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| Hello everyone! First post!
You may remember me from such families as the Stoners. If any of you frequent the perennials or Rose forums you know me as Kathy's (dodgerdudette) son. Anyways, I have recently purchased punica granatum 'Nana Emperor' at the annual San Francisco Flower & Garden show (awesome :-D). I was very excited to have a tiny little tree with tiny little fruit and tiny little flowers! Then I learned that it is also a very good candidate for bonsai and I became even more excited! But I have been a bit timid to move forward with my little tree as I don't really know where I should start. I am hoping to get some suggestions from some of the resident experts and maybe some more experienced eyes can give me some insight. I want to stay away from wires (I am a wireless kind of guy after all) and I am thinking about just styling by way of pinching and root pruning. It is looking pretty shrubby right now, and lots of new growth as it has just recently come out of dormancy. I know I need to act quick to get a move on the growing season, so hopefully I can get some guidance here. Here are some pictures of the dear little tree:
What do ya'll think? Thanks in advance for your input! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Lots of great potential! Don't make the mistake of growing it indoors, as you are able to keep it outside, even in a light frost, because it does need some dormancy in the cold (above freezing, however) each year. You could cut it back hard all around for more ramification, and go from there, or you could plant it in the ground for a couple of years (untouched) and then cut it back once the trunk's really thickened up, but take your time choosing a 'design'. Don't water if all the soil's damp from the last time, but don't let it dry out either - it can take more water than a lot of other trees. Do add grit to the soil for fast drainage, however, and maybe shield the pot (only) from sun with something reflective. |
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| Lucy, you rock, thank you for your insight. And prompt! You are on top of things. I am honored that you see such potential in this little tree! I had considered the option of planting it in the ground, but I definitely have an aversion to the unnatural aesthetic flow created when you get to chopping the trunk. Certinaly growing it in the ground free for a season or so will thicken up the trunk and give the appearance of age - if I understand correctly - but when you chop the tree it seems like the taper becomes very unnatural looking, and still quite fat on top from what I've seen. Now I think I am seeing a new life in this tree, however - the trunk has a bit of an s-curve already, and up right at the top the trunk seems to split into 2 leads of almost equal size. I just don't know where to go but I am definitely excited. I will definitely be leaving it outdoors, it is much happier there than being coveted in the house! I will work on visualizing a plan for this little baby. Thanks again for your input! |
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| The trouble with trunk chops is that most people only see them in transition, rather than 3-5 yrs later, when the new branches have caught up with the trunk a bit, you've made selective branch choices and shaping, and it's started to look like a tree. Some people chop a few times in a tree's life, but it's up to you. Mine are so small as to be silly, but I like what they're doing otherwise. |
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- Posted by dodgerdudette NapaCaz9 (My Page) on Mon, Mar 26, 07 at 22:32
| Hello everyone. and thanks Lucy for advising DS on his new fledgling. Napapen, if you are still reading this forum it's me Kathy S. and we missed you on the bus last Thursday ! The Bonsai exhibit at the garden show was substantially downsized, but DS enjoyed what he saw and I have suggested he attend the next NV Bonsai event. Have you ever done a a pomegranate ? DS bought it at the Miniature Plant Kingdom booth. It looks very happy and healthy as you can see from the pics. We want to take the right approach ! |
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| I think that maybe I will repot the babe into a larger pot and let it grow there, and style tenderly - it will be a fusion of the classic trunk chop method and a regular old growing and grooming. I want to step away from the drastic trunk chop, as I don't want a giant stumpy trunk anyways - too exaggerated for me. Now all I have to do is a quick repotting and scope of the rootball, some preliminary pruning and maybe envision a style. I welcome suggestions! |
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| Any other ideas anyone? |
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| It's starting to look like it will either be a broom style tree or informal upright - I want to create a spacious feel to this tree so the foliage will be very present and the flowers and fruits showcased - this will probably end up being fairly tall after a few years. One of the folks over at internetbonsaiclub.com requested a picture of the nebari to help choose a style, so I just brushed off a bit of dirt and snapped some pictures. Here they are:
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