That is beautiful. You see these procedures in the books or sketched out but when you see it in good pictures, knowing it is someone you have conversated with it seems more attainable. I have wondered about doing this my self but would be terribly afraid of ruining a perfectly good tree. Thank you for the real world details, I am inspired now. It does look good, very believable. Especially once that area heals over a little, you would never know.

Bob,
There are a lot of variations on this theme. Cutting a V from the bottom of the branch close to the trunk can enable you to move it more quickly and without the bow in the base of the branch. Other trees might benefit from a slice at the top of the branch in the crotch.

Here is a link that might be useful: bonsaikc.com

Hi BOB,,good to see your post..branch bending is sometimes hard for me,,too big of a hurry!!! do you give out your E MAIL to anyone?????take care john

I'm only working with tropicals now so everything happens fast -- even wire marks. I made those multiple cuts because I wanted a more gentle bend in the branch, nothing too drastic. I have a large semi-cascade ficus which a large wedge was cut out of the trunk to re-position it. It worked but took forever for the scar to finally heal.

Yes, there are variations on everything.

No John, I don't give out my email but can be contacted through the forum or Facebook.

I'm thinking along the same lines you are, Bonsaikc. There is a branch collar that is enveloped by a trunk collar that surrounds the branch. Vessels transport water and nutrients upward through cambial tissues from below the branch, so any cuts below the branch on the trunk under the branch, or on the underside of the branch near the trunk are going to impede water/nutrient flow - severely in some trees where water movement is very linear (Thuja for example) and not quite so severely in trees where water movement is not quite so linear. The DOWNWARD movement of substances in the phloem tissue, and phloem tissue itself, forms around the BASE of the branch and turns abruptly upward below the branch, and also 'feeds' the branch from the bottom (You can confirm this info in texts like the late Dr Alex Shigo's work 'A New Tree Biology', and other works by Kozlowsky and Pallardy (The Physiology of Woody Plants and Growth Control in Woody Plants. So, an extremely important point here, is there is no direct local conduction from trunk tissues above the branch INTO the branch - it's all from below.

The union of a branch to the trunk is almost like a ball and socket. Using a concave cutter to cut into trunk tissue above the branch, then simply repositioning the branch at the desired angle has very little, if any, impact on hydraulic movement to/from the branch - as long as you don't go crazzy. ;-) As you pointed out, it also makes branch positioning more realistic appearing when the base of the branch proper, actually emerges from the trunk at a downward angle, rather than emerging at an upward angle and then being obviously manipulated downward.

The scar left above the branch is usually not unsightly, and depending on the branch size often heals to the point of being completely noticeable in 1-3 growth seasons.

I use this technique commonly, & simply use a toothpick to work waterproof wood glue into the wound above the branch to eliminate dessication of the wood surrounding the wound, which helps it heal faster. This technique is especially useful on lower branches - to give them the look of an old branch that has been pulled down by its own weight (or perhaps the weight of snow in some trees) over time, and the wood of the trunk formed over the downward growing branch .... much nicer than having that branch base growing off the trunk at an upward angle and then being wired or pulled into a downward position with the base still at an upward angle.

Al

"As you pointed out, it also makes branch positioning more realistic appearing when the base of the branch proper, actually emerges from the trunk at a downward angle, rather than emerging at an upward angle and then being obviously manipulated downward."

However, when looking at nature in general, in an imperfect world, we also see where branches emerge at an upward angle then are forced down by natural forces. 'Natural' according to conditions caused by nature.

As always it's a matter of taste, style and the grower's/stylist's preference in how the design of the finished tree should look. I can look around and find many trees with branches just like that.

Most of us also realize that there is just as much beauty in a 'perfect' formal upright as there is in a distressed-contorted tree which has been designed with some elements of drama.

It's all part of the art of Bonsai.

".... much nicer than having that branch base growing off the trunk at an upward angle and then being wired or pulled into a downward position with the base still at an upward angle."

But, can also be used as an element of design.

When I first started looking this tree over it had many elements which would lead to having some 'drama' in the finished design.
It would lend itself to a windswept style easily.
There was enough primary movement in the trunk to suggest a hard life.
The tangle of opposite roots (common in old tropicals I see every day here) giving the suggestion that it's spent it's life hanging on hard.

The cuts made have healed completly and the branch is growing like crazy while holding it's position well.

Bob

Generally too, branches that are slightly rising from their attachment point (to the trunk) instead of drooping are a much more convincing compliment to the windswept style.

Al

Bob; I think it looks pretty good. If I had indoor Bonsai I'd take it home. I'd suggest that you leave that wire on for quite awhile longer until all the cuts are healed together. After only 4 months I'm pretty sure the wood would spring back. I would say at least a year. That is if all the wood and bark is still alive between the cuts. Might need to put on new wire first and then remove the current wire if it starts cutting in.
It looked like there were a couple of BIG cuts on the trunk that would be nicer if you did some artistic carving on them. Keep up the good work.

Hey Potawatomi, is that Potawatomi, KS???

I'll post a few new pics if I have time and the internet co-operates for a while. It took a little over 4 months for the smaller cuts to heal and the branch to take a good set. That's one reason I went with the smaller cuts and not one large one...it also made the curve more gentle which was my plan.

The smaller cuts have also become invisible, unlike making one large cut or 'V' in the branch.

Bob