AusBonsai

Quite some years ago I dug this spruce from a garden and potted it into a very large wooden box. The bottom of the box is now descending so it is time to make a decision. Should I try and make this into a bonsai or is it simply too big? I do have a chainsaw and a pot but is it worth the effort or will it always look poorly?
It currently stands well over 2 metres tall but is reasonable healthy.
My apologies for the poor quality photo, the sun was in the wrong position and I couldn't move the tree.

Definitely bonsai.

Look through the "bonsai art of Japan" series where a spruce of similar stature to yours is styled. It has many more years of ramification of course but its a good indication of where yours can finish up.

Looks like you have a lot of low branches to play with. Unless you or someone else values it as a garden tree, Why not take it down to 70cm and clean it up so that you can get some light onto those lower branches and activate some quiet buds down there.

Adam

Hi watto , mate i would be inclined to layer the top off using an open pot large enough for 2 seasons of root growth . Picea Abies and Albertainia layer quite easy however i have lost the bases by severing them in one hit .

Deb Koreshoff mentions in her book with some species its better to sever one side allow a few weeks then completely sever the top off , Its less stress to the layer and host . The trunk should be braced so it wont snap off in windy conditions also . There is enough ramification on the upper and lower sections to get 2 good trunks out of this tree.

Cheers Alpine

alpineart wrote:Hi watto , mate i would be inclined to layer the top off using an open pot large enough for 2 seasons of root growth . Picea Abies and Albertainia layer quite easy however i have lost the bases by severing them in one hit .

I agree with Alpine here Watto, first agreement, 2 from 1 is always a good move and 2, there are not many great looking Spruce in Australia. Great opportunity.

I've never had spruce, but do you need two?

You'll lose two years in air layering that could be put into refinement of the larger tree.

I agree with Webos, take the top off. It's better to have one nice one than two mediocre ones...if you want a shohin spruce, you'll be able to layer it in the future.

I suspect that the bottom of the tree is a long, long, long term project. These trees are typically formal upright and a nice tree could be produced from the top fairly quickly. The rest of the tree would need some "good vision" and 10 to 15 years of development.
A lot of work
A lot of time
A lot of space

It comes down to what you can imagine the tree will become and what else you might do with the time and space.

Go for it already half way there

1. you've got got it already in you yard
2. it's already surviving in a 'pot'
3. when 'bonsaified' it'll take up a lot less room

and what else would you do with it?

Good luck either way

Firstly thankyou for your input and opinions which are all well thought out and have merit.
The major thing I have so far is that it is worth the effort of trying to make a bonsai out of it. So again thankyou, and I will. The other thing to consider is air layering the top section to get two. The top section does have a good trunk width to tree height ratio and it is healthy with a curve in the area that would be the new trunk and could look good in five years. The down side is as Scott pointed out the time factor to get to that stage. Gerard's point about size (I am getting older) and position is also worthy of consideration.
I will again ponder these points overnight (and over a red wine), but tomorrow I have a day off work and either you will see a photo or two of the air layer, or the tree cut down and in the new pot.
Thanks again for your assistance.

Well here is an update. The pot is Chinese and I hope you can see the top part of the tree that could be air-layered has a nice curve and would probably make a good bonsai.

After some consideration I decided to take the top off and just use the bottom part. The thing that tipped me in this direction was the fact that the bottom was falling out of the wooden box and air-layering would take a year or two, so out she came.

Hey Watto,
I love spruces & I can see potential in your tree.
Here's a pic of a Spruce that I use as background on my computer. I think it's a perfect example of a spruce bonsai. I've admired this tree for many years.

The next trick was to get it out of the box and trimmed up.

I forgot to show a photo of the roots - from underneath

I am going to show you my method of keeping large trees that allows me to turn them around so they get sun on all sides, and yes its free. You do need to get it level, and the bigger the table the better, but this is the only one I had.