Chinese elm.. Advice wanted

[joelham]

Here is my Chinese elm. I've had it since the start of my bonsai journey and was alwAys quite pleased with it. But as I have become a little more critical I have a hard time leaving it develop as is because lack of taper and the chunky part where3 branches are emerging.
It hasn't really put on any girth in the last few years and I'd like it to bulk up.
So should I trunk chop it quite low and let it go nuts and 're develop' it.
Just having a hard time as it was one of my originals.
Any input or advice on what to go with this one would be appreciated!
Thanks guys!

[Quanye-san]

Perhaps worth putting it in the ground to let its roots grow and build some girth? Maybe leave it there for 5+ years and coming back each year to do some root work. The pot it is sitting in atm looks small for its developing base.

[kez]

The trunk to me looks fairly straight and with the current branching lacks interest, if you were inclined perhaps chopping and using one of the first branches as a new leader may provide a solution in both movement and taper, as well as addressing the bulge where the group of branches come away at the same point.

That being said I would like to stress that often, while with the best intentions, advice given can lead to dissatisfaction with a tree you were perhaps quite pleased with/proud of before offering it up for suggestion. Don't forget it's your tree, do what will make you happy. It's easy to say chop this or bin that when it's just a picture on a forum

Best of luck

[Boics]

Continually chopping and working a tree will often result in little to no increase in size (trunk girth etc).

I would be inclined to use 2 of the first 3 branches with 1 being your first branch and the next being your new leader.

If you were to do this and put it into the ground over time it will thicken up.
But generally speaking this won't happen until the tree's foliage and branch mass becomes larger than it currently is.

One other thing is to keep in check areas that you wish to not become overgrown.
Whilst you want some areas to increase in size some areas (like your first branch) you would want to restrict. Do this by trimming and keeping compact.

[Guy]

If it were mine-----trunk chop at the v of the first right and left branches(possible twin trunk from striking the offcut)--at an appropriate time try to spread( radiate) and uncross those roots-place in a larger grow pot---feed well--let it grow for a couple of seasons.

[kcpoole]

As the others have said, Chop at the first branches

I woud chop there and use the left one as a new leader, wire it up more so the upward angle is similar to the trunk angle.
Keep the right branch only and get rid of the back one.

put in the ground for 2 years without chopping to put on girth and during that time ( next year) select one of the branches on the new leader to be the apex section of trunk and wire into place

Just having a hard time as it was one of my originals.

This is always a hard step to surmount, but the fact now that you realise that your pride an joy has issue from your early days, shows that you are developing the skills to elevate your skills

Many of redisign and revisit our original trees, or even sell them off

Ken

[gerald randall]

You can't grow or design a tree successfully without a vision for it. I recall when I started out growing bonsai, the greatest mistake I made was not to take decisive action when needed. Placing this tree in the ground as is, will do little to improve the taper significantly. Certainly not in less than 8 to 10 years. To keep the tree small enough to be a bonsai, will cause too much work on the upper branches, which is likely to damper the taper development. If it were my tree, which it is not, I would do a double air layer. One for the top of the tree and the second under the tree bottom branches. I would propose that you check out the e-books from Raymond Mackaway. I got mine off this site. Contact him, his techniques work very well. Once the airlayers are removed, I would plant the stump in the ground. No need to disturb the roots. Lift next season and give the roots flair. If the stump grows a strong leader then I would use that, if not and only an abundance of growth at the top, I would create a broom style. The other two trees created can be developed using the techniques proposed by Raymond. Three trees from one and if allowed to grow on strongly, all with good taper.
I have many trees I started over two decades ago, that if I had made the right decisions early on, they would be much better trees now. Well I have had to rebuild large parts of them because I did not do the right work 20 years ago. Well, in another 10 years or so they will be what they could have been after just 15 years. So best to make the right decisions now, than to be disappointed later.

[Boics]

Another very viable option.
Good post Gerald!

[joelham]

Yeaaaa!!! So happy with the responses... A chop and in the ground it goes. Thanks for the advise. Have a whole new direction for my journey.
Thanks again
Joel

[gerald randall]

My favourite species is Elm. I believe strongly that without being field grown they just do not reach their full potential. I have tried to create an album with some of my stock trees which have been field grown, but are still far from completion. The album would only have trees which have been lifted from open ground and now in plastic trainers to develop branches. Most have very little branches once lifted. However they have been developed in the ground to the point where they have the bark and as good taper as I imagine they will get in the ground. Well, a careful balance between being satisfied with the development and running out of patience. Unfortunately the photos are too large to load on the site, so I will have to take new photos using a lower resolution.

[Phoenix238]

Unfortunately the photos are too large to load on the site, so I will have to take new photos using a lower resolution.

Hi Gerald, you can quite easily resize the photo's you currently have to make them small enough to post on the forum by using Windows Paint. Simply open them up and use the resize button up the top, and change one of the numbers in the percentage boxes. Keep making it smaller until it's the size you want, also making sure it's saved as a JPG/JPEG

[Rory]

Unfortunately the photos are too large to load on the site, so I will have to take new photos using a lower resolution.

Hi Gerald, you can quite easily resize the photo's you currently have to make them small enough to post on the forum by using Windows Paint. Simply open them up and use the resize button up the top, and change one of the numbers in the percentage boxes. Keep making it smaller until it's the size you want, also making sure it's saved as a JPG/JPEG

I was about to say the exact same thing. Looking forward to seeing your pics.

[kcpoole]

Unfortunately the photos are too large to load on the site, so I will have to take new photos using a lower resolution.

the wiki has a great article on how to resize pictures for display online
https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... lay_online

from the howto,
By far the easiest method to resize an image or picture is to download and install Image Resizer from Microsofts own developer site, https://imageresizer.codeplex.com/releases/view/30247


Ken