Defoliated Chinese Elm in our Local Fall Show

[Chuah]

I showed this defoliated Chinese Elm in our club’s fall Show.



I bought it as a pre-bonsai in 1997 from a bonsai nursery in Lilburn, just outside Atlanta when I was on a business trip.



It was trained largely by clip-and-grow to achieve the ramifications. My wife helped me defoliate it. It took us a combined 6 hours to remove literally thousands of small leaves.

 

[Shibui]

That's dedication. Cutting all those tiny leaves off one at a time but it certainly shows the magnificent ramification you've developed over 25 years.

 

[dbonsaiw]

Absolutely beautiful work. If you have any pics showing the progress from 1997 to now, please share.

 

[Chuah]

Absolutely beautiful work. If you have any pics showing the progress from 1997 to now, please share.

Will look for them.

 

[p_anova]

Ang ganda naman po!

 

[leatherback]

jay!

Will look for them.

 

[Carol 83]

Fantastic transformation. You have a good wife too!!

 

[Wilson]

Wonderful work, really beautiful branching.

 

[MACH5]

Wonderful work Dr. Hoe! I see you have Soon well trained!

Miss you guys!

 

[Chuah]

Wonderful work Dr. Hoe! I see you have Soon well trained!

Miss you guys!

Wonderful work Dr. Hoe! I see you have Soon well trained!

Miss you guys!

Sergio, this was a last minute entry. I submitted a Chinzan azalea, couple of days before the show the club emailed members asking for more trees. Sound familiar for most club shows? I asked Soon if she was willing to help defoliating, then I would bring this elm to the show.

Attached is the azalea with a dwarf Japanese mulberry, and of course my boss’s shitakusa.

 

[Chuah]

Fantastic transformation. You have a good wife too!!

Thank you!

 

[Animron]

Why would anyone want to defoliate a Chinese elm? The species already has super small leaves ... and beautiful fall colors ... What's the point?

 

[leatherback]

Why would anyone want to defoliate a Chinese elm? The species already has super small leaves ... and beautiful fall colors ... What's the point?

• show off perfect ramification
• Increase ramification
• Ensure light reaches the inside for backbudding

 

[BobbyLane]

to add to that, the other reason is to wire out a tree. there's a bit of misconception that people defoliate only to reduce leaf size, but ive often done it in summer to wire out a tree and a few professionals ive observed do that here too.

 

[Animron]

• show off perfect ramification
• Increase ramification
• Ensure light reaches the inside for backbudding

In late autumn? Usually defoliation needs to be done in late spring or early summer ... I see no benefits doing it in fall? Don't you like yellow, orange and/or red fall colors? Anyway, the ramification is really nice

 

[BobbyLane]

For a winter show yes, or to begin wiring/styling, people will often pluck off the remaining leaves once theyre beginning to turn as it wont affect the health of the tree and it will just resume growing in spring as normal.
fall colours arent reliable on all species anyway.

 

[Marco B]

Nice unique tree! The combination tree/pot could be much better in my opinion. I think its too deep and too narrow. This fits better in my opinion. Also a ovale/round is fine...

 

[BobbyLane]

Looks like the same tree I commented on 9 years ago, in this video. I also enjoyed hearing Colin lewis's commentary on it. its great to actually see it again from the front view finally

 

[Chuah]

Looks like the same tree I commented on 9 years ago, in this video. I also enjoyed hearing Colin lewis's commentary on it. its great to actually see it again from the front view finally

Thank you for posting my old video from the 2013 Lone Star State show. It is a different Chinese Elm, also trained using Clip-and-grow. one great feature of this tree is the nebari spread radially outwards without forming a pan-cake roots seen in some Japanese maples and trident.

 

[BobbyLane]

Thank you for posting my old video from the 2013 Lone Star State show. It is a different Chinese Elm, also trained using Clip-and-grow. one great feature of this tree is the nebari spread radially outwards without forming a pan-cake roots seen in some Japanese maples and trident.

oh ok, they do look similar. do you have a photo of this one now? or then and now