AusBonsai

Hi All,

Not sure where to post this, so mods, please move it if I got it wrong!

I am doing a demo this weekend at our Cape Town Arbour Day display. I'm planning a clump style planting with 5 elms. Each tree is about 40 to 50cm high and probably about 2 - 3 cms at the base. I have a design in mind, but would b interested to hear from y'all bout any general design considerations for clump style plantings. My current plan it to get them all planted very close to each other, and use the tallest tree as a kind of central tree with the others radiating around it. Comments?

Cheers,

Andrew

This came up at our last meeting if they are individual trees most would call it a group but if they fuse together over time it would be seen as a clump

Hi Andrew, I really love multiple trunk bonsai so best of luck spreading the word.

Some points I try to follow are:
Like all multi trunk plantings, trunks should be different height and thickness.
Trunks and branches should follow a 'theme' - similar shape, curves, etc.
Tops of smaller trunks bend out away from main trunk and from branch planes.
Lowerst branches on smaller trunks when possible.
Branches from different trunks but follow the same form as a single trunk ie lowest branch is to one side and slightly forward, etc.
Interior trunks will have few branches on lower trunk.
Clumps can be developed by threading several seedlings through a hole drilled in sheet metal. As they thicken the sheet cuts off circulation causing callus which grafts to the other seedlings. New roots grow from the callus over the plate to give a horizontal nebari. first pic below was grown this way.
A couple of pics that might illustrate some of the above.

shibui wrote:Hi Andrew, I really love multiple trunk bonsai so best of luck spreading the word.

Some points I try to follow are:
Like all multi trunk plantings, trunks should be different height and thickness.
Trunks and branches should follow a 'theme' - similar shape, curves, etc.
Tops of smaller trunks bend out away from main trunk and from branch planes.
Lowerst branches on smaller trunks when possible.
Branches from different trunks but follow the same form as a single trunk ie lowest branch is to one side and slightly forward, etc.
Interior trunks will have few branches on lower trunk.
Clumps can be developed by threading several seedlings through a hole drilled in sheet metal. As they thicken the sheet cuts off circulation causing callus which grafts to the other seedlings. New roots grow from the callus over the plate to give a horizontal nebari. first pic below was grown this way.
A couple of pics that might illustrate some of the above.

trident 6 clump 2012 9 2.JPG

Trident 7 2010 05 a.JPG

Thanks Shibui,

I'll let you know how I go!

Cheers,

Andrew

great info shibui! thanks Maples are quickly becoming my favourite species and I love those multi-trunk trees you have.

good luck with your demo OP. sounds like good stock to start with... i looke forward to photos

Great Post Shibui
I have updated the wiki here https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... lump_style using you valuable info and trees. Pity the server will not let me resize them and use thumbnails, but steven will have to work that out

I have always struggled with Clump styles, but you have just summed it up very nicely thanks.

Ken

So guys 'n gals,

Turns out it went fairly well. Getting five trees to go where you want them to go is not the easiest thing with a single pair of hands, but with a few braces and tricks, it seems all is well in the end. The trunks are not coming out as close as I'd like them to, but I did not want to take too much root off either, so I'll improve that with time. So without further ado, may I present my masterpiece!
I think I am going to take a lot of foliage off it now and give it a spray with Wiltpruf to stop excessive transpiration. It was probably a bit later than ideal to do such heavy root reduction. I have not worried too much about branch placement for now, again because it needs to settle down a bit first and well, you know, there's plenty of time down the road for working on it more!

One really cool thing is that I've been asked by someone in the audience to make them one too! My very first commissioned bonsai!!!

Cheers everyone and hope you've had a good weekend!

Andrew

Hi Andrew,

It does not at all look like five individual trees, from the photo, I tend to think that taken individually, these trees still have a fair way to go. But as a group, I think all you need now is to fill the foliage up as required, and it will a handsome bonsai much sooner than the individual trees.

Cheers and regards.

Looks great!! Do chiness elm fuse??

Great job Andrew. The harmony between the trunks is great. Try to keep minimum foliage on the shorter trunks and allow the main trunk to grow a bit so it will thicken a little more than the others. Next winter will be ok to reduce the offending roots and get the trunks closer together. Chinese elm are pretty well bomb proof so should pull through this late repot

Thanks Daviet - $45 for the 5 plants so yes, you are correct, they'd need some time to be good individual trees! Some good aftercare for now and then I'll start working on branch placement.

Gof, thanks mate. It's a start. I have been told that I will not get these elms to join as they are the cork bark variety. I'm not sure I believe that as if it is done well, I can't see why a neatly and accurately placed graft union would not take. Just my theory, and no experience to back it up yet. Time will tell.

Thanks Shibui, I certainly hope to thicken up that primary tree with some sacrifice branches. I have been asked to do a similar planting for someone who was watching the demo, so I think that one needs to be done reasonably soon if I want to get it done in time. Aftercare aftercare aftercare!!!! I may convince her to allow me to do it as a forest planting initially to allow for less root pruning, and then clump it up next year. I'll see how this one responds as well. Maybe some Wiltpruf will be in order!



Andrew

Just thought I'd drop in this cool virt done by a mate of mine, Justin Hervey. He got it bang on what I'm aiming for!
Cheers,

Andrew