AusBonsai

Doesn't such a calculator reduce bonsai from an art to an industrial manufacturing process where all bonsai will look the same? Such a formula really only applies to Informal upright and maybe formal upright (including broom) styles. Literati, for instance is defined by being tall in relation to thickness.

Petra wrote:Just a bit of inspiration guys. Found this picture of a ginko.

That is without a dout one of the nicest Ginko's i have seen I have to agree with Shibui on the calculator thing though..

bodhidharma wrote:

Petra wrote:Just a bit of inspiration guys. Found this picture of a ginko.

That is without a dout one of the nicest Ginko's i have seen I have to agree with Shibui on the calculator thing though..

I think that Gingko and the one Brett posted on page 1 are the same tree. Just different shots .
Anyway, it is the best so far!

I think that Gingko and the one Brett posted on page 1 are the same tree. Just different shots .
Anyway, it is the best so far!

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I dont think it is actually. I think they are two different trees. Either that or it has had a great deal of refinement.

shibui wrote:Doesn't such a calculator reduce bonsai from an art to an industrial manufacturing process where all bonsai will look the same? Such a formula really only applies to Informal upright and maybe formal upright (including broom) styles. Literati, for instance is defined by being tall in relation to thickness.

I think its a good indicator of what proportions a bonsai should be, but like everything else it should just be a guide, not a hard and fast rule. Your example with literati Bonsai is proof of this. I have noticed actually that the more masculine, thick trunked type trees seem to get much more mention than the more refined feminine trees that tend to have much thinner trunks, and with careful attention to detail in the branching and around the apex. I agree that this calculator is only taking into account these more 'masculinely' formed trees.

Andrew E wrote:Love the autumn colour of these trees

They are a slow grower which are hard to ramify and do have unpredictable growth habits but they do possess one of the most awesome autumn colours
Heres one of mine.

It suffered a bit of rot when i first got it. They hate to be wet. The spongy wood holds a lot of water so a coarse mix is essential. Tree is about 40 high by 30 wide.
I got the tree from my G'ma who'd got it off her dad so its an older tree, about 100 years. She didn't repot it for about 50 years as she was scared to kill it! She nearly dropped off the perch when I pulled it out and repotted it!! It has been a slow grower but rewarding every autumn all the same.

Andrew

That photo does no justice to how beautiful this tree truly is, I would give my whole collection for one like it... Andrew anytime you want to move it

Matt

That photo does no justice to how beautiful this tree truly is, I would give my whole collection for one like it... Andrew anytime you want to move it

Matt[/quote]

Thanks Matt, Glad you like the tree. Yeah the photo is a bit dodgy, I need to set up a studio to photograph them properly. Another thing to add to the list!!
Cheers
Andrew

Andrew, it’s fantastic that the passing of bonsai down through the generations is happening in Australia It’s something that I wouldn’t think would happen often over this way as we are so young with our bonsai compared to Japan. That’s awesome
Great looking old Gingko too

Thought I would share this pic of a Ginkgo I have always loved... The one on the left is 65cm tall on the right 85cm... Sorry but i cant remember which edition of kokufu books they were but is about 6yrs diff between the 2 images.

Andrew E wrote: Thanks Matt, Glad you like the tree. Yeah the photo is a bit dodgy, I need to set up a studio to photograph them properly. Another thing to add to the list!!
Cheers
Andrew

I am in the same boat.. really need to sort out somewhere to take decent pics... then learn how to actually take them

Matt

MattA wrote:Thought I would share this pic of a Ginkgo I have always loved...

gingko.jpg

The one on the left is 65cm tall on the right 85cm... Sorry but i cant remember which edition of kokufu books they were but is about 6yrs diff between the 2 images.

Andrew E wrote: Thanks Matt, Glad you like the tree. Yeah the photo is a bit dodgy, I need to set up a studio to photograph them properly. Another thing to add to the list!!
Cheers
Andrew

I am in the same boat.. really need to sort out somewhere to take decent pics... then learn how to actually take them

Matt

Hey guys,
I'm by far a pro photographer, but here's my advice to take photos of book photos with a bit more reliability. I find that taking a photo inside means there's not much light, and cameras are great nowadays and will offset the low light by adjusting the shutter speed to be longer. Which means that if you're holding it by hand there's pretty much NO way of NOT getting wobbles and thus blurriness in the photo, it's SO frustrating.

So my two cents is this:

1. you want the book stable
2. you want the camera stable (our human hands are horrible for keeping cameras steady, unless you were trained as a sniper)


So I prop the book up on a table perpendicular to the surface, set the camera on a few books on the same table about 3 feet away, put the camera on timer mode, press the shutter to focus (making sure that the green 'in focus' confirmation appears on screen), and press the shutter the rest of the way down. Then let go of the camera, everything should steady (if you have a buffalo, make sure it isn't walking through the room at the same time, cause the vibrations will wreck the shot) and presto! 10 seconds later, the camera will take a crisp, unshaky shot of your book.

Well mooost of the time. ha!
I hope that helps!
Jozaeh

shibui wrote:Doesn't such a calculator reduce bonsai from an art to an industrial manufacturing process where all bonsai will look the same? Such a formula really only applies to Informal upright and maybe formal upright (including broom) styles. Literati, for instance is defined by being tall in relation to thickness.

I think the calculator is a little silly. It just times the diameter by 6 for height and divides the height by about 3 for first branch.
Yet I still don't believe picking up a ruler will magically make your artistic ability disappear. It can keep optical illusions in check. Just occasionally I am still surprised by what a ruler tells me.

bodhidharma wrote:

I think that Gingko and the one Brett posted on page 1 are the same tree. Just different shots .
Anyway, it is the best so far!

I don't think it is actually. I think they are two different trees. Either that or it has had a great deal of refinement.

Having a close look I am very sure is is the same tree Bodi. It has been opened up alot and the soil is a little lower but I think it is even in the same pot still

Having a close look I am very sure is is the same tree Bodi. It has been opened up alot and the soil is a little lower but I think it is even in the same pot still

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Bugger, i think you are correct there Bretts Sorry thuy

Gota get one right occasionally

MattA picture remind me a ginkgo shown at the 2019 kokofu ten... Picture is on Bill Valanavis blog as Maidenhair Tree.
https://valavanisbonsaiblog.com/2019/02 ... -2-part-1/
Or same tree in this video minute 15:40 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kVtE4VNsoA
I wonder if is the same tree? I can't find who is the owner or submitted this tree? How on earth the manage to ramified it like that without visible scars??
Nice post thx u.

My understanding of how the Japanese grow Ginkgo bonsai is this. they start with old ground grown trees that have reached the thickness they want, then they cut back to a stump and let it run for years; repeat process but slowly start to refine trunks, not so much branches. If they look unscarred it is because plenty of time(maybe decades) have passed since the first cut down.

I have only seen large mature street trees of Ginkgo in Orange NSW where they have become a bit of a pest/hazard for the oldies when they drop their fruit (the trees that is; although oldies (and I am now very much one of them) do drop fruit I am sure)on the paths causing people to slip. Growing male trees from cutting seems to be the only answer for street trees, but I don’t know if it makes any difference for bonsai.

Cheers

Grant