Sage's Bonsai : Ginko

Spring 2018

Below is the ginkgo. This is what the planting angle has been. You can see the vertical (flame) style that is typical of this species. I am proud of the movement away from the trunk that I achieved from early wiring. The carving on top is simple but has the look that I am going for (so far).

On the side that was laying in the soil (left side in previous image), there appears to be some rot. I tried to nick it with my fingernail and it seemed pretty firm, so I decided to leave it. I will probably have to carve and preserve it in the future. Big root cuts made previously were the same, but seemed to be callused over.

The root in the image above (on the right side) was too high, now that I decided to change the planting angle to get that side off the soil. My plan was to stand it up, and actually have it lean slightly the other direction. This, I hope, will do two things:

1) Dry out and hopefully prevent any further rot.
2) Cause a change in direction in the new growth to add visual movement. Ginkgo's can be brittle and difficult to wire.

Below is a photo with the root cut. Taken from a different angle.

Here you can see the rotted section and the line on the right side of the image showing the bark line.

You can see the new angle and the "windswept" look. The new growth will most likely grow straight up and give the branching some more movement.

The main flaw in this tree is the lack of root spread which is evident in the photo below.

Here is the opposite side.

Update: here it is in the beginning of June 2018

End of Summer 2018. It did not put on much growth this year. Perhaps it was too shaded, but after a few years of intense sun I chose to protect my collection in a mostly shaded location under a large maple. I also did root work this past spring, and re-positioned its planting angle. Now it is semi-windswept. I'll see how the vertical growth habit of ginko's will change the direction of the branching.