Sizeable swampy :)

[NathanM]

Hey guys, have had this one for about 1 and 3/4 years now and hadn't don'e alot to it. I had previously done a little carving/tidy of the deadwood (due for some more attention),cut all the branches off, and exposed some roots. It has quite a bit of nebari, but won't grow branches on most of the trunk. The main branch/trunk is probably about 6months old.
I did some basic work on it today.

bigswampy001.jpg

bigswampy002.jpg

bigswampy003.jpg

I've been seriously considering chopping the main tall, straight trunk down alot and using the trunk branch as a main trunk, rather than hiding it tanuki style.
Time well tell.... I will give it a month or so to recover and then give it a good root prune

[Jarrod]

yeah I would be cutting the main dead trunk down, and halving the remaining growing section. This will leave you with better taper. Nice looking stock, and it will make a good bonsai with some growing.

[Jamie]

hi champ,


give it a little more than a month mate, it might take some time to go, I know one I had took around 3 months before it started shooting where I needed it. this one has some good potential. take ya time

jarrods advice is good too!

[NathanM]

Mmmm I might leave it a bit longer. Although I haven't taken much off it. I expect it to shoot in a bout a month . See how that goes
Mmmm the more I look at it the more it needs to be cut. The main trunk is too straight and lacks taper. I'm thinking about reducing the height of the smaller dead trunk as well. I might take a picture of the root flare and put up too.

[Gib]

Nathan,

You are on the right track mate.I think that main dead trunk needs to go.
The tree will then have better taper.

Gib

[Stewart_Toowoomba]

Hi Nathan

Is it possible to see some other views of the tree now that it's been worked on? Have you run the back leader up into the top dead wood? Bit hard to tell...

Great lower deadwood mate.

[NathanM]

I'm not sure I wanna show a back view.... for one reason only... I did something terrible. Sometime I have never done before... CROSSED WIRES!!!
It was the only way i could get the main leader up against the main trunk. But yes, it is currently up against the main trunk, tanuki style. Won't be like that for long though, I don't think.....

[kvan64]

Hi Nathan,
This one has very nice and interesting characters. With the current climate in Brisbane, Swampies will shoot up nicely in about 4-5 weeks time. Even though I also tend to go with other suggestions, i.e. reducing the straight section , to improve taper, I would leave it till it shoots up all over then chose the new apex. For the mean time, I would suggest you start feeding it with lots and lots of chicken pellets.
It would be much more helpful if you could post a side view to this tree.
Edit:
I guess you were probably headding this way - see drawing

[craigw60]

Hi Nathan, when I was in kinashi the pine growing district in Japan the trees in training had so many crossed wires you could hardly see the bark.
I would consider your swampy to be pre-bonsai and so spend the next few years developing the trunk as in cutting it back hard and re-growing it a number of times in order to develop some good taper before you start worrying about branch placement, I also think the dead wood should be drastically reduced.
Craigw

[NathanM]

THanks for opinions and advise everyone It's a bout to be covered in new growth. buds about to burst.
I'll get a few more pic on the weekend from different angles, and i will probably remove the leader from the main trunk.
DK - yh man, that's the rough plan atm!