Pot for an olive

Yvonne Graubaek wrote: ... ...I dont think the trunk need taper, but to make the lower branches more fat... ...

That's exactly what I mean, Yvonne. I am referring to the branches' taper, not the trunk's.

Yvonne Graubaek wrote:... ...If you look up the pages, can you see I already cut the tree back as you mentioned... ....

Excuse me for insisting Yvonne, but what I mention is quite different than what you describe here:

Yvonne Graubaek wrote: ... ...and cut back the rest to 4-5 leaves... ....

I said you cut the branch to the desired length keeping only the last pair of leaves and cut every other pair of leaves keeping their stems.

Hi Alexandra

Yes, I said that, but soon after posting, did I give it the DODD-treatment....this was mentioned under the posted photo of the cut branches

DODD- Do Or Die Darling

Kind regards Yvonne

Hello you two,
Alexandra, and Auntie Yvonne,

thank you Alexandra for this -

"Well, around late April (for Greece) you defoliate keeping the stems of the leaves, except the very last pair of leaves at the tip of the branch. You will be astonished to see that every node will give you a pair of new leaves."

I am always looking for information on olives,as I have the wild african type from seed [ South Africa ] and I have never been able to fully control the tree.
Grows easily,in full sun, and gives no trouble,but I need more information on training techniques.

Auntie,

wow!!, you are bold.
I treat trees as living beings and so will never deliberately remove live bark, but it is interesting to see how others handle their efforts.
Thank you for taking the time to show your continued projects.
Nephew.
Later.
Khaimraj

Hi Nephew

It is normal to remove bark, when you want to create deadwood parts.....the live viens are still fully connected with the core, except from one little part, on less than one cm. here is a fairly fat bridge, hopefully enough to keep the cambium alive, othervis do I have an another option.....No parts of the sapflow have been cut..roots and branches are all connected...it is not really brave...it is a safe way to make a boring tree diffrent.

The branches I cut back to bare...did shoot from everyvere, not only from the buds, but also right from the branch...theese shots was the strongest....the branch became very bumby, before the leaves broke out...looked funny.

This tree comes from france ( yamadori)..it has small leaves, and the bark is not really great...I have an another small shohinolive with VERY rough bark...from a gardennursery...somehow is it not a tree I would dare cut back like that.

Back to the pot....I think the glaze has to be quit smooth and semimat, as the bark is not that great, and I dont think it will ever be...but othervise as Alexandra describes.

Kind regards Yvonne

Auntie,

when I lived in Florence,Italy, the oldest olives didn't really have any typical shapes, and were to me just beautiful.Your olive to me was just beautiful, and not at all boring.

If I get some time today I will draw you an image of what I thought it would have grown into.
Stay well.
Nephew

Hi Khaimraj

You make nice drawings, and I would like to see your suggestion.

I have a blown up collorphoto 94 x 64 cm. of a 800 year old olive from crete hanging on the wall in my livingroom...I took this photo more than 20 years ago..this was the image I wanted to create....

This is about bonsai, not just gardenplants..and if they are not treated like living beins, will you have no results at all. Please take a look at my other posts...you can see my trees gain age, and is being developed.

This olivetree is very much cared for...I live in cold weath Denmark...And belive me, I do not come sleeping to have a healthy olive. I do not talk up and dawn the wall about how much time I spend on the care for my living beings, but I do spend a lot.

I knew this tree for 7 years, and know its growinghabits...the branches I cut back was not new and thin, they vere 7 years old, and I knew they had to have hidden buds...this is how much I know my tree....Deep dawn inside I knew for many years something had to be done about this tree. And Hans tricked me, the crown was restyled...I just was in a workshop, learning some carvingtecniqes, with great value for me, now I was ready to to take the next step.....I like the tree much more now, and can see an interesting future.

When the viens have matured and grown fater, and the wood is dry, and oldlooking, do I have a much more interesting bonsai.

This tree is an living being, and it will be kept out of dayrain, strong wind, and hard sun, Only moderate rain, wind and sun will be given to this tree for the rest of the year....sun will only be given to the backside of the tree, to keep the carving in the shade....this mean, I will go to the garden many times during the day, to turn the tree a little...

Kind regards Yvonne

Yvonne Graubaek wrote: ... ...This tree is an living being, and it will be kept out of dayrain, strong wind, and hard sun, Only moderate rain, wind and sun will be given to this tree for the rest of the year.... ...

Why is that, Yvonne?
Olives do thrive under full sun and strong winds. Is it because of the stress of carving you have made?

Hi Alexandra

I think you read my reply a little to fast...did not see ( quote) the rest, wich are important for the olives health.

Everything done to a tree/plant will stress.... digging up, leafpruning, styling, repotting and so on.

Kind regards Yvonne

Good morning, Yvonne!
At first I'd like to thank you for your time and response.

