Its probably not good enough for bonsai...

Hey Max,

Me once again. I would be seriously interested in seeing some of the more mature trees you have developed. You have some to show?

Cheers,

Jelle.

leatherback wrote:Hey Max,

Me once again. I would be seriously interested in seeing some of the more mature trees you have developed. You have some to show?

Cheers,

Jelle.

Jelle, my website is currently arising.
Fiona helped me to proofread my english.
So I will soon have an english website with many photos.

You can have a look to my german site if you want but this is not realy finished as well since I have to bring my trees to a photostudio.
May be these sites will interest you:
http://maxengels.de/services.html
http://maxengels.de/gallery.html

luc tran wrote:Hi Max,

It's good to be confidence, likewise its also good to be humble.

I appreciate an artists whom have clear ideas about what they want, but I am more appreciative of artists whom can explain the concepts of why and what they intend to do with the tree. It clears up a lot of questions regarding the development of the tree. Artisitcally everyone see things differently, but to make another aware of your own artistry is what I think is a big part of Bonsai. We use rules and guidelines as standards to judge, and its not bad to challenge them, but please say why.

Best of luck to your tree.

Luc

Luc,

1. I will not air layer it becaue this is a technique which is extremely risky with any oak especially when it allready has bark
and also especially in the german climate. I thought most people would know that.
2. I don't want it to become bigger for the told reasons.
3. I want the tree to look like my virtual shows but with the difference that the branches shall not build strict levels but look a bit more orderless like a natural oak at the end. This to my mind is absolutely possible.

Andre Beaurain wrote:Max

I have my doubts that this is an Turkey Oak. Your leaves on your stunning tree is NOT that of a normal Turkey Oak.
In the Turkey Oak the leaves are much more lobed, and the lobed points are also more pointed, the entire leave is much narrower than other Oaks.
More likely to be either Quercus robur ( English Oak) Same leave
or Quercus pyrenaica....the grey bark, speaks of this oak. and the same leave as the English Oak.
Of course the acorn will settle this problem....what does it look like?
The Caucasian Oak also has the same leave...but this tree is very rare.
I agree with Will......whats wrong with ascending branches?

Andre,
it can definetely not be a Quercus robur which grows everywhere in Germany and as a bonsai develops much slower than this oak.
Also I don't think its a Quercus pyrenaica as the leaves look quite different. So do the branches since they start quite early with getting bark.
I never saw a Quercus bonsai which got acorns! Did you realy ever saw one? Please show it!..
Quercus macranthera has different leaves, different branches, different bark.
Probably my quercus cerris is a hybrid which is quite usual for this species.

[quote="Max"]

Andre Beaurain wrote:Max



Andre,
it can definetely not be a Quercus robur which grows everywhere in Germany and as a bonsai develops much slower than this oak.
Also I don't think its a Quercus pyrenaica as the leaves look quite different. So do the branches since they start quite early with getting bark.
I never saw a Quercus bonsai which got acorns! Did you realy ever saw one? Please show it!..
Quercus macranthera has different leaves, different branches, different bark.
Probably my quercus cerris is a hybrid which is quite usual for this species.

Hi Max,

I have a quercus ilex that develops acorns and a quercus robur that also does. I never took the trouble to photograph them with the acorns on so you will just have to take my word for it. If these are pinched back, you will not get acorns but for branches that are allowed to grow on, they will produce acorns.

I believe you, mambo!
Be so kind post a pic when its having acorns again! I would love to see it!
Especially the robur!

[quote="mambo"]

Max wrote:

Andre Beaurain wrote:Max



Andre,
it can definetely not be a Quercus robur which grows everywhere in Germany and as a bonsai develops much slower than this oak.
Also I don't think its a Quercus pyrenaica as the leaves look quite different. So do the branches since they start quite early with getting bark.
I never saw a Quercus bonsai which got acorns! Did you realy ever saw one? Please show it!..
Quercus macranthera has different leaves, different branches, different bark.
Probably my quercus cerris is a hybrid which is quite usual for this species.

