Newbie with Hokkaido Elm.

[runnabee]

Hey guys and girls...

So this is my first post or thread on this forum so as u can imagine i have much to say and ask but ill try keep it short and sweet.
This is my Hokkaido Elm one of three trees i own, i have recently gotten into to bonsai and have been studying i guess you could say for three weeks.
I also have an azalea (krume i think) and a port jackson fig.


1-1 pics front then rotating clockwise

1-2

1-3

1-4


Well where to start... The elm is 4yrs old and was bought from Ray Nesci (WOW what a nursery) since buying it i have
rewired it to suit more my style and did some minor pruning on it, just to see what would happen.
And the result was back budding! I believe is the correct term...lol

I am novice and know nothing about horticulture what so ever, but i think a tree of 4yrs old given the right care could have had more girth to the trunk, is this correct?

So im not 100% sure on what to do with it, i would like to attain more girth and am thinking maby i should transfer it to a larger growing pot, and being a novice it would give me time to learn more while i watch my tree grow but as we all know when we first start these kind of hobbies the last thing we want to do is sit around.

other than that what other options do i have? if left in this training pot, given the right fert will it grow reasonably well or terribly slow?
I am quite happy with the shape except for a few much needed branches to give it more balance and fill and would like to retain it as much as possible, if i am to leave it in this pot.

Plans for the tree are informal upright an overall height of say 350mm from top of soil and a trunk 2-3" to give you a rough idea.
currently the height would be around 250mm and trunk dia of say 10mm



I currently am using seasol every 14days and miracle gro every 7 due to a lack of knowledge, but they seem to be doing quite well.
I recently bough bonsai 101 and bonsai today masters series pines which both have been useful but am at a stage where i need more species related info.

enjoy the pics thanks in advance and obviously any crituque, help, oppinions, pics, are welcome!

P.S mods if pics are too large let me know.

[Chris]

Welcome to the world of bonsai runnabee i hope you enjoy this site as much as i do

[IS2SXC]

welcome to our site

if i had that tree i seriously would put it into a growing box or a large pot to increase the trunk thickness and pretty much the whole tree plus roots

well thats what i would do

[shibui]

Hi runnabee,
The Hokkaido elm is pretty slow growing so its not surprising that yours is that size after 4 years. It is a genetic dwarf and only gets to about 50cm tall full grown but can get to that size in about 10 years. I've found them to be VERY brittle. Branches break at the slightest nudge. I have one about 25 years old that has started shedding branches for no obvious reasons. Most years one or more whole branches just die off but the rest of the tree keeps growing happily.
If you want to speed up trunk growth put it into a larger container but another variety will probably respond and give a better long term result.

Icicles 2009-1.JPG

My Hokkaido elm is in the poly box on the left of the photo behind the tall hawthorn. A bit hard to see under all the icicles but I haven't got a better image on hand at the moment.
Have fun with the trees.

[runnabee]

Ah ha, i thought they might be a slow growing species. i have heard that they can be quite brittle but as you can see all my wiring was done with no probs at all.
I think i read somewhere that the nursery i bought it off produce a harder species which i believe is the one i own but am unsure.

anyway guys tnaks for all the comments keep them comming,

and im thinkin a re pot is in order, im guessing this would best be done when the tree is dormant?

[kcpoole]

Hi runna

This is my Hokkaido i bought from ray last year. Dunno how old it is, but as you can see is been grown on this big box since being lifted from the ground.
A general guideline about trunk height to girth is about 6 - 12 - 1 ratio.
For a tree to be in proportion to be shown, if it was 250mm in height, it should be between about 30 - 45 mm in Diameter.
you can of course have any height to girth ration you want, but the guidelines give what is considered t be a "balanced look".

To get it happening you should grow on in A big box or in the ground till yo are happy with the size then work on the ramification

Alternatively you can enjoy it in its pot now, and learn to care for it. As you learn more about the art form, then yo can progress your tree as you wish in the future
Welcome anyway and enjoy the journey

Ken

[Bretts]

The Hokkaido elm is pretty slow growing

As this is one of Ray's it should be his strong variety that is not so slow growing. At least when it is not in a bonsai pot

Welcome Runbe hope you enjoy the company

[runnabee]

awesome guys, thanks heaps for the comments. i think a larger pot or box is the go.
i would put it in the ground but my boxer will tear it to pieces in a matter of seconds. lol