An open window into the comings and goings of students and their trees attending our regular weekend and midweek bonsai classes under the ever watchful eyes of John Hanby.
Classroom Corner – Academy Six – Tanuki Bonsai Part Two (April 2013)
Part One of this series was originally posted under Classroom Corner on the 30th January 2013 and introduced the tanuki project being undertaken by level six students of my
bonsai academy.
bonsai academy.
Since the session in January the bases of the driftwood have been treated with preservative and the whole pieces of driftwood have been treated with lime sulphur.
The previously selected Juniper Ittogawa are now ready to be attached to the driftwood.
The proposed line of the trunk on the deadwood was established and then a channel was cut using power tools.
The trunks are then securely fixed in the channels using cable ties. Branches in the wrong places causing fixing problems are removed. The bark and cambium layer is removed from the side to be placed into the channel.
The trees are then potted into plastic training pots into a compost mix of 50/50 akadama and bims with a larger granule size in the lower section of the pot. I am really pleased with the result and the progress so far.
You can already anticipate how the foliage will develop and where the pads will be formed. My students are already eagerly awaiting the time when they can undertake the first wiring……I will keep you posted….