Pine Design

[badabing888]

Hi All,

Currently about to do some repotting and ive got to 1 ive been sitting on for ages with no real direction. I need to make some calls to start avoiding reverse taper etc

I'm caught between two designs 1 semi-cascade vs some nice movement informal upright

Screenshot 2025-08-19 at 4.16.02 pm.png

something like this

Screenshot 2025-08-19 at 4.17.09 pm.png

from this

Screenshot 2025-08-19 at 4.17.01 pm.png

Screenshot 2025-08-19 at 4.17.55 pm.png

or this

Screenshot 2025-08-19 at 4.18.18 pm.png

im leaning more towards repotting to informal upright as the movement is quite good but perhaps someone else can chime in as they see something i don't ? =o)

[shibui]

First, a warning. Need to be very careful about any online advice. We can only see the tree in 2 dimensions which means it is really hard to get a good idea of how branches relate to each other and to the trunk and it's bends. It is really easy to design a great looking tree based on a 2D view and we can imagine and draw a really great looking bonsai that may not actually be practical. ALWAYS check that what someone has suggested really does work with the real tree.
Purely from a nebari point of view I'd probably go more upright rather than leaning even more. Already half the root ball is way out of the ground. Tilting more upright should make the nebari look more natural IMHO
Cascade and semi cascade might look easy but, in practice, I've found that cascade seems to be far ore difficult to do well than the more upright styles.

Now, reviewing the photos I'm confused about what I'm reviewing. The tree is in a blue colander then it's in a green colander. Green colander tree appears to have some trunk movement. Blue colander pine appears to have a very straight trunk. Is this one tree or 2 trees?
Assuming the first picture is just for inspiration or example of what you think might work?

[The Specimen]

You always get more from Shibui I had to click
ATD.. attention to detail lol I thought when I first read the post hours earlier it was the same tree
Just noticed after Shibui pointed it out there are 2 different colanders

[badabing888]

Clear as mud from me as usual.

Its the same tree different colanders pic taken 12 months apart, i had to slip pot it as the colander isnt uv safe so went to dust when i picked it up.

this is prob better! absolutely hard to do things in 2d on a 3d object.


https://youtube.com/shorts/GnHeIJzK808? ... mEy8-6GLuT

[The Specimen]

Great tree and you have some very sharp eyes and creative minds here with years of experience.

Looking forward to see it's progression

[shibui]

I would swear the one in the blue colander has a really straight trunk while the later photos show some nice bends. Interesting to see how a change of viewpoint and 12 months can change a tree.

From what I can see in the video, somewhere near the final picture looks like the best choice of viewing angle. I think that shows the best trunk movement and also has the apex coming forward, Branches are a bit hard to make out from this far away but you should be able to pick some side branches and back branches to develop.
I'm thinking the lowest branch(es) are just a bit close to the ground to be good design but have a real good look before deciding to chop. You could also consider leaving that on as sacrifice branch while you develop branching on the rest of the tree.

[badabing888]

Hi,

Yep its a poor photo to be honest, 1 is taken parallel to soil level vs looking up to see the movement.

We'll see how it goes now its been repotted on a very different angle

Screenshot 2025-08-25 at 4.23.59 pm.png

Once its recovered i'll remove any branching im not happy with

[shibui]

The new angle certainly makes the nebari look much better. Hard to pick which branches are useful or which direction the apex now goes.
Agree that a few months (or more) for the roots to re-establish before any more pruning.

[Ryceman3]

Going by the final image that you posted as your preferred front, I would think about something like the following, but I agree that it really depends on branch options in a 3D context. For me the main trunk section above this is a bit taperless/straight and vertical, but I also have a habit of finding smaller trees that might not appeal to you.

pine design 0825.jpg

[badabing888]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply.

The intention was to def make it shorter with a small chop and the final potting angle might change slightly its was more about how i could fit it back in the pot safely as i had to remove quite amount of roots to change the angle on 1 side.

Your design is something similar to what i had in mind the bottom right branch may or may not become the first branch but my plan was to grow it out if it stays health as it will be touch and go then reduce the to down to a branch that makes sense for a new apex.

the virt has actually helped alot!

I'll let it sit to autumn and see how its going this was one of my first from seed 7 years ago so the first few years there was lots of trial and error and it sat on a end of a bench with no real direction