Pomegranate Splitting

This pomegranate is the same one from this post that I dug up right as it was beginning to leaf out. It recovered really well and pushed several flushes of growth with a few being in the Fall. I decided to repot it and take it apart to let it recover in what is planned to be the final resting place.If you remember from the previous post, I flat cut the bottom horizontally with my reciprocating saw. When I removed this from the pot I could not find evidence of the flat cut bottom.

I decided to proceed in cutting it apart using the same reciprocating saw.
I still had a significant root system on most things that I cut away. I had a few stragglers that fell off during the separation that might make it since they had a few roots connected.

I got to a point where I didn’t feel comfortable separating more of the branches, so I potted up the remaining clump back up in some normal potting soil. I might do some air layering while it recovers for a year or two.

I also got this gem with some good movement in the lower trunk from taking the other twin trunk piece apart. 

I got the pot ready by getting the wire set in, bending the bottom to a 90º angle to make it more stable.
Then I put down an “aeration layer” as Ryan Neil refers to it. Before placing the tree in I put another layer of my regular sized bonsai soil and then tied in the tree to the pot.
After all was said and done I ended up with these to grow out this season.

This is the remaining chunk of trunks that didn’t have enough roots to cut off. I’ll let it grow out another season or two before splitting these again. 
This is going to be a twin trunk style. I might have to remove the backside during the next repot.
These two were lacking in roots, so hopefully they’ll make it. They fell off while splitting the second major trunk.
This was the second major trunk that I split from the main clump. I might airlayer it this season and let the branches grow out to get a more solid taper to the higher canopy. I’ll update this post soon once everything leafs out to see how it is doing.

Orange County Bonsai Society Exhibition

Here are photos of the trees from this show at the Sherman Library & Gardens.

Olive – Tom Vuong

Liquidambar – Wayne Wolfe

Korean Hornbeam – Ken Schlothan

Chinese Elm – David Melitz

Ginkgo Forest – Deborah Mauzy-Melitz

Cork Bark Portulacaria Afra – Gary Lai

Prostrata Juniper – Jason Chan

Shohin Catlin Elm – Joyce Gibbs

4 Point Shohin Display (JBP, Olive, Cork Bark Elm, Ficus Burt-Davyi) – Joyce Gibbs

Bougainvillea – Paul Minerich

Prostrata Juniper (Grafted Itoigawa) – Gary Lai

Hackberry Forest – John Deluca

Liquidambar Forest – Ken Schlothan

 

Kishu Shimpaku Juniper – Wayne Wolfe

Design and Critique #6 – Crape Myrtle ‘Natchez’

This White Crape Myrtle is another example of harmonious design. The apex, defining branch, and trunk all flow to the right. This tree has a lot to give in terms of showy bark, flowers, and amazing Fall foliage. These features lend enough interest to the tree which allows itself to go with a harmonious design.

Taper: This tree has amazing taper that continues from the base all the way up to the apex. The branches show proportionate thickness as well. The nice part about Crape Myrtles is that they shed their bark and heal wounds fantastically. This makes believable taper more accomplishable without large scars. 

Branching: This tree will continue to develop more ramification as time goes on, but the branching that it currently has does a good job of moving while occupying a good amount of space within the overall silhouette.

Comments: I love that this tree will still display its amazing bark even when in leaf. I wish I had a photo of this tree at what I see as the actual display angle to help me to see the left portion of the tree better.

 

Next Up:

Twisted Pomegranate