I still consider most of my trees to be pre-bonsai. I have a couple that have developed over the years into what I consider “bonsai”, or at least “near-bonsai”. This tree is the first one that I purchased in a state of development that I would call already a bonsai. I bought it from from Brussel’s bonsai, Mississippi, last September. After overwintering it and waiting for it to leaf out this spring, I slip-potted it today into a Japanese pot purchased from Bjorn at Eisei-en nursery in Tennessee. The internet can be a wonderful thing.

The tree today.

The tree on the day it arrived.

Settling in.

Losing its leaves for winter.

Winter provides the opportunity to assess the tree’s structure. Although it does not look like an old tree I like its design and think I can develop it further into an older-looking tree in the next couple of years.

Budding out for spring after a brief winter break.

Another possible front.

Flame on!

The tree a month ago.

Letting the new growth do its thing.

The tree this morning. I decided to slip pot it into a larger container to encourage growth. It is probably too late in the season to do any root work for now but I expect to get good growth this summer.

Speaking of roots, these look pretty good. The tree was potted in a mixture of organics and grit. I will start transitioning it to my mix of scoria, pumice, and akadama but will leave the root ball intact with its original soil for this repotting.

The new pot and bonsai soil. In this larger container I expect the tree will be able to put on more trunk and branch growth relatively quickly.
I love this pomegranate bonsai, such an interesting trunk formation!
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Thanks! I think the trunk is the tree’s best feature. The branches are a bit swirly so after growing them out to fatten everything up for a year or two I think I will cut them back shorter.
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