Zelkova project

[Rory]

And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?

Ah yes that part I was being serious. I meant as its now growing in a pot, I presume it will take many years for the branches that were given heavy cuts to thicken to the point that the flow of taper on the branches looks more natural. Hope that makes sense.

[AGarcia]

I really like the shape of this one as i can imagine a large head of twigs on the branches you have.
I don't expect it to take too long to heal those wounds as it looks like a strong grower and plenty of pot space.
Well done.
Big is better.

[treeman]

And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?

Ah yes that part I was being serious. I meant as its now growing in a pot, I presume it will take many years for the branches that were given heavy cuts to thicken to the point that the flow of taper on the branches looks more natural. Hope that makes sense.

No need to explain Rory, I know what you meant. I was just pulling your twigs.

[treeman]

I really like the shape of this one as i can imagine a large head of twigs on the branches you have.
I don't expect it to take too long to heal those wounds as it looks like a strong grower and plenty of pot space.
Well done.
Big is better.

Thanks AG. I don't know if bigger is better though. As long as you have enough size to give reasonable detail it's fine by me. I reckon about 8 inches is the lower limit for a ''tree'' bonsai. In fact I try to avoid really big trees generally.

[lenlen]

Thanks for posting, it will be good to see the development of this tree over time! Very nice so far.

[treeman]

Here it is again. Doesn't look like much progress but there is quite a bit. This is after pruning the long branches off (some were 1.5 metres long) and some provisional selective pruning. More needs to come off but I will wait till budding in spring so I know exactly where they will be and how much harder I can go. This past season I loosely wired the new young shoots into some kind of position and when they were ''set'' the wire was removed and let go until mid summer. By that time they were a metre or so. All the leaves were removed and the above process repeated. A new central leader was selected as it was more central to the tree. That was allowed to grow without pruning for the whole year. It's now the thickest branch and you can see it as the tallest branch in the pic. It needs to be shortened a lot as do the rest. So, I am really still only up to the second ramification even though some of the third is appearing here and there. The basic bones are almost there. When the third ramification is established, progress will be quite fast from there.
A little carving of the scars was also done but more need to be done in this area as well - no rush. After that, repotting is needed desperately. Two seasons have past since the last potting session.

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From above..

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[Jake fowler]

Nice Mike it is really taking shape! Good work

[Steven]

Brilliant progression thread Mike, thanks for taking the time to keep us updated.
Regards,
Steven

[Matt S]

Love this thread. It nicely shows the slow steady progress required in the early stages of building the framework before the more dramatic final stages.

I notice the graft on the main right hand branch didn't take, will you try again?

Matt.

[MJL]

Staggering thread. Helpful and daunting in equal measures. Initially, I could not get my head around the future ‘scale’. My simplistic skull was asking “why another fat trunk” - that was the question bouncing around my skull. For whatever reason, I am developing an open bias against fat trunks; even some with good taper —- unless they are in proportion and pleasing and I guess ... that’s the subjective bit. But here ... here, I am slowly getting it. Treeman’s ability to keep an eye on the long term is, in my mind, the hardest skill. It’s not just patience ... it’s having the skills and knowledge to guide growth such that patience is rewarded. I now get what’s happening here and it’s very cool.

Learning, learning ....


Bonsai teaches me patience.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[treeman]

Love this thread. It nicely shows the slow steady progress required in the early stages of building the framework before the more dramatic final stages.

I notice the graft on the main right hand branch didn't take, will you try again?

Matt.

No neither graft worked. I was not too surprised as I just basically cut a stick off and stuck it under the bark. Try again?...maybe, maybe not. I think that eventually there will be enough going on in the canopy to make it unnecessary?

[treeman]

Update
A couple of years have passed and I have removed the last of this season's leaves.
During this last summer it was defoliated twice and hedged back twice. This is the result...

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After the preliminary cleanup...

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After the second pruning.... The little white tag shows the new front - slightly turned anti-clockwise. I found that I could do away with the skinny branch on the lower left by doing this.

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Below. Thin branch covered up....

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After wiring (using scraps of second hand wire - still waiting for my new wire to arrive!!!!)

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Below, the base of the tree and the lower parts of the branches. Getting there!

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[benbonsai]

Great read treeman, it’s looking really good so far.
Love the commitment to a long term project. Good bonsai take time to create, something I’m learning as the years go on.

[Jow]

I have a Japanese magazine from the 80's somewhere that has a quite famous zelkova going through an almost identical development process. If I can find it I'll try to get some pics. It might give you a window into 20 years into the future.

[treeman]

I have a Japanese magazine from the 80's somewhere that has a quite famous zelkova going through an almost identical development process. If I can find it I'll try to get some pics. It might give you a window into 20 years into the future.

Thanks Jow, that would be interesting to see but if I'm still to be working on this in 20 years I'd better start eating better and doing yoga.