Help out a starter - Chinese Elm

[schwinn]

Hi everyone!

I picked this little Chinese Elm from bunno's a month ago. It came in a 17mm pot, pics here are in my 3L protein tub but it's moved to an even bigger pot now.
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/12251633/Photo% ... 3%20AM.jpg
*apologies about the pic - I embedded it but it ended up landscaped instead of portrait so I have linked it*

Being an absolute noobie to this, and even after flipping through a heap of bonsai books, I'm still unsure what I want to do with it! Here are the things I'm sure I want for now:
1. I want it to have a thick trunk, hence the bigger pot.
2. In the long term I want it to be not more than 20 inches tall.
3. I have stood the pot on a 60 degree angle in hope the trunk will bend.

Things I need to know:
1. When's the best time to fertilize? What's the best fertilizer for it?
2. When's the best time to start training it?
3. I have the option of the current big pot containing mix of potting soil + propagating sand + a bit of sphagnum in it, VS my tiny patch of garden (4foot wide of red dirt + a heap of stones). Which is better to put it in?

In terms of design, style, I'm really open to any suggestions at all - any recommendations would be highly appreciated. I am a fan of the cascade style - with a branch dipping over the pot. I know it's very early, but I don't want to take wrong steps (and waste precious time!).

Thanks everyone!

[schwinn]

Have just checked my link and want to confirm that I am NOT ambitiously growing my pot at a 90 degree angle for extreme trunk bend - I am having issues displaying the image as portrait (although the picture was DEFINITELY taken as portrait and displays on my desktop as portrait)

[Dumper]

feed during spring.

u can starts to train if u wan. just 1 wire to bend it.
if u ground planted will grow thicker and taller faster.

and stop looking at it cause i doesnt seem like it will grow if u look at it.

umm. good luck

john

[leamos]

personally i'd keep it in that pot for a season then grow it on in a grow box, many people will simply use a styro box from the green grocery (the ones with the slits in the bottom) then comes the most important step.........wait, patience is the hardest skill to learn in bonsai

[schwinn]

yeh I figure I can deal with patience by working on multiple plants at a go .

Wot about fertilizing, what's best and when's best for the elm?

[Dumper]

....spring. summer autumn....