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Working with
slabs |
Preparing Muck: The wall
material is made of one part very heavy organic (black) clay soil; one-part
potter's clay mixed with animal or human hair (as a binding agent and slow
release nitrogen). Add a small amount of seaweed juice for micro nutrients and
soil microbe activation. Variations of this formula work fine (this is a
formula of muck used by the Japanese when plastering trees on rocks). The
important thing is to create a muck that does not crack away from the slab when
it becomes partially dry (the hair fibers help prevent this).
Building the Wall: Prepare
flat slabs for planting by building a wall or dam around the periphery. For
naturalness do not follow the edge precisely. The wall is usually deeper in
some areas than others. To help create the illusion of depth perception, make
the thickest and tallest part of the wall towards the front. Decrease the wall
toward the rear of the slab. |
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Note that once the wall is built, the flat slab has been
turned into a concave bonsai container suitable for all styles of bonsai except
the cascades.
Placing the Trees: The tree or
trees can be wired into the slab through the drain holes or new tie holes can
be drilled exactly where needed. Using the appropriate bonsai soil, fill in
around and under each tree. If your planting is a forest or grove you can plant
the small trees to the back in the 'distance' to create depth perspective.
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Final Touches: The use of coarse mosses or small accent
plants in the foreground and fine textured moss in the background also helps to
enhance the illusion of depth in your planting. Push moss or accent plants into
the wall or dam all around the slab. This provides erosion protection. Remember
the moss used on the actual bonsai soil should be free of any clay soil that
may have been attached to it. This is crucial to avoid ruining the drainage
properties of the soil mix. It also creates a 'clay shield' that makes a
thorough watering impossible. Pushing small pieces of rock that matches the
slab into the muck is an interesting option if available. Your composition is
now complete. The naturalness of a good slab planting is impossible to beat!
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Final Touches: The use of coarse mosses or small accent
plants in the foreground and fine textured moss in the background also helps to
enhance the illusion of depth in your planting. Push moss or accent plants into
the wall or dam all around the slab. This provides erosion protection. Remember
the moss used on the actual bonsai soil should be free of any clay soil that
may have been attached to it. This is crucial to avoid ruining the drainage
properties of the soil mix. It also creates a 'clay shield' that makes a
thorough watering impossible. Pushing small pieces of rock that matches the
slab into the muck is an interesting option if available. Your composition is
now complete. The naturalness of a good slab planting is impossible to beat!
DaSu Slabs:
We offer two types
of slabs at the Studio. A lightweight flat slab, like the one used in the
article and a heavier concave slab. The heavy concave slabs are very natural in
appearance and do not require a muck wall or dam.
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Codification of Training To Create a
Gallery Style Tree: A Brief Overview
Codification of Training for A Single Mature
Specimen
By Dave Lowman
Gallery Tree Notes
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Rules: (To be carried out from the trunk to the tip
of every branch)
- 1. 1 to 6 ratio, from width of trunk base to
height
- (Not written in stone but a good place to begin)
- [i.e.: if width of trunk is 2", ideal height of
finished tree will be 12"]
- 2. End of every branch should be the finest
diameter that the tree produces
- (The very tip of each branch should be a fine tapered
point)
- 3. Rule of 4's (as applied to a 48" tree) *
- (Within every four inches you should see)
- A. A bend (gradual, sensuous curve)
- B. Diameter change(taper change)
- C. A branch origination
- D. Angle change (acute or obtuse)
- E. Any combination of the above
- F. All the above
- 4. Position scars away from the front (rear of
tree is ideal)
- 5. Leave a sprout at the scar site. This will
help the scar heal fast
- 6. Limit overly large roots and encourage
smaller surface radial root display
- 7. Leave some lower branches for "sacrifice
branches".
- You can use these to help thicken the trunk.
Sweating a branch:
- After heavy pruning of a branch it may be necessary to
sweat the branch to encourage bud break.
- 1. Wrap branch with a plastic wrap or clear
plastic bag
- 2. Moisten some Canadian sphagnum moss or paper
towel and place in the plastic wrap or plastic bag
- 3. Seal around branch
- 4. Place in sunny location
- 5. Keep the towel or moss moist
- 6. Check for bud break (as buds begin to break
remove plastic)
*Rule of 4's applied to other heights:
- 36" tree=movement every 3"
- 24" tree=movement every 2"
- 12" tree=movement every 1"
- 9" tree=movement every 3/4"
- 6" tree=movement every 1/2"
- etc.
You will not expect to style every tree in your collection
by this method. But, perhaps a number to strive for that "gallery
quality" specimen.
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