Little collected Chinese elm

[fviljoen963]

Well you know most of the story, I just wanted to share this

Does anyone want to play around with virtuals? It will be much appreciated

Thank you

 

[fviljoen963]

Some more angles and two weeks ago's buds

 

[Cypress187]

Little?

 

[fviljoen963]

And today

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I would let the tree recover from the transplant and grow a really strong root system in that tub. And then I would reduce it again to about 4"-6". I don't think any part of the upper main trunk or the daughter trunk will ever really be usable for bonsai - and you will be battling the lack of taper forever. However if you reduce to just the stump you will have a path forward. Make sure to angle the cut in the back!

 

[fviljoen963]

Little?

Yes well Ive collected larger haha

 

[fviljoen963]

Yes it will probably stand for two years, but what a great piece of material right?

I'll reduce the middle trunk transition, the tallest part, to about halfway

 

[Cypress187]

but what a great piece of material right? I'll reduce the middle trunk transition, the tallest part, to about halfway

Yeah it's ok I guess, it's thick. But I also don't see much taper and that first branch is transitioning so good that I think u will need to carve the trunk, or a chop but will take many years.

 

[LanceMac10]

but what a great piece of material right?

 

[vicn]

@fviljoen963 What do you see for this tree? Do you do virts, or play around in paint?

 

[fviljoen963]

This isthe tree today
The aim is for it to be a large rounded canopy tree, natural image with spreading heavy branches in ten years time. Carving/hollowing will obviously have to be done on the two additional trunks as well as the main trunk transition and top stub where it still has to be cut back.

 

[fviljoen963]

Ok, here I took better photos with the proposed front, and did one paint attempt with the plans for the next three years concerning the main leaders that show on 2D. The other I did a rough sketch of what branches should look like, I wasted time and didn't get to shortening the top but that will have to wait to next year

I'm in two minds about thinning out branches.. on one hand I want to leave as much foliage possible to build root mass but on the other hand if I only keep proposed leaders now they can already start to put on wood instead of shoots shading each other and it just becoming a bush... oh wait its already a bush hahaha
The rainy weather helped with the light

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

I would do a first selection of branches, in that way that from the ones that are to close i would remove some. Don't make styling choices yet, but your virt. looks ok. You can give them direction and some movement, it will make working and selecting the good ones more straight forward for the first styling.

 

[fviljoen963]

Thanks Dirk, Ive already pulled down the branches with string for now getting them to exit the trunks at less of an angle, some of them I pulled down and the tips up again to accelerate growth, the eventual cuts would be before the candlestick like bends this creates