[Andrew Legg] Ulmus parvifolia Suberosa

[Andrew Legg]

First guys, to the organisers, thanks for letting me play along! I fully accept not being judged, but it will be cool to go throught the process with you guys. There is nothing like a bit of structure to keep one focussed!

Here is my first "entry", a Cork Bark Elm. Bought from a local bonsai center as rough stock, I can't imagine that it has had any styling, although there has definately been one good trunk chop where the trunk forks. It is 80cms to the top of the long growth and I bought it for the equivalent of just a smidge over thirty Aus Dollars.

Elm 1.jpg

Here is a closer photo of the business end. First decision is going to be to chop or not to chop the right hand trunk. Hmmmmm

Elm 2.jpg

Good luck to everyone and I look forward to seeing the progress on all the trees!

Cheers,

Andrew

[Craig]

that's a very nice entry Andrew,good luck mate

[kcpoole]

Very nice stock for only 30 Bucks
Sweet, What else are you going to submit ?

Ken

[Andrew Legg]

Got a few up my sleave Ken, but I need to take decent photos and make a choice which of them I'm gonna drop. Three more options - two more places. I have a syzigium, a budleja and a crab apple, but unlike this elm, they are just trunks at the kind of height we are looking at. What ever I grow is going to have to be grown from scratch. I was hoping to find a nice little juniper, but no luck on that yet. I'll probably wait till closer to closing time before I make my final two choices.

[Dario]

Hi Andrew, good luck in the comp even if you aren't being judged etc.
Chop the right hand trunk,I really like the line of the trunk with it gone!
Cheers, Dario.

[Andrew Legg]

Thanks Dario,

I think I am going to do some virts before I chop that much growth. I see potential in there for an umbrella style tree as well, so I think I must be careful. I'll post some virts/drawings once I'm done.

[kcpoole]

Thanks Dario,

I think I am going to do some virts before I chop that much growth. I see potential in there for an umbrella style tree as well, so I think I must be careful. I'll post some virts/drawings once I'm done.

something in the Pierneef style will be quite different me thinks. Is that what you are referring to ?

Ken

[Andrew Legg]

Yip - Pierneef is an option. Problem is the concept of growing one tree to look like another. A bit like all the maples out there styled like pines, not like maples. Not sure whether I want to go down that road, but I'll figure it out eventually!

[kcpoole]

Yip - Pierneef is an option. Problem is the concept of growing one tree to look like another. A bit like all the maples out there styled like pines, not like maples. Not sure whether I want to go down that road, but I'll figure it out eventually!

Got any nice acacia you can use?

love to see one done for the comp in that style, they look quite spectacular

Ken

[Dario]

Good stuff Andrew, yeah, once it's chopped there's no getting it back!
I look forward to seeing some virt/drawings of what you are thinking and the possible future directions that lay before you with this Elm.
Thanks, Dario.

[Andrew Legg]

So the weekend was what I needed to get going. Not much work done on my other two entries other than a bit of repotting as they were both pretty bare already. After much to'ing and fro'ing however I have decided that the elms major second branch had to go. As much as I am going to try to do the best as I can in the time we have here, I also feel I have to do what is right for the tree. After much deliberation I decided to give it the chop and grow the branching from scratch. So that said, here's what's left repotted into a nice rich growing mix!

00 September 2011 .jpg

I did have a bit of fun though as I kept the cuttings and dropped four of them into water. About an hour later they had a clear gel where they had been cut. I dipped this into some rooting hormone and into vermiculite in very small pots. It will be interesting to see whether they last! Anyway, one tree now becomes five, so I guess that's value for money huh. When's the Mame compo gonna be???

01 September 2011 .jpg

02 September 2011 .jpg

Anyway, have fun people and let's hope the little elms all sprout like crazy!

[nealweb]

That looks excellent!! Nice trunk and now all the branches can start out together without one being sooo much thicker than all the rest. I also have been looking at my tree's and thinking - if I want something in 14 months then i need to keep this ... but if I want the best possible bonsai in the long term then i could cut back to that so ???
Its always best to go for the long term best option I guess.
I love the babies!!! If they all root then you can submit a shohin family entry
Great beginning, watching with interest and learning from doing so!
Cheers,
neal.

[Andrew Legg]

OK Boys and girls - Quick update - I'm happy to say that my elm is budding all over the show! Looks like I'm gonna have plenty of branches to choose from! Scuse the night time cellphone photo!

IMG00412-20110919-2029.jpg

Oh, and remember that small juniper I was trying to find to enter - well she came in a couple of weeks late, but here she is all the same!

IMG00408-20110919-2027.jpg

Cheers

[Andrew Legg]

Moving along quite nicely! Sun water feed, sun water feed . . . . . Last night I pulled off a few competing branchlets as they seem to sprout in groups. I need all the tree's energy to be focussed into growing the bits I want, and not bits I'm going to cut off.

IMG00429-20110927-2140.jpg

[Andrew Legg]

Update

My little Elm has been going crazy now with a lot of new growth. Time to start a fertilising regime now and I think I should have some serious development happening pretty soon.

My other two trees are pretty much just sitting there staring at me!

IMG00460-20111018-1904.jpg

Cheers,

Andrew