Hi Max,

I have a quercus ilex that develops acorns and a quercus robur that also does. I never took the trouble to photograph them with the acorns on so you will just have to takee my word for it. If these are pinched back, you will not get acorns but for branches that are allowed to grow on, they will produce acorns.

Hi Max,

Thank you for the link. I like the style yo have choosen for the website!

Nice to see you had such a good time travelling Asia. Just as a friendly note: If this is going to be your business website, consider reducing the number of pictures on Asia somewhat, especially on the non-bonsai items. It almost feels like a travel journal; But that may of course be exactly what you are aiming for!

Ein schönes Wochenende!,

Jelle.

[quote="Max"]I believe you, mambo!
Be so kind post a pic when its having acorns again! I would love to see it!
Especially the robur!

[quote="mambo"][quote="Max"]

Andre Beaurain wrote:Max



]

I am re-growing and thickening a branch on the Ilex and that one has produced acorns for the last 4 or 5 years or so as I do not prune it.

Last year, after years of bugging me to sell it to him, I "gave" the Robur to a very good friend of mine. He can enjoy it until he is too old to do bonsai (he is almost 70 now). Then I will get it back. I am hoping he will enjoy it for another 20 years. I was at his house yesterday and he told me he was going to let it loose this year so that it will produce acorns. I will try and remember at the right time.

Young man, as i told you in your last thread, "Without refinement, there is no gold." This not only applies to bonsai, but to you as a human. LEARN to take advice. The folks on here are like a nice bonsai (old, seasoned, veterans) If you are teachable, you will learn. Have a nice day!

Hello I'm new here, so have lots of questions!

Max you said air layering oaks is risky, would ground layering (http://www.bonsai4me.co.uk/AdvTech/ATNebari.html) be as risky? This is not a suggestion for you, it is a question for me Though if it were safe, it may give you nice nebari (like most of the oaks around here). Love your tree!

Hi Duncan,
thanks for your feedback!
Well, in my opinion this technique has another problem as oaks often have too heavy bark for new roots...
Making new roots out of nowhere simply doesn't work for most oaks. So don't risk a tree just because it works once in a thousand times.
The results I know are also not very good-looking.

BW
Max

Pic from today

Wow thanks for the speedy reply!
That makes sense, will it be true for most "thick bark" trees? And by "not very good looking" do you mean the new roots are too thin or unrealistic for an oak?

Your tree looks much more natural (to me) at this angle, and the bark at the bottom is already starting to blend in nicely! How long ago was it planted in deeper soil if you don't mind me asking?

Hi Duncan,
at least this is true for many or even most "thick bark" trees...
By "not very good looking" I mean the results I know so far all just made a few roots without any symmetry.
My tree was repotted this spring.  

BW
Max

Hi Max,

I'm interested in your saying layering will not work on "thick bark" trees. Is this from experience? I have got many olives to root and they have thick bark. I do want to layer a cork-bark elm, so your statement confuses me. I can't understand why thick bark is an issue as bark is after all just a dead outer layer. Does it matter whether this is thick or thin if it is dead? Perhaps oaks don't layer well because they are oaks, and not because they have thick bark?

Cheers,

Andrew

Would not simply planting it deeper in a deeper pot make it more visually appealing?  At a point above where the inverse taper starts. Great bark on this guy. It looks strange to see it end at the current planting depth.

Andrew, I didn't write layering will not work on thick bark trees. I wrote: "this is true for many or even most "thick bark" trees".
This is not only my own experience but also common knowledge I thought. I made this experience over the last 10 years with surely about 30 trees of different species. Of course this is still not scientifically approved. So feel free to make your own experience.

Jkd2572, I am looking forward to your virtual showing a fitting higher pot...

bw
Max

Andrew, I forgot to write if you do everything properly you will for sure not have any problems with an elm or an olive.
So don't feel scared because of my statement.  

bw
Max