Shefflera Styling Suggestions
- Thread starter Shamino
- Start date
ForrestW
Mame
I think it looks pretty good. I may suggest spreading the branches out a little forming a wider canopy. Most of these are grown more like a spreading banyan then upright. Then if you can put it into a shallower wider pot, you may get some arial roots to drop. I think they can look good in many color pots, I have one of mine in a red unglazed pot and I like the constant complimentary color you get from the green foliage to and unglazed redish color of the pot. The other one is in a blue glazed pot and I think it also looks pretty good. I would avoid a green glaze but I think Blues, and off whites look really good-- as do unglazed. I really enjoy these as a species, and look forward to seeing what you do.
Michigan Tree Murderer
Masterpiece
I'd try a blue pot or yellow pot, and banyan style.
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
It's very difficult to give meaningful and informed styling advice when we only have a view of the tree from one angle. Can't tell where branches start or end from one photo and hard to ascertain trunk direction and movement.
At least 4 photos from pot level showing different sides of the tree.
If you have any favorite views of the tree please include those and some explanation of why.
At least 4 photos from pot level showing different sides of the tree.
If you have any favorite views of the tree please include those and some explanation of why.
Shamino
Yamadori
Needs some water today but here goes...
Attachments
ForrestW
Mame
Here is my suggestion-- Its very crude, but you have a lot of long leggy branches. Wire them down and out with some movement if you can (use thick wire). In the summer move it into a wider shallow pot and feed it strong. Then cut all the ends back pretty hard to get a lot of back budding. Be selective with the buds that pop, too many and they will all be very short, so pick the ones in the best places to grow and break off the others. After a year in the new pots and it gets pot bound you will probably get more air roots to drop. I am attaching photos of my two versions. There are things to work on with mine-- they are far from perfect but it shows a blue pot and a red unglazed version.
Attachments
Shamino
Yamadori
Thanks...excellent advice...will give it a try. Can/should I wire and prune now? (I'm in Maine, zone 5B) or should I wait until summer when I repot?
ForrestW
Mame
I do not think it would hurt to wire now just to go ahead and open it up and spread it out. But I would hold off on doing the pruning and repotting until its outside in the summer. I think you will get a far better response then. If you prune now you may get 1 new growth per cut, in the summer you will try and keep only 3-4 new growths per cut. I may also suggest that you get the spring fertilizer routine going strong, and make your cuts a bit before repotting. I like to do a hard prune, let the new growth get started, then repot. I find it also helps with smaller leaves when they are all new, and growing mid summer after a repot.
Shamino
Yamadori
Thanks!
Shibui
Imperial Masterpiece
Thanks for the extra photos. They are just what's needed. You can see it has already stimulated another response.
My take from the new photos:
It's a twin trunk tree. In some photos one looks larger and in others the other looks thicker so I assume both trunks are similar thickness. Twin trunk seem to look much better when one trunk is dominant - thicker and taller.
Normally the trunk leaning outward would be both tinner and shorter than the upright trunk. In nature, the second trunk grows outward away from the canopy of the main tree. Because it's the second trunk it is younger and therefore thinner and shorter.
You may be able to influence trunk thickness by allowing one to have more foliage and to grow a bit wild for a year or 2.
Currently the trunk leaning out has lots more branches and leaves. That may be allowing it to get thicker.
If the upright trunk is thicker I'd restrict growth on the other for a few years - more pruning on that side to develop the upright trunk as dominant. Something like this:
Red lines = chop
Brown lines = future branching
If the leaning trunk is actually thicker I'd repot so that trunk is the more vertical and prune the other one to make it a but shorter as shown in this virt:
tilt trunk 20deg to the right (if roots allow that)
Red lines = chop
Dotted red line = either chop or bend existing branches outward.
Yellow = future branching
Green = outline of future foliage.
Anther thing that seems to jar my senses a little are the trunks that grow through one another. Marked in orange in this virt.
In bonsai, simplifying the lines seems to help it look better.
You may be able to find a viewing angle where those branches don't appear so tangled. Otherwise removing some of them may help.
I think you have plenty of options open. You will need to consider things that we can't see properly in the photos like which parts grow forward and which branches are toward the rear. Also which branches are flexible enough to bend and which will not easily bend.
Always check that an online proposal will actually work properly before taking the plunge.
My take from the new photos:
It's a twin trunk tree. In some photos one looks larger and in others the other looks thicker so I assume both trunks are similar thickness. Twin trunk seem to look much better when one trunk is dominant - thicker and taller.
Normally the trunk leaning outward would be both tinner and shorter than the upright trunk. In nature, the second trunk grows outward away from the canopy of the main tree. Because it's the second trunk it is younger and therefore thinner and shorter.
You may be able to influence trunk thickness by allowing one to have more foliage and to grow a bit wild for a year or 2.
Currently the trunk leaning out has lots more branches and leaves. That may be allowing it to get thicker.
If the upright trunk is thicker I'd restrict growth on the other for a few years - more pruning on that side to develop the upright trunk as dominant. Something like this:
Red lines = chop
Brown lines = future branching
If the leaning trunk is actually thicker I'd repot so that trunk is the more vertical and prune the other one to make it a but shorter as shown in this virt:
tilt trunk 20deg to the right (if roots allow that)
Red lines = chop
Dotted red line = either chop or bend existing branches outward.
Yellow = future branching
Green = outline of future foliage.
Anther thing that seems to jar my senses a little are the trunks that grow through one another. Marked in orange in this virt.
In bonsai, simplifying the lines seems to help it look better.
You may be able to find a viewing angle where those branches don't appear so tangled. Otherwise removing some of them may help.
I think you have plenty of options open. You will need to consider things that we can't see properly in the photos like which parts grow forward and which branches are toward the rear. Also which branches are flexible enough to bend and which will not easily bend.
Always check that an online proposal will actually work properly before taking the plunge.
Shamino
Yamadori
Thank you so much for the detailed, all-encompassing reply. I certainly have options now to consider. I think that giving it a long look and considering all that's been said here will be a great help to my decision. Thank you again...
