Do you see any bonsai future for this Giant Sequoia?

[IllinoisSam]

I purchased this sequoia at a club auction almost two years ago. The trunk at the soil line is about 1-1/4" in diameter. The round pot is the way I got it, and the deeper hexagon pot is as it stands today. As you can see, it has gotten quite leggy. I obviously don't have a clue about pruning this thing, it doesn't seem to be back budding at all. The branches seem to stay skinny, I was hoping by letting they extend, I could thicken the branches, but no joy.. I kept the soil moist during our recent hot spell (94 F), and sprayed the foliage once daily when doing the daily watering.

So, I'd like to hear the experience from folks who have had these trees. Maybe I ought to just put it up at the next auction.

Thanks.

Sam



Thanks.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Don’t see why not.

Here’s an excellent progression to get you started. As fast as pruning goes, there is plenty good information out there to help you .

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[IllinoisSam]

Don’t see why not.

Here’s an excellent progression to get you started. As fast as pruning goes, there is plenty good information out there to help you .

Cheers
DSD sends

Thanks. I saw that, but I don't know how to get from here to there.

 

[jsdwi]

Don’t see why not.

Here’s an excellent progression to get you started. As fast as pruning goes, there is plenty good information out there to help you .

Cheers
DSD sends

I am working on a giant sequoia as well (currently still in the ground, 15 years old) and I have studied the progression on the Bonsai Empire blog, but I’ve never seen needles that small and tight on a giant sequoia. Even if you pinch the needles as they did, it’s hard for me to imagine that they can get that small, but I am going to give it a try. I have five larger sequoia trees on my property, and I live a few hours away from Sequoia national Park, so I know the trees well. I will see if I can get needles like that next year after pinching in the summer. Currently, I am in the messy stage of just trying to get the tree cut back and shaped. I have many years in front of me before I can pull this. Trunk development is my first priority. My larger sequoias have great taper (which range from 12-45 feet tall), but this needs a few more years. Because of the shot angle, this photo doesn’t correctly demonstrate the current taper, but you get the idea.