Well, perhaps it's the language barrier...
Please, let me express my question in other words, so that it may be more clear to you.

• Since we know that olives thrive under full sun and strong winds,

• have you opted in keeping the tree "...out of dayrain, strong wind, and hard sun" and let the tree be given "Only moderate rain, wind and sun"

• because you aim at the best recovery of the tree after the stress of carving

I would also like to clarify that I am only referring to carving because this is the very last stressing condition the tree was under. The pruning has been effected in Spring as declared by Yvonne, so the tree obviously has recovered from that stress. I do not imply anything about carving...

Sorry for being such a nuissance...
But I am still at the learning stage and I do want to understand everything correctly.

Thank you again!

Hello Auntie and Alexandra,

well I decided not to draw any images. I also realised that the first image of the olive on this page looked like an elephant in the water. My pot choice at that time would have been something simple, deep and not glazed, probably deep brown.

For the new image, I am afraid I am at a loss to offer any pot choices. Apologies.
Too many things going on in that image,but most probably the pot choice would have been simple, dark and deep.

Alexandra,my research on the wood of trees,came up with, most heartwood needs 50 years plus to become durable, if that type of tree's wood ever becomes durable upon exposure to insect or weathering.
Otherwise you are stuck with some form of artificial wood hardener.
Have a great day you two !!!
Uhtil.
Khaimraj [ Nephew]

Amazing work done.

Although I am not so good with photoshop as some of the others, one of the pots I had seen on this forum (here) I thought would be nice from shape & color. Maybe it is a little deep. Anyway.. my suggestion would be in this direction:

Hi Alexandra

Every time a bonsaitree has undergone any kind of work, is it best to keep it protected and extra monitored for a while. This I do, untill I can see, it is back in good condition.
Rather safe than sorry.

Khaimraj, your words
For the new image, I am afraid I am at a loss to offer any pot choices. Apologies.
Too many things going on in that image,but most probably the pot choice would have been simple, dark and deep.

You do not have to apologise for not being able to decide a pot....As I wrote with the photo, would you have to imagine the wood dry and gray, and the viens mature....this will give a much more quet, but still lively image. Sorry for showing the tree to early, i should have waited, then more people maybe would have understood.

Hi Leatherback

I am happy you like my work, many thanks....

Nice to see your potsuggestion, it makes it nice and easy to decide what is best.....But to me is the cracks too much together with the things going on, on the tree....and the glaze is too juicy...the collor of the bark is dry.
This pot would have been very nice with the tree, before restyling.

After I carved the tree, and restyled the crown, have I not problems any more, with knowing what kind of pot the tree need.
I like the pot N-OA 1206 on Peter Kreb's homepage, under ovals for sale...the pot is the right sice too.
I would be very happy if a virtual could be made with this pot...and please let me know what you think of it.

Kind regards Yvonne

Thank you Yvonne and thank you too Khaimraj!

OK, no prob. Just thought the cracked surface would blend nicely with the bark anbd deadwood when bleached and dried out some more. Your pot was this set I think (Once again: I have no faincy software let alone skills, I am sure someone will do a better virt at some point).

Hi Leatherback

It was a pale pot I was looking at...but thanks for the virtual

Kind regards Yvonne

A little update....


The collor is more quiet now, and more work has been done, to make the design better, my model is an old olive like the one you can see on Andres photo

Many living viens, dead fallen off bark, and hollows.....the bumps on the viens will also appear, they are already working.....

I used to have a tree, were I only shaped the crown, taking care the branches did not cross...also did I constant keep new shots away from the trunk...
Now is it compleetely diffrent...much more fun....Next spring will the very top of the tree be cut slightly back to renew....
The branches I kept, are now being shaped as they grow.....and from the trunk/viens, is new shots growing from everyvere...they are being kept a short while before removeval, to create the bumps...new callus is seen everyvere along the side of the viens.

This large area used to be very boring

On the backside is sacrificebranches working from the middle of the lowest branches.
Hope you like it.

Kind regards Yvonne...a pot has been ordered

yvonne I think it is exuisitely done, looks much much older now!

Hi Andre

Many thanks for your reply....
I am actuly a bit surpriced not to have more replies....as this olive, only 19 cm tall has been carved in a compleetely new way, not like other olives is being carved...at least not, as far as I know...never saw it before.
I expect the tree to look quit nice in a few years, having this old gnarled bark with viens and holes.

I can only regrett I dont have a larger tree, of this kind of olive...I would have loved to carve this one too

Kind regards Yvonne

Nice work on this Yvonne, do you have any updates?

Also, do you mind sharing your pruning technique that got you as far as the first pic you shared of the olive.

I'd imagine clip and grow was used to get the foliage as dense, bearing in mind she had it since 2005 and these Olives just love to grow.