I purchased a small Picea pungens – Colorado Blue Spruce Bonsai from my friend Bob Randell who collected the tree in the mountains of Colorado. I had the tree for several years and did nothing with it. I decided to style the tree in 2019 and it looked ok. The tree was allowed to grow unchecked in 2019 and I brought it down to the Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield location to start work on it for 2020. International Bonsai Master Larry Jackel like the tree and gave some suggestions for the tree. Mainly extending the branches on the right side of the tree some. He also advised placing a rock on the soil to help stabilize the tree in the pot. He also noticed some type of insect activity on the tip of one branch. He broke it off and showed us the pin holes in the dead part of the branch tip. He said that is where the insect(s) exited the branch tip. I think he said it was a spruce gall. I will treat the tree with a systemic insecticide in the spring. Larry also gave advice on pinching the new spring growth on the tree to help produce more backbudding on the tree.
New 10-17-2020:
All of the copper wire was removed from the tree and the tree was rewired with aluminum wire. The tree had been allowed to grow unchecked all year and would need to be thinned out and cut back. The tree looks much better now and will have its new buds pinched back in the spring of 2021. The tree still needs some more development on the back side of the tree.
Gallery: 10-17-2020:
Gallery 03-21-2020:
