Recent content by gbupp

Thanks for following up. I have actually been working on Chinese Elms shaping/leaf reduction on smaller Elms I've owned for a while. This big new Bonsai I got just requires a lot more branch work which is what I have no previous knowledge off.

This is all new growth that I am referring to. Essentially it is growing in the total opposite direction that I would want, and even allowing it to harden and wire would not be desirable. Thank you for the inputs and it looks like I have something to go take care of!

So it's been a while, but I eventually did cut back the branches as suggested. I am now letting it free grow to develop taper. My question is at this point, if the free growth is really not going in the direction I would want, do I really let it just free grow? Or does free grow mean having the...

I also live in Florida. So you would wait until late-February and do them all in one fell swoop? I will say the tree is growing quite vigorously as it is, but I find all my Elms do this in Florida weather.

Should I be cutting all the branches at the same time, or do them one at a time over a spread out period to reduce the amount of stress all at once?

Sounds good, thanks for the information. Just because I want to know "why" I'm doing it particularly, why should the wound face/angle up?

I see. This did clear up a lot, thank you! Out of the two options I have, it sounds like it would be better to cut now rather than later and just get the dirty work done with. What type of tool will I want to use when cutting the branches? I have Concave Cutters if those are required, however...

Thanks for the input guys! Just to get this straight, you are all talking about "clipping" the foliage and letting the thick branches grow right? Not cutting the actual branches themselves? Either is fine, just want to ensure I understand what you are attempting to communicate. Additionally...

I was hoping you all could offer some assistance with how I should add some movement to my Chinese Elm's branches. They have grown to be rather straight branches, and I am looking to try and make it look a bit more natural. Thanks! P.S. Sorry if the pictures a bit poor, I am working on...

Thanks everyone for replying. I have run out of room on my patio, and will be unable to keep my cat away from it. Thanks for the help, I would rather play it safe than sorry.

So does this mean I should conclude that all Boxwood are poisonous? I would love to get one, but I would worry about my Cat's health. He loves to chew stuff that falls of my Elm and I can't always keep an eye on him.

I have read that "most" Boxwood species are poisonous, however none of the publications I read said "all". This leads me to believe that there are Boxwood variants that are not poisonous. Can anyone point me in the right direction? Googling the answer has lead me no where. Thanks!

I love that forest one! Thanks for sharing.

Thanks mat! The straight up branch on the main trunk can't be bent at all, it's pretty set in it's ways. When you say you would prune everything inward on the smaller trunk, are you talking about the weird off shot with 3-4 long lanky branches coming out of it? I have been frustrated what to...

Thanks for the reply! I actually did wire it when I first got it (picture attached), and had success with it. I should not have an issue moving forward with wiring, I am just looking for some assistance with "style" so I can go about wiring it into said style. I guess I didn't really think...