Need some help on Elm

j evans · Apr 24, 2015

Well it has been nine days since the surgery. I have the two big buds that were around the "old" chop before the latest chop and I have two new little buds on the side near the "old" chop. So far I do not have any new buds around the "new" chop. Our weather could be a bit warmer but I thought that I would be seeing new buds in this area even as soon as the little new buds further down the trunk. Any reason for concern? Take a look and let me know what you think. Thanks.

Smoke · Apr 24, 2015

About 25 days you should see some green buds.

Smoke · Apr 24, 2015

The proper stand for shooting pictures is a city trash can. AC condenser units don't count..

j evans · Apr 24, 2015

Shooting photos in the dark after bedtime on a work night I had to use what I could find quickly close to the tree. I'm thinking of doing a tutorial on "How to Make Your Bonsai Look Better in Photos By Using a Poor Background". It might help my trees look better. By the way my big maple is on life support. A hug a day isn't helping.

edprocoat · Apr 25, 2015

The leaves on your elm in the 5th picture look like they have aphids on them. The new leaves on the right hand side.

ed

j evans · Apr 26, 2015

They do, did. It is the one thing that I can raise around here. They got a cold shower and seem to have left. Thanks for noticing.

Jamie

grouper52 · Apr 27, 2015

For what it's worth, I like what you've done with the tree, and it was IMHO the only real option. It's a much longer term project now, but one with an attractive future.

I'd strongly suggest you put this bad boy in the ground or a large grow pot, and spend the next 5-10 years developing something worthy of that base by using clip-and-grow techniques, made famous on these very trees by the southern Chinese Lingnan School. The technique is something I just outlined in a post on a recent Chinese elm thread by JKL, so you might look for that. Good luck with this fellow.

j evans · Apr 27, 2015

Grouper -

What exactly are you thinking for this tree? I was shooting for something on the small side. Are you thinking along the lines of the virtual above only thicker? Or?

Thanks for you comments

grouper52 · Apr 28, 2015

Yeah, something about that size could be quite pleasing.

What you've basically got is a great base - now you can grow whatever you like to accent that base. Dan Robinson wrote a seminal article published decades ago entitled "Focal Point Bonsai Design." Your focal point - the main interest in your tree, to which you will want to draw people's eyes - is that base, with its nice trunk movement, bark and nebari. The branching and foliage are merely going to play a supportive role, framing and drawing the eye back to the base - the focal point. People have studied how the eye roves and roams over a great piece of art, and invariably it is a dance around some principle focal point to which the eye is drawn back after each excursion to more supportive, more peripheral aspects and areas. Hope that helps.

j evans · May 4, 2015

Well it has been 19 days since the chop and I have quite a few buds. I am concerned about the "bulging" that smoke mentioned and if it is time to start weeding out the buds. In my opinion some a adequately placed but some could be in a better location. I would assume that I still have a chance for more buds to appear in the next couple of weeks. Smoke, I need you to weigh in on this as to getting started or wait a bid longer. Here is what I have:

j evans · May 4, 2015

Here is an overhead and a drawing of approximately what the plan is. Thanks for the comments and help. I do notice how all of the buds are on the sides or undersides of the tree. Jamie

Jamie

j evans · May 5, 2015

To me almost all of these buds are not in a useable location if I try to go close to the above plan. The largest buds are under the large chop and I was thinking that I would like something above that chop so it could be hollowed out. There is one bud on the upper side of the small chop when looking at side one that I think is useable but the rest I think are not useable. Any input? If I scrap all of these buds but the one should I get still more this spring? Thanks

Jamie

JudyB · May 5, 2015

The one bud on the side at the upper chop site is the one I'd keep. It's kind of in the perfect spot. If this thing is healthy, and it looks to be, you'll be rubbing buds you don't want off all summer...

Smoke · May 5, 2015

Keep two of the largest buds from each of the areas I circled above. The top most circle is where you will build the apex of the canopy. Keep the larger branch on the lower left as a branch for that outside curve.. Remove the rest on that node. don't worry if the one you keep dies, there will be plenty from that area for several years until it settles down.

The big problem right now is getting a bud at my arrow. That is where you need one ASAP to keep the branch structure even and in proportion.

Smoke · May 5, 2015

So far you have the areas solidly represented in the black circles. Those areas have the buds and the direction is good to build that image. What you need is that first branch with the black arrow. There are techniques to make that happen but now is not the right time. Lets let the buds grow that have set and get strong and healthy. Then we can stress it next year and induce budding at the first bend. There are buds there, the tree is happy right now and sees no need to push lower. Make sure to keep a few buds on the back of the tree and maybe the one on the front in the middle near the top. These will add depth later.

Smoke · May 5, 2015

When you have cut off all the shoots from the area marked in blue circle. Cut back that first branch to the blue line and then let it grow for a few months.

JudyB · May 5, 2015

Nice Smoke.

MidMichBonsai · May 5, 2015

The branch lower on the trunk may need to be either an approach or thread graft...

Smoke · May 5, 2015

There are plenty of wounds and old scars there. I would take the one that shows in all the pictures and clean it well around the wound exposing the cambium and seal it. I'll bet before fall it will push a bud there. The orange circle with no arrow is a bud from a previous cut off branch.

The old wound below that in the correct place has a good open larger cut stub that could be cleaned up with a sharp knife and get the wound working again. Elms compartmentilize wounds very well and they have to be cleaned up and stimulated from time to time. Just like tridents.

j evans · May 5, 2015

Wow, that is a lot to digest. I'm always worried about messing things up but I guess if I do there will be more come along. Should I keep the bud with the orange circle and no arrow or get rid of it?

To clean up the old wound I just use a sharp knife and open it up? I am having a hard time visualizing a branch down that low. Should I do this now or wait until later in the year?

Thanks for all of the help and I will post more photos after some cutting is done.

Jamie

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