Large Chinese Elm defoliation.

[siddhar]

Hi all, I thought id see how many times this growing season I could defol this tree, and how this regime may improve the tree overall, without any wiring or forced direction.

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[alpineart]

Hi siddhar , this should be interesting to see .I have managed to defol Japanese Maples 5 times in a season regularly however 6 times will kill the tree .I hope you don't push it too hard and are you using more than 1 specimen or just this tree . I started with 6 , pushed 2 of them way too far but , the othesr are still going and have just had their first defol , probably only get 4 in this season . Best of luck with it .

Cheers Alpine

[siddhar]

Hi siddhar , this should be interesting to see .I have managed to defol Japanese Maples 5 times in a season regularly however 6 times will kill the tree .I hope you don't push it too hard and are you using more than 1 specimen or just this tree . I started with 6 , pushed 2 of them way too far but , the othesr are still going and have just had their first defol , probably only get 4 in this season . Best of luck with it .

Cheers Alpine

G'day Alpine and thanks for the warning! On that advice Ill give this tree the 3 defol treatment and update the results. I'd like to see a big difference in the tree as far as a ramified result, but am still unconvinced that from just defoliating a tree, this will aid in an accelerated result? Can someone who has a few more years on me tell me a story of their experiences? How many defols? Should we wait or primary/and tertiary branch development/and placement?

[Jamie]

gday


mate defoliation is good, but as for getting ramification you will get it but it wont be to refined. you need to wire out those branches and tertiaries then develop it with defoliation. this will give you pads and then the ramification when it comes will look tops.

good to experiment though so give it a crack and see how ya feel about it in a year or so

[siddhar]

I've started wiring this tree out again today and am thinking the tree needs to lose some branches

Im thinking firstly of removing the lowest left branch, and wiring out the lowest right hand branch as a back branch and the new first branch. And then working my way up the tree.

Can anyone give me some styling advice on what improvments to make on this tree?

Virts would be great

[owieo86]

Hey was just wondering is it safe to defol Chinese elms 4 weeks after repot? And fertilizer on Sunday just gone?

[FatMingsBonsai]

Nice bro

[craigw60]

Hi Siddhar, are you feeding your tree ? it should have much stronger growth on it at this time of year. With regards to branch removal I would suggest you leave all the branching for a few years, its a very young tree with lots of thickening to be done. Plenty of time to remove branches in the future.
Craigw

[siddhar]

Hi Siddhar, are you feeding your tree ? it should have much stronger growth on it at this time of year. With regards to branch removal I would suggest you leave all the branching for a few years, its a very young tree with lots of thickening to be done. Plenty of time to remove branches in the future.
Craigw

G'day Craigw, I've been fertilising all of my trees weekly with seasol since the beginning of Spring. I acquired this Elm in winter from a bloke who was getting rid of some of his stock that didn't inspire him anymore. I dont think he ever fed this tree while it was in his possession.

[craigw60]

Maybe you should try using some solid ferts as well as the seasol. I would suggest nutrog seamungus or sudden impact available at the big B. Put several tablespoons around the edge of the pot and leave it there for 2-3 weeks then scrape it off and reapply . I use heaps of seasol as well but as a supplement to the solids.
Craigw

[shibui]

I'm with Craigw. Feed it up and get it healthy before stressing it with too much defoliation.

[Guy]

are you happy with the trunk girth?

[deepeetee]

Without being critical, does the tree look young because of its height?

I mean the trunk does have some girth to it, but maybe because of its height it looks like it lacks maturity?

Maybe shortening the tree would put more emphasis on the thickness of the trunk and give some age

Just a novice opinion

Dave

[deepeetee]

I guess the question would then be where would you lower it to

[siddhar]

I guess the question would then be where would you lower it to
deepeetee
Aussie Bonsai Fan


Posts: 75
Joined: August 30th, 2010, 2:15 pm
Location: Gosford
Favorite Species: Aust. Natives
Bonsai Age: 1
Bonsai Club: Central Coast, NSW

And that is the question Because this Elm will be staying in its current form, I like it as a large Bonsai. The branches will be grown to reflect this.

No trunk chops or cut downs on this tree