Another great part of Boon's Bonsai Intensive is doing major work that you might not otherwise have the opportunity to do. This Western Juniper Juniperus occidentalis was the subject of a major bending lesson this time.
This great tree had a number of possibilities. The first exercise was for the students to pick a front. There were two good fronts on the tree, but one in particular that Boon wanted to use.
With the front chosen and an end goal in mind it was time to get to work. It's important to start with a healthy well fed tree. A channel was carved out of the trunk so that bending would be easier. Large gauge aluminum wire was then placed inside the new opening and raffia was applied. Then, large annealed copper wire was applied to the trunk, twice. This will be enough the support the major bending that was about to occur.
In Japan, the master does the bending while the apprentice(s) tighten the guy wires. Knowing how far to bend is something that is learned with years of experience. The apprentices learn by example here.
The final picture is a little off center from the new front. Maybe I can convince Jeremiah to share some of the photos he took during the bending session.
Read more at Bay Island Bonsai.
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See part 2, The First Styling of a Western Juniper.
