Page 20 - BSAM 2016 Q3

CASE III
THIRD PHASE OF FORMATION, REFINEMENT
is part deals with the third phase in wild olive bonsai creation. With the bene t of a solid structure, all work is directed towards re ning the foliar masses and sort out any minute details.
e objectives are:
• Re nement of foliar masses
• Placing the tree in its nal container • Re nement 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 sacri cial 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 rst years of creation, it is not necessary to perform pinching to be able to garner additional rami cation.
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 sacri cial 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. is is the case in point.
All re nement 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