the tree would grow quickly. So for a few weeks the tree was allowed to grow removing any sucker that would come about. This would straighten the life vein and a little bit of the dead wood was cleaned and carved. Once the new growth came about and a few more branches were developed. I decided to place the tree in its new pot. The pot came from my travel to Czech Republic in June and I had selected it for this tree in particular. More than thinking of contrast I decided to go with similarity of colors and the mate glaze of this pot its just what I was looking for. However After removing the soil I notice that the tap root was longer that what I need it, I cut in half and took some of the center part so it could be bend and the tree was moved down by about 10 cm. Just enough to provide a good visual height of the tree with respect of the pot. The tree was secured with wired. Although it doesn’t show after potting, I usually don like to see the secure wired being exposed! I guess some judges do. The soil mixture allowed a fast drainage but at the same time it contains some organic matter from added granular soil. To keep the tree in good health more than 70 percent of the leaves were removed; this is to prevent dehydration from some of the fine roots that were removed during this process. This also initiates lignification on the branches and a hormonal signal that new branches need to be created. Therefore wiring of the main branches had to be done before they would become brittle and break easily. The main line of the branches was generated and the rest was simply to wait for the tree to get adjusted to its new environment. And then there was DEAN, yeap the hurricane, which was not on my calculations, but well things happened. I had to take the tree inside the house for a few days. This is not really such a good thing as growth slows down with the lower light conditions and of course after a hurricane you have a bit of a colder weather. But nothing bad happened and the tree was sent back to grow a bit more. After the branches grew several more leaves the tree was ready to be completely wired and proper placement was set
to provide a simple almost umbrella shape. NOT THE FINAL SHAPE FOR THIS TREE. Also more carving was done and the wood was protected with lime sulfur providing back the typical whitish color seen in the deadwood of this species. A comparison can be made from the trees before and after. Today after a month of the event the tree continues its growth, obviously slowing down in growth as the temperature goes down. I will have it on display this year at the annual exhibition in Merida (Mexico) if anybody its interested in seeing this and other Avicennias.
Neat article. I really like the “how” and “why” of everything. Also, the information on the species at the end is very informative.
Great article, very clear explanation on why everything is done! One question: what’s the height of the tree now? It was first 112cm, but it looks at the final stage a small tree, maybe the pictures are faking me, sometimes they look smaller than they are in real. Thanks!