MHBonsai
Chumono
Care to explain?
Care to explain?
choppychoppy
Chumono
Sure - this will fill this tree with horrid drill holes, will take longer to heal than grow new branches, and always look like crap. Then it will most likely die or get pitched. 100% guaranteed. In the spring cut all the small branches off and root them. Then take the next section of branches off and root those too, then chop it super low and actually put this fat trunk on a real path to becoming a bonsai. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Do the right things and make some real trees.
MHBonsai
Chumono
Cheers mate on giving some real advice. It's appreciated.
The drive to do the crazy thread grafts is because of all the talk that a benjamina won't back bud. I'd prefer to not chop this tree and kill it right out the gate.
choppychoppy
Chumono
Back bud is not the same as growing from a pruning cut. Back budding refers to new foliage budding on old branches that have active tips. The hard chop and new growth is exactly what you will be able to control and create the tree with pruning.
Start the pruning when nighttime Temps are consistent above 65f.
MHBonsai
Chumono
Spring update. I did a dirty repot into a large pot to try to get the roots headed in the right direction, it was the end of December. The soil had to have been 30 years old. It looks like cigarette ash.
MHBonsai
Chumono
I brought it inside, trimmed it back some and left as many growing tips as I could. 
Pretty quickly it responded well to the repot and began pushing some new growth. February I cut in a notch and put in a big approach graft.
Yes, it looked totally ridiculous!
MHBonsai
Chumono
Soon after, I chopped off the other trunk. Unless I'm mistaken, I'm counting more than a hundred grow rings here. This is one old tree! I took several cuttings from the trunk and rooted them
MHBonsai
Chumono
this is the largest of the cuttings that I rooted. It's about an inch and a half across at the base. It lives in a ziplock bag for about 8 weeks while it rooted and pushed enough growth to support itself. I rooted in pumice and perlite. Right now it looks like this.
MHBonsai
Chumono
Eventually it ended up in the grow tent. I have a fully and closed LED setup in my garage that holds about 85 degrees and 80% humidity. It thrived over the winter. Pushed a ton of growth.
MHBonsai
Chumono
It went outside middle of April. I checked on the graft and it looked successful. Didn't drop a leaf in transition from tent to outside. It even managed to bud lower on the trunk in a good place for a first branch while in the tent so I had some insurance for chopping the rest.
MHBonsai
Chumono
And this is today. The graft is successful, it is still pushing new growth and hasn't lost any leaves. I will eventually clean up both cuts and carve them in to avoid too much swelling as it begins to heal over. The big cut is already on the way and it's showing some pretty good callus. Hopefully the tree continues to push new growth down low. I have some back budding really low on the graft itself that I can cut that back to eventually once it fuses more completely and is really healthy.
Redwood Ryan
Masterpiece
Nice work, but I wouldn't be quick to say this tree is that old. When you're counting the growth rings on a tree you only count the dark rings, not each individual ring.
It's hard to tell how many this tree has from your picture, but give it a search on Google to see what I mean.
MHBonsai
Chumono
I thought the same. Take a look here please, I upped the contrast on an image...I estimated 5 rings per green dot. Am I doubling up on years you think?
Attachments
MHBonsai
Chumono
lieuz
Chumono
I just followed this, you're going places with this. Well done.
MHBonsai
Chumono
MHBonsai
Chumono
That's the graft mid-June. It's solid and thickening at a rapid pace. It's nearly 1" across now at the connection point. I'm going to re-chop and carve the end of the graft late summer to give it a little more time to fully fuse.
I'm debating about when to do the big re-pot. There is still a huge root ball down there that is driving all that top growth. It needs a brutal root chop at some point to flatten it and start some root spread. Do I do it in the heat of summer this year (end of August here?) or wait until next spring...
I'd love to get a jump on growing some real roots with it in a shallower pot in the grow tent all winter. But it may make sense to leave it until next year to ensure the top thickens as much as possible. I will have two huge chop scars to heal....
I'm debating about when to do the big re-pot. There is still a huge root ball down there that is driving all that top growth. It needs a brutal root chop at some point to flatten it and start some root spread. Do I do it in the heat of summer this year (end of August here?) or wait until next spring...
I'd love to get a jump on growing some real roots with it in a shallower pot in the grow tent all winter. But it may make sense to leave it until next year to ensure the top thickens as much as possible. I will have two huge chop scars to heal....
MHBonsai
Chumono
Before...
This is beginning of July. Man can this thing grow. Time to clean up the graft to be sure it heals as clean as possible. I had some mealy bugs eating at the cut site.
MHBonsai
Chumono
All cleaned up. Great bond on the graft, I'm happy with how it turned out. First branch is about pencil size now. Cut off the big air root too, just couldn't see it looking good long term.
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MHBonsai
Chumono
Glamor shot. 
