Now the tree will rest again for at least one year. The wire will stay for two years probably. then I might pot it into the final container in spring of 2014. The tree will take ten to fifteen years to be ready for exhibit. Such is bonsai life.
The foliage of black pines is quite coarse and it is perfectly normal for them to look kind of raw after first styling. This is similar to ponderosa pines. After a few years it will get much better.
This whole series will be my entry in the 'masterclass - Bonsai Academy with Walter Pall' in the Bonsai Fachforum, which is the most active German forum and probably the most active bonsai forum anywhere. This is something like the online version of the Bonsai Academy. There I will comment much further about the steps taken so far. The class will critique the tree and the work. This will be quite interesting.
