Clump Elm

[Smoke]

This one has progressed enough to warrant its own thread. I'm kinda weird that way. I work on them enough so that there is something to show when I do decide to start the thread. This one has been only two years.

It started as a raffle prize at a club meet. No one took it so I picked it up. It was a mess but it did have about ten gallons of calidama in the bucket so the raffle cost covered that, even if the tree was shit...since you couldn't see it.
This clump, and its dismantleing became the subject of the elm root cuttings that I did in the neagari shape. This root ball was huge. It seemed that nothing would be able to tame it. How would this ever fit into a show pot?

 

[Smoke]

In only two years I have managed to remove the root mass, plant it out in a colander, train the trunks, and this spring it was able to be planted into this Cultural Revolution Chinese Pot. Looking OK so far this summer. Will only get better with age. I tried to get some shots all around the tree. I think I like the second image best.

 

[defra]

I like the last pic too as front !

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Picture 2 is my pick. I probably like the traditional set up the best.
Nice start
Charles

 

[just.wing.it]

Nice elm clump!
Those root cuttings are cool!
That's an interesting pot too, I like it....
Seems like repotting a tree in that pot could be challenging...
It looks very nice though.

 

[GrimLore]

That needs a home out East - Nice one Al

Grimmy

 

[Phillthy]

I love the root cuttings you have. I definitely need to try that out some day. You should start a thread on those.

 

[Smoke]

You should start a thread on those.

Have you tried the search function?

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/elm-root-cuttings.18590/

 

[Giga]

I think elms are grown from magic beans as fast as they grow

 

[Paradox]

Diamond in the rough

Nice transformation

 

[fviljoen963]

The second or third pic would be your front based on the width of the nebari, personally the last pic is best as it hides all the ugly cut sites BUT... the biggest problem is the four trunks... let a bud from the bottom go as a depth trunk or somehting but 4?? Just no...

 

[Smoke]

I'll entertain any intelligent response to four trunks. I've heard them all and I don't buy any of them but maybe someone can convince me what all the hoopla is????

 

[j evans]

I think that I like number 3 best but number two is a close second. The third photo hides a bit of the knobs better.

Four, who cares if it looks good and you like it.

Good Job!

 

[defra]

4 trunks an even number not done as the book suggests, but still in nature a tree wont care about the rules in the book and grow 4 trunks if it wants to.

 

[Wilson]

I had a chuckle at the last workshop I was at! A lady told me you can't have 4 trunks because it symbolizes death in Japanese culture. I looked at her and said "good thing I am not showing it in Japan!"

 

[Smoke]

Yea just like the ace of spades symbolizes death in Viet Nam. For me it just means a better poker hand!!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

My buddy Ron purchased a 4-trunk ficus clump from Mary Miller. In a BCI article written in 1996, Mary interviewed John Naka about this clump’s having 4 trunks as breaking the “rules” of bonsai. Naka dismissed it with, “so?”

Ron also hosted a sister-city visitor from Japan, and he walked around the 4-trunk display like it was loaded with adders.

For no superstious reason at all, in 1998, we planted a 5th nerifolia into the composition to widen the display. Years later, he was driving his truck down the interstate to participate in a show and his topper ripped loose and took the tops of most of his trees with it. When the 5-tree Group was finally back in show-shape a couple years ago, it took a ribbon at MABA in Chicago.