I know that I am making a lot of these threads…but I’d like to track their progress somewhere online and I’d like to see this become a more happening forum sooooo…here is number 5 out of about 100 more threads to come.
This is a lodgepole that was collected early spring of 2017. It’s a small tree, around 19 inches tall. When I collected it, it had very short needles, but after pumping it up with fertilizer for a few years, the new needles are about 3x longer.
I know this isn’t a great pic, but it is the only one I could find pre-styling:
@Delrious, I love it. Very nice tree. I like the angle and the trunk movement. I do think there is a bit too much foliage out to the left. Almost has the same visual mass as the trunk itself, somewhat killing the illusion of an old and miniature tree. But not completely. Just on the verge of that. I would reduce that left foliage quite a bit, and even some on the inner curve near the trunk. Maybe a total foliage reduction or 30% or a bit more. If you want my input. But overall, I love the tree and the movement. Keep it up.
@mm1313 I honestly completely agree. It definitely needs to be reduced and to have more defined small pads. There’s a few branches that really bother me in the design too that will be easy to get rid of and would create some negative space, especially the current apex and possibly the branch below it. For now I’m leaving it full just so it heals into the design faster with the extra foliage mass and grows smaller needles. Next year it will probably be re-potted and the year after that it will get major reduction.
Really deserves a good pot. Pick one now for next spring.
Maybe…Short 3-4" nailed drum pot, about as wide as the wooden planter. 2 shades darker gray/redish than the trunk. No lip. Rounded profile…
Nothing specific…
