First step suggestions for nursery stock Chinese elm

[Patric27]

Total newbie, educating myself online.

This Chinese elm came from a local nursery, where I had to chop the four trunks to get the tree in my car. I reduced the root mass to fit in this Anderson box in January.

I have not done much else, and from general online sources I suspect I shouldn’t think to do anything this year.

Is that correct?

The trunk is about 4 inches wide at the thickest, and it’s about 20 inches tall at its tallest. I am open to any styling and care suggestions you have to make.

 

[Shibui]

It is a surprise to see a larger Chinese elm trunk from a newbie. Usually we get sticks in pots.
Definitely let it recover from the initial repot before any further stress so you have time to get opinions and work out a plan before launching into the next stage.


At most, reduce crowded clusters of shoots so they don't contribute to local swelling. See the masses of shoots around the large cut on right for example.

IMHO, The really straight trunks will be difficult to incorporate in any bonsai so I'd be looking at possible ways to either remove them or shorten them enough to stop the straight, no taper look.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

IMHO, The really straight trunks will be difficult to incorporate in any bonsai so I'd be looking at possible ways to either remove them or shorten them enough to stop the straight, no taper look.

I agree. I would remove trunks #1, #2 and #3 (from the left) - making sure you make concave cuts and seal the wounds. The sooner this work is done, the better, and the sooner the tree will start to recover. This is work that can be done today... and the let the tree rest for the balance of the year. Leave all the small buds that will pop out everywhere. Then next spring you can reduce the main trunk by about 1/3... and you will be moving forward with material you will keep.

 

[Patric27]

First - thank you for the guidance!

Yes, thick trunks from a newbie. I’m 66, and would rather work on taper, nebarie and the slow process of styling and have something before I pass from this world .

I can see how your suggestions, Nuttier, are good, and will likely follow them

I ask only because I’m fond of the look of multi-trunk bonsai, is there any case to be made for drastically reducing (from left to right) trunks 1 and 3, aiming for tapered replacements and holding onto #2, but only through its curve, while handling #4 as you suggest?

 

[BrightsideB]

As a newbie remember to study the cause and effect aspect of what you do and take pictures before and after for reference. It helps a lot.

Also all that lower foliage starting to grow are potentially new lower branches for the future design. Not all but selected ones later on.

Usually from what I’ve seen. Deciduous multi trunks look good when the second or third trunk extends from an area closer to the nebari. You may be able to pull off with this one with the right help and guidance. You can see the trunk did split into two naturally. The swelling of the two growing close caused the slight reverse taper.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I ask only because I’m fond of the look of multi-trunk bonsai, is there any case to be made for drastically reducing (from left to right) trunks 1 and 3, aiming for tapered replacements and holding onto #2, but only through its curve, while handling #4 as you suggest?

The branches right now are too high on the trunk for a multi-trunk design. For a nice elm multi-trunk design you would want the trunks to all split at the soil level - or at least very low on the trunk. Instead what you have is three big straight branches that are giving you a knot of inverse taper where you don't want it.



Regardless, there is nothing preventing you from doing a multi-trunk with this tree. Cut it back like I suggest and you will get buds all over the place that you can grow out as new branches - wiring and arranging them while they are small. Maybe you will get new sprouts from the roots, or very low buds. Regardless, it would be a very straight forward thing to grow out branches to use as cuttings or air-layers for new trunks which you could plant or approach graft very low on the tree. The important thing is that these new trunks will all be wired when young to give them each some character. Note in the example above how each trunk has some movement to it and they all have a degree of taper. What you are currently working with is stove-pipe straight sections of branch that have no character and will NEVER have any, so that if you continue to prune and develop the tree using those branches, you will just be wasting time and effort. Then you will look up, ten years will have passed, and you will realize - wow I need to remove those bad branches!

With an elm, do not be afraid of cutting back to the trunk in order to get new thin branches.

 

[Patric27]

Greatly appreciating the advice!
Thank you!

 

[Patric27]

So… I bit the bullet, at least as far as I dared.

I went from this:

• KB
• 
  

To this:



I was queasy the whole time…but I’m sure (if my little project survives) that I’ve done the right thing. I see, with any cooperation from future budding, a primary branch extending from the lower point on the left, like the upper point’s current possibilities.

Thank you again!

 

[BobbyLane]

The deed is done now, but I wouldnt have reduced this material to one trunk line. Here's what I did with one a few years ago. It does depend on tastes though.
I would of kept your middle leader and chopped it, then removed the one left of it and kept the two on either side, but reduced them lower than the central trunk. Or cut to two trunks bit like below.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Going forward, I would make my final cut here (more or less) removing the awkward straight upper trunk. You've got a nice shoot right there that you could use for your new leader.



Do not worry about Chinese elm popping back from a hard pruning. Right now your tree doesn't look like much but you will soon have more branches to work with than you know what to do with. Don't let them get away from you! Make sure you put some wire on them while they are still young and pliable, otherwise you will just have a bunch of straight branches again with no movement and no taper.



I need to take a photo of what this tree looks like today. This was a quick shot that I took two years ago before I was going to do some work on it - which at least shows how many branches I had to work with.

 

[Michael P]

I once heard Ernie Kuo say, "If you have no courage and I have no courage, we have no bonsai."

 

[Patric27]

Again thanks for the encouragement.