Liquidambar orientalis - SweetGum

[0soyoung]

As novel a show pot as it is, I think it needs to be a touch deeper
Nice start!

 

[ColinFraser]

As novel a show pot as it is, I think it needs to be a touch deeper
Nice start!

Haha, thanks
It went into a Rubbermaid tub for now.

 

[Giga]

Glad to c this doing well, I really need to update mine.

 

[AaronThomas]

Very cool tree Colin! Can't wait to see what you do with it.

 

[pweifan]

I really like the newly layered off top. How does the bottom part look now?

 

[ColinFraser]

I really like the newly layered off top. How does the bottom part look now?

Thanks. The lower part needs a cutback and a new leader. . . I'll try to get some pics this weekend.

 

[JudyB]

Good job Colin!

 

[barrosinc]

Perfect choice for the place to do an airlayer!

 

[ColinFraser]

Uh-oh, he's at it again . . .

 

[ColinFraser]

Man am I tired of cleaning up someone else's sh!tty root work.



. . . though I do like a bargain. I guess it's the price to be paid; I just have to wonder what was going through the head of the last person who potted this tree . . .

 

[ColinFraser]

Here's the chunk that came off the top today. The flat spot at the top is where that air layer was separated, and the thicker branch going left is my new apex.



Much better. Taper!

 

[ColinFraser]

I cut the rest of it back pretty hard too, and then yanked it out of the pot:



Looking better already . . .

 

[ColinFraser]

After WAY TOO LONG nibbling with the knob cutters, I was able to sink it much deeper in the same pot . . .

 

[ColinFraser]

Which means . . .



. . . I finally got to bury most of that mess!!!

 

[justBonsai]

Perhaps a ground layer is in order? Last season I did a lot of air layers/ground layers to restart or improve nebari.

 

[ColinFraser]

Perhaps a ground layer is in order? Last season I did a lot of air layers/ground layers to restart or improve nebari.

A ground layer around the lower red line

A substantial part of the conversation in this thread was about that option. I was pretty convinced that was my plan, but I've decided to hold off for the moment.

 

[ColinFraser]

So that's fall 2015 to spring 2017 so far. I still plan to cut the apex back more, but I'm waiting to see where it buds first. The height difference is deceptive looking at the side-by-side - the current apex is around halfway up the left photo!

 

[justBonsai]

A substantial part of the conversation in this thread was about that option. I was pretty convinced that was my plan, but I've decided to hold off for the moment.

I did look through this thread at one point but I forgot that was mentioned. Anyhow it looks like you've made a lot of progress. I look forward to future updates.

 

[ColinFraser]

I realized I could give you all a much better impression of the change in size of the tree if I used the same scale in both photos (note that the distance to the background is different). When the trunk is about the same size, you can see clearly how much the height has been reduced, from both above and below:

You know what they say . . . "cut off everything that isn't bonsai"

 

[Jeremy]

Progress is progress, it's on the right path. Keep being ruthless!