Oscar wrote: I recently visited Mallorca to record a private demo with Bjorn Bjorholm - we decided to make it available for free on our YouTube channel. Since quite a few advanced techniques are shown and explained, I think it's quite educational.
Great, thank you for posting such demo. Rafael Torres is a well known Spanish "Bonsaist" and its collection of trees in Mallorca is magnificent. Also, living in Mallorca, I believe the greatest olive trees (Olea europaea var. sylvestris, aka. Acebuche) are grown there and Rafael most certainly has a few great ones.
Oscar wrote: Perhaps it would be a nice idea to watch it and then discuss it in this post together? We could discuss some of the techniques in the video, including the list below, but I'd also like to hear what things were be new to you / surprised you / things you would different, etc.
Indeed.
Oscar wrote:
Deciding on the front; taking into consideration the base, nebari, bark, branches, etc
I liked from the beginning the finally selected front. True, the effect of the Jins is lost, but it seemed rather forced to me the initial selection. Besides the Jins were growing to straight from the exact front and "popped" into the viewer´s eye.
Oscar wrote:
Designing the tree; what should be pruned
This I must acknowledge that I still have a long way to go. The final vision of the tree by currently looking only at the one in front of you is something that, in my opinion, is only develop after designing and working in lots of different trees. It only comes with time and experience. True, some things are basic and immediately are evident, but the majority is not, and in top of that it depends a lot on particular taste and artistic vision. So, here I´ll take the safe path and will agree with Bjorn´s :lol:
Oscar wrote:
Creating deadwood, burning it, etc
Creating a realistic effect of deadwood is not easy task and in this tree is accomplished. One thing though... Even if blowtorching is relatively frequent these days when designing trees (conifers mostly), is a technique that I don´t particularly like too much. I mean, why getting to hasty and don´t wait for time to do his own job of providing the necessary older look? The only thing that comes to my mind is that by blowtorching the deadwood you achieved a faster hard texture on those Jins and at the same time you maybe avoid the possibility of wood rotting.
Oscar wrote:
Wiring, how to properly apply raffia, guy-wiring
Again, taking the save path and agreeing with Bjorn´s vision and abilities on wiring. One thing though... Applying rafia onto a tree is not an easy or everyday technique. Maybe, next time, devoting a little more time on such technique in the video might be helpful. For instance, rafia is usually moistened in warm water before applying it. That is something that is not shown here.
Oscar wrote:
Repotting
Styling and repotting at the same time - when to do this and when not
Well, I´d said that it would depend on the tree, the tree´s health, soil status and the time of the year. For this conifer (and deciduous in general for that matter) I´d said it was the right time for repotting after being styled. I mean, possibly the video was shot at the beginnings of March and the soil in which it was planted it was not the most desirable one. Also, it is worth noticing that currently there is trend advocating for repotting conifers at mid summer time. Since I haven´t tested my self I wont advocate for it, just stating its existence.
Oscar wrote: Hope you guys think this is interesting to discuss!
Indeed it was. Thanks for that video.
Oscar wrote: (Bloopers at the end!)
The beer one was great! I laughed at it greatly :woohoo:
Alain
