Help

[Sammy D]

Hi everyone. I have been playing around at home on lots of different trees for the past few years but lack a little vision I can trudge my way round an informal upright sort of not really anything else and I draw a blank and resort to a beer bout an hour from bonsai club. Have a young family so can't get away or afford the weekly fuel bill Was wondering if some of you amazingly talented folk could please help me out with some virtual's or advice on where to go next. First up is an olive that I got from an elderly man who could no longer care for it. Was infested with scale and in very poor health. Repotted it with new soil and a few doses of white oil and pyrethrum and it is now shooting out new growth. After a few branches died now was wondering where to direct new growth and what to chop

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next up is an ash stump I have had for a year and also draw a blank

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also was wonder what plant that is growing next to my ash stump

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Thanks in advance for any feedback bad or good.

[Bush bunny]

Hi, know how you feel sometimes, the plant that has sprouted up, could be anything. Let it grow and look around to see what trees you have nearby, maybe it is a seedling from some tree near by. By courtesy of some bird or the wind. Maybe the experts can give a guess what it is. I'd let it grow myself and see how it develops. Quite nice leaves.

[Andrew Legg]

Sammy, for now I'd just give the olive a bit of time to recover. Cut out the dead stuff and remove the wire so that we can see what it's doing without all that distraction. Leave the heavy stuff that is dead as that could be integrated into the design. As for the ash, you're gonna have to be a patient fella, or carve it like crazy!

Perhaps something like this for the tree? Looking at pic #1. Rotate over by about 20 degrees clockwise. The first big branch to the left, which should now be pointing upwards you chop back hard to a few cms and use this as the new apex, building on it. You'll need to take quite a bit of that growth on the left off. The two other branches now moving out to the right you can use to fill in towards the side and merge in with growth from the bottom trunk which will now be semi cascading. I'm on an iPad, so I can't draw it for you, but let me know if you can't work out what I mean.

[Sammy D]

Sounds interesting andrew. I will get rid of the dead wood and wire and start fresh. Not 100 percent on cascade only because hard to fit on bench lazy me sounds like good advice though . Was thinking windswept from left to right might not suit it though

[time8theuniverse]

Excellent photos, it helps to see the tree and give advice. Well done.

Don't trunk chop. There is some age and a strong angular movement with the 2 trunks together ( ) . There is some thing in the strong angles that are missing in the branches. They could be bent down more with the wife, or maybe up at a uniform angle across all the tree.

The tree still needs some time to grow and regain strength. If you can feed it to get back budding and the clip/grow to get some more angular branching.

I think you just need to take some time to figure out the tree you see and what design you want.

The stump is harder because it's a blank page. Feed it heaps and cut back when it gets long.

[Sammy D]

Ok thanks time8theuniverse. Will not chop. Is starting to back bud now so will let it grow till have a strong idea where to take it. Cheers for feedback

[Andrew Legg]

This is what I had in mind - rotated of course.

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[kcpoole]

I would do something similar to Andrew has suggested
Semicascade

Ken

[Sammy D]

Does look good Andrew. Will mean a big chop on the left and be a bit naked but thats part of the game ill get started tonight, if anyone has any objections you have till 7:30 before the big chop cheers.

[Andrew Legg]

Sammy, very important in a design like this is a back branch or two for depth. Make sure you can find something to achieve this. It looks like there is one coming out from the new top trunk which you can use. The yellow thing in my drawing was a cable tie to pull the two trunks closer together. Do you know what's going on under the soil with this tree?

[Sammy D]

Was wondering what that yellow bit was I think their are back branches but with the hard chop on the left trunk may not be many left when I am finished. As far as the roots im hoping I can rotate right without uprooting the left. Will post an update when I have finished ( destroyed my tree)

[Andrew Legg]

Will post an update when I have finished ( destroyed my tree)

That's the spirit! We'd have far more good bonsai if more folks took that approach!

[Sammy D]

WELL Andrew I stuffed it. The right branch went very low in the pot making it very difficult to rotate right. ended up stuffing it with no real clue. Hope I turns into something but for now was cheap and a good experiment. sorry for wasting your time andrew. Thanks for your help

[wattynine]

Sammy, just catchin' up on this, maybe too late and/ or maybe I'm on the wrong track as well.
Forgive my very immature approach to a vert and what may be considered an immature approach to the tree but this is what I see.
Watty

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As for the little seedling popping up, just off the top it could be Gardenia or even Carmillea, (forgive the spelling) have you had a look around at what the birds are feeding on or what's around in your yard or the next door neighbours, always a good place to start.

[Sammy D]

Thanks watty nine that looks great and would have been good plan b. problem though, already chopped it last night

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