Last weekend, my family met up at my aunts house in the high country of Colorado for Easter. I brought with me a shovel, a bunch of pots and bonsai soil. You see, my aunt has a massive property with tons of rocky outcrops, and I quickly realized the day before how perfect of an opportunity this was to collect some badass Colorado Yamadori.

You know how you always seem to forget something in important situations? Well, I did that this day. I only remembered enough bonsai soil for one tree. I realized my fault quickly, but decided to not to dwell on my mistake and instead make the best of the situation. I scouted the property, and quickly found multiple tree’s that all had at least some potential, but nothing that really stuck out until I found this Ponderosa. It was growing strangely enough, in a less rocky area. However, the soil was thin and it was a highly shaded area that caused it to naturally grow into a literati in a search for light. It also has natural deadwood. This is the proposed front.

The wound in the trunk concerns me a bit, but I did a thorough look and couldn’t find any pests responsible. Here’s another possible front.

So, the plan. I’m going to absolutely let this recover for at least a year if not more. Once this tree is healthy and ready to go, I’m going to improve the shari that’s already started on the front of the truck. Besides that, I’ll really just have to see the tree in a year and make a decision from there.