JBP Healthy enough to start work?

[Bretts]

After Fall needle plucking, definatly no expert at this but I think I have done well. There are many very small buds that have long old needles on them. If I took them off the small buds would be left with nothing. I maybe could have taken some more needles off but I think I have done a decent job of balancing and there is plenty of space for the sun and wind to get in now for winter.
I took all the needles of the upper branch on the left as I will remove that branch in a month or two.
All ready for it's first major wiring

pine 001.jpg

pine 005.jpg

[bodhidharma]

I really like the sharp change of direction in the leader Bretts. With the large wound on the trunk, was the tree damaged at some stage.

[kcpoole]

Nice recover Bretts
Just wen back and looked at all the old photos t see where it came from and am please you have done good in not very long time too.

what are the future directions for the tree? Decided yet?
I would like to see it tilted to the left more. the 1st series of pics at the start of the thread had it angle left more which I like a lot

Ken

[Bretts]

Yes I just went back through the pictures and the first indication to me is a couple of dead roots. But a while before it went to the workshop I had found an orange fungus in the bark. I removed it and treated with lime sulfur, undiluted I think. Clinton Nesci motioned to Ray that was not good. Ray agreed but said it is gone now.
I guess we didn't know there was deadwood under the bark at that time or I think we would have chosen this as the front. By the time I found it, it had started to callous over again. It could be interesting
Wether it was caused by the trees poor health when I got it or wether I caused it in the repottings
The style I am going for is scattered through the thread Ken. I think we made a good decision in aiming for new branches It should be alot of fun to wire up.
I got out my JBP media resources today but I haven't found the best time to wire yet. I am guessing now would be ok but maybe early spring is better. I would like to put it in a bonsai pot then as well

[Jarrod]

Wire in winter mate, jbp put on a fair bit of wood at this time andyou might get wire scars quite quickly if not paying attention.