Chine elm (?) Trunk chop: how low should i go?

[Dorky_gearhead]

So i recently dug up what is believed to be a chinese elm. the trunk is about 2.5 inches at the soil level, and its currently about 2.5 feet tall. Although id love to have a massive trunk, ive decided to just keep it a one hander. Im thinking about 10 inches tall, so a komono?
Anyhow, im looking for suggestions on how low to do the trunk chop. Ive read that the chop should take place at 2X the width of the trunk, so that would make the first chop to take place at the 5 inch mark. Going the mathematical rout im assuming i should allow the 2nd trunk section to get 1/3 the thickness of the 1st trunk section? would i make the 2nd trunk chop at 2X the thickness of the 2nd trunk section? Ect ect

Any help would be appreciated!

Casey

 

[0soyoung]

Those rules are to help linear thinkers like me get into the neighborhood of making art. Now the question to you is 'what kind of bonsai do you want to make?

If you want to make something more sumo (short and fat), you'll of course cut lower
If you want to make a curvy whispy tree (as commonly done with maples), you'll chop higher and you won't make the next chop until that section is nearly the same thickness as the section below it. If you want more taper, you'll simply chop sooner.
If you want to make a naturalistic elm image, you'll likely want a taller trunk and then have branches launch to make a vase shaped canopy. To do this, you will be looking to have 3-5 stems originate from the top of your initial trunk chop. A classic broom would be made similarly, but with attention to spread branches across a 180 sweep.

yadda, yadda, yadda.

You've gotta decide where you are going for anybody to tell you anything more meaningful that the rules you've recited.

I suggest you find pix of bonsai that you like and/or natural trees to help you decide. With a set of a few possibilities you can measure some proportions and translate those into dimensions approximating your trunk. That is, if you are an engineer or some other ilk of linear thinker (not that there is anything wrong with that ).

 

[ConorDash]

id love to have a massive trunk
Casey

You and me both buddy...


I'm sorry, I've nothing productive to add aside from that. I saw the opportunity and I took it. I regret nothing.

Put some pics up please? It'll help greatly with everyone's comments.

 

[Cypress187]

So i recently dug up

Where is it? Pics? Maybe, you should let it recover first, chop it next year? Well, with no pics it's hard to tell.