Bonsai gets the chop.

Aeron · 07-05-2011, 02:48 PM

I'm new to Bonsai 1 year in, and this is my first post.

Last year I got this Chinese Elm from the shop (Homebase) on first impressions it looks great its got that great 'S' shaped trunk, very small leaves and fine ramification.
But the more I have looked at it and the more I have learned, its easy to notice that there is a lot wrong with it.
I have pruned away the leaves so you can see exactly what I mean.

It has two massive knuckles right at the top where the braches have been bent.
The first branch on the right has been bent all the way around from the left.

I plan to improve this by rotating the front by 90 degrees to the left and chopping the thing right down.

By doing this a get rid of all that I don't like about the tree and I really think that it looks a whole lot better. Heres the pics your input please.

I've added pictures of all the bonsai I have collected over the last year. Please take a look at my gallery and let me know what you think.

Fursery · 07-06-2011, 09:20 PM

I think this will be an improvement. It is a brave move and you'll need to have patience.
I dislike the curves the tree has now, but I tend to prefer natural shapes. Good choice.

Aeron · 07-26-2011, 02:35 PM

Anybody else??

Mike423 · 07-26-2011, 05:40 PM

"I dislike the curves the tree has now, but I tend to prefer natural shapes."
I agree. That being said you could also go with another extreme reshaping by cutting off all the branches and part of the top and then when the tree has a flush of new growth rub off all the buds except for the ones you wish to start developing as branches. In my opinion you would have to start new branches to have proper taper and realistic ramification anyways. You can then see what bud's break twords the top, select a new leader and then lower the original top chop to it once that branch has thickened a bit more. Then if everything works out good you could possibly end up with something like the last photo.

You could also just take cuttings and then thread graft them in the places you want the new branches but I would consider that to be more trouble than its worth for this tree.

Keep in mind that something this drastic should only be done if the tree has bee well cared for for at least a year previous and is growing vigorously. Otherwise you might get very sparse growth after the limb removal.

treebeard55 · 07-26-2011, 06:50 PM

Mallsai-S trees with little or no taper can really make you scratch your head! I got a Ficus microcarpa with the same sort of S-curve but better taper, a couple of years ago. I've kept chopping it back and chopping it back, trying to find an image I like and that looks like a real tree! I think I finally have what I'm after. And, most of the cut-off pieces have rooted and eventually been sold as starters. I may have recovered the cost of the mother plant by now!

As for your elm, I see two realistic options: one, keep the trunk essentially as it is and make the tree into a bunjin/literati. Lack of taper isn't the problem with a bunjin that it is with any other style or style variation, and the elm's trunk movement will be a good point just as long as it's not monotonous. Just remember that with a bunjin, the trunk is the focus of interest, nothing else.

Option two is what you present as your plan, in the last picture. I think you could get a worthwhile, satisfying tree out of that, something you'd be pleased to put on display. Two cautions, tho: first, you'd need to keep the tree in good health, as Mike says; and second, it would be best to reduce the trunk in stages over 3-4 years. To whack it back that drastically all at once, even if it were in prime health, might well kill it.
You could make each reduction an airlayer. That would, if all goes well, give you several more little elms!

Aeron · 07-27-2011, 07:21 AM

Cheers Guys,

You've given me some things to think about.

treebeard55 · 07-28-2011, 10:50 AM

Aeron, here are a couple of quick virts I worked up to illustrate what you might do if you want to pursue the bunjin option.

The first pic shows where I would cut, if I were doing it; at the red lines. The yellow-green arrow indicates a branch I would bend down to avoid a bar-branch look. The second virt shows what you could end up with.

These are meant as food for thought. It's your tree.

Of course, you could always flip the tree about 100 degrees to the right and get a semi-cascade. But that option would require several years of re-working the root system.

07-26-2011, 02:35 PM	#3 (permalink)
Aeron Bonsai Novice Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Cardiff wales. Posts: 35	Anybody else?? __________________ To Lead sometimes you have to follow.

07-26-2011, 06:50 PM	#5 (permalink)
treebeard55 Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Warsaw IN, USA USDA zone 5b Posts: 511	Mallsai-S trees with little or no taper can really make you scratch your head! I got a Ficus microcarpa with the same sort of S-curve but better taper, a couple of years ago. I've kept chopping it back and chopping it back, trying to find an image I like and that looks like a real tree! I think I finally have what I'm after. And, most of the cut-off pieces have rooted and eventually been sold as starters. I may have recovered the cost of the mother plant by now! As for your elm, I see two realistic options: one, keep the trunk essentially as it is and make the tree into a bunjin/literati. Lack of taper isn't the problem with a bunjin that it is with any other style or style variation, and the elm's trunk movement will be a good point just as long as it's not monotonous. Just remember that with a bunjin, the trunk is the focus of interest, nothing else. Option two is what you present as your plan, in the last picture. I think you could get a worthwhile, satisfying tree out of that, something you'd be pleased to put on display. Two cautions, tho: first, you'd need to keep the tree in good health, as Mike says; and second, it would be best to reduce the trunk in stages over 3-4 years. To whack it back that drastically all at once, even if it were in prime health, might well kill it. You could make each reduction an airlayer. That would, if all goes well, give you several more little elms! __________________ Treebeard 55 Steve Moore http://hoosierbonsai.blogspot.com The most important bonsai tool is your brain.

07-27-2011, 07:21 AM	#6 (permalink)
Aeron Bonsai Novice Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Cardiff wales. Posts: 35	Cheers Guys, You've given me some things to think about. __________________ To Lead sometimes you have to follow.

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07-06-2011, 09:20 PM	#2 (permalink)
Fursery Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Livingston County, MI Posts: 1	I think this will be an improvement. It is a brave move and you'll need to have patience. I dislike the curves the tree has now, but I tend to prefer natural shapes. Good choice.

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