Radically Redesigning a Black Pine Through Grafting
Patrick J. deSilva of The Way of Bonsai™
There are two aspects of grafting that must be learned: how to do the graft and where to place the graft. Learning how to do the graft is simply a matter of conscientious practice. Learning where to place the graft requires a sensitivity that can be developed. It requires an observant eye as to design and an understanding of how a tree grows and develops which can only be realized through experience.
Since the end of January, 2002, I had been grafting black pine buds onto hundreds of five-year old black pine trees grown from seed. The trees had been purchased from a local grower in Numazu, Japan the previous fall and I had been attempting to graft the beginnings of branches onto the trees at locations that I thought most suitable for the continued development of the trees.
Grafting is a relatively straightforward process that is described in many beginning bonsai manuals and I refer you to such manuals. Though I had been told that it is a simple process of grafting onto a young tree, I had also been told that it is more complicated to graft onto an older tree. The lifeline of an older tree being thinner than that of a young tree.
Towards the end of April, 2002, I found myself at a farmer's market at the site of the old castle in Shizuoka, Japan. All that remains of the fortress are some of the old outer walls surrounded by a moat used as the first line of defense against possible attack during the Edo period.
Often at these markets, a few vendors have the odd bonsai tree or two for sale. These usually are not fine representatives of the craft. I was on the look out for an older tree with an interesting feature close to the ground so as to make a shohin bonsai.
And find one I did! It was about 55 cm. in height and it had a short, fat base with exceedingly thick bark. Other than the base of the tree, there was nothing else that I would consider desirable in the tree. I haggled with the vendor for five minutes, paid less than $30 for the tree, and, as I walked away from the market, I was already thinking about where to put the grafts and how deep to sink the grafts in the wood to reach the living tissue.
A word about timing: I had been warned that late April is long past the time for grafting in Shizuoka. As with many things in life, timing can be very important. Remember that timing and balancing the energy requirements of different parts of the tree is both an art and a science. In this case, I was due to go to China the next week to study the craft of making bonsai pots and would not be back for two months. I thought, "Let's try the grafts and see if they take hold. If I fail, I can always add grafts the following year earlier in the season when the buds are just starting to push."
Since there were no branches low to the ground, I
decided I needed two grafts: one to create the main branch and one to create the
new trunk of the tree. From the main trunk, I would be developing appropriate
branching and a new foliage canopy.
As you can see, the two grafts did take hold and as the new trunk developed strength, I removed more and more of the former trees' upper foliage and branching. The small picture below shows only a short stub remaining of what used to be the main trunk of the tree. By constantly balancing the energy needs of the various parts of the tree, the sap continued to rise to aid the grafts growth while the upper foliage slowly relinquished strength by being cut back for the development of the grafts. In other words, as the grafts grew stronger, I could remove more and more of the trees original foliage until, finally, all of the original foliage had been removed, retaining just the grafts.
As you can see from the picture above, the basic form of the tree is now apparent. From this point on, I am simply developing the overall ramification of the branches. The grafts are now two and a half years old. Height 23cm.