Page 20 - Tạp chí bonsai cây cảnh BCI 2016Q3

CASE III THIRD PHASE OF FORMATION, REFINEMENT

This part deals with the third phase in wild olive bonsai creation. With
the benefit of a solid structure, all work is directed towards refining the
foliar masses and sort out any minute details.

The objectives are:
• Refinement of foliar masses
• Placing the tree in its final container
• Refinement of dead wood
During seven years of cultivation,
we have performed all the steps
mentioned throughout this article;
Foliage clean-up, elimination of water
shoots, wiring and sacrificial branch growth
to gain girth on branches and strengthen the
vitality of the tree.
Only during this last step of
creation have we performed
pinching of shoots.
Wild olives produce an
abundance of shoots and, during
the first years of creation, it is not
necessary to perform pinching
to be able to garner additional
ramification.
If properly
cultivated, one
can eliminate
unwanted growth
and redirect energy
towards those branches that
are indispensable for the design. Secondary growth will
appear spontaneously, once branches are allowed to elongate
and gain girth.
Long sacrificial branches not only allow branches to get thicker, they also
permit them to stay in the correct position, eventually not needing the
use of wire for those purposes. This is the case in point.
All refinement work has been performed without using wire. From this
day forth, we can maintain the design by pruning only.

18 | BCI | July/August/September 2016