First Bonsai - is it ok tree?

[BonPiotr]

Hi,
I’m completely new to bonsai and I have only watched few videos on YouTube. Recently i have bought my first tree - chinese elm, which is 5-6 years old. It was rather cheap, because I didn’t want to kill nice bonsai during learning. Now the longer i watch it, the more flaws I see in it.

So tell me is it worth time, can these flaws, like wire scars, strangely bended side branch or trunk cut can be fixed? Also it seems that it has not much foliage :/ Do you see something that should be done right now or it would be better to give it time?

 

[Paradox]

Please put your location on your profile so we can give you proper advice. Location is an important factor for much of bonsai.

I would put the tree in a spot outside that gets some sun.

When the tree gets stronger, you can start addressing the other issues.

It is a good starter tree that you can learn from

 

[sorce]

better to give it time

It heals all wounds.

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[BonPiotr]

Thanks I live in Poland so it’s moderate climate (colder and more dry than UK and warmer than Russia/Scandinavia). Tree is staying outside from the start, I guess it gets around 3-4 hours of direct sunlight at the morning and then stays in shade. It’s the best spot I can offer for it

 

[Paradox]

Thanks I live in Poland so it’s moderate climate (colder and more dry than UK and warmer than Russia/Scandinavia). Tree is staying outside from the start, I guess it gets around 3-4 hours of direct sunlight at the morning and then stays in shade. It’s the best spot I can offer for it

Sounds fine.
Please do put your location on your profile so we don't have to keep asking you where you are to give advice

 

[BonPiotr]

Done @Paradox When should I start pruning? I see a lot of intersecting branches. Also few of them seems like they were pruned too high. Is it best to wait for winter when it defoliates and I can see everything clearly or I can do it in few weeks, when elm is going to set in its new home?

 

[Paradox]

You mentioned it does not have a lot of leaves. See if it starts putting out new foliage and gets stronger before you do any work to it.

Late winter/early spring before buds swell is a good time to prune

 

[Juanmi]

What's the stone doing there? Is it hiding something?
Also, I'm not a fan of the overly exaggerated S shape that commercial bonsai usually have. If you want to keep it that way it's OK, but if not, would you be willing to cut it at the base of the tree? (Not right now, of course, first of all it has to get healthy)

(PS : Chinese Elm is a great tree to start with)

 

[BonPiotr]

It’s not hiding anything @Juanmi Two days ago i found it in a soil when I was repotting my fathers dracaena (probably it was my doing, when I was 6-7 years old, so it was there for a loooong time). I thought it has similar shape to that S and placed it there.
About S shape, I don’t mind it, it’s ok. Other trees where like 2-3 times money, so I took this one to learn I don’t think that cutting trunk at the base now is good idea, because that way i can’t learn pruning, wiring, etc. in a close future Maybe when I get another one?

 

[Rivian]

Your USDA zone is probably 6, so you can add that to your profile

 

[BonPiotr]

Thanks, tho I haven’t seen such minimal temps since 2014

 

[penumbra]

It wants to live, all elms do, but whats up with all the black stems and stubs.

 

[Juanmi]

It’s not hiding anything @Juanmi Two days ago i found it in a soil when I was repotting my fathers dracaena (probably it was my doing, when I was 6-7 years old, so it was there for a loooong time). I thought it has similar shape to that S and placed it there.
About S shape, I don’t mind it, it’s ok. Other trees where like 2-3 times money, so I took this one to learn I don’t think that cutting trunk at the base now is good idea, because that way i can’t learn pruning, wiring, etc. in a close future Maybe when I get another one?

Cool story, maybe you could incorporate that stone to one of your future trees.
Enjoy learning!

 

[BonPiotr]

It wants to live, all elms do, but whats up with all the black stems and stubs.

Don’t know, it came like this, this is one of the reasons why im concerned with health of that tree

 

[LemonBonsai]

Mentioning the stone I think you could incorporate it into the design to try and give it a more natural look to the tree. Many times trees will grow even if something falls on it. Ive seen trees that have a natural bend to them because some kind of force pushed them down on a log/rock and then they eventually grew side ways until it could shoot back up.

The rock you have almost fits perfectly under that curve, I would probably use a guy wires to pull that trunk tight to that rock, and work it into the landscape like that.

Eventually this could also be made into a root over rock style tree using this method.

However as others have said I would let this tree grow for a while before touching it (wire, repotting, pruning) be careful with how you water making sure not to let the tree dry out or sit in water. Move it outside for the summer and once foliage shoots are 5 - 6" long is when I would do some light pruning to see how it responds.

 

[Shibui]

Every tree has potential. It just depends how long you want to spend making improvements and how much effort you want to commit.

The stubs are common after pruning because all branches will die back to the nearest bud which then grows. You can trim off the dead stubs any time. It won't even harm a weak tree so you could do it now.

The top stump should have been done a few years ago but that costs money so cheap commercial growers don't bother. That's another one you could do. Cut at an angle to remove the stump and make a neat taper from old trunk to the new one.

There's probably not much you can do to change the odd bend in the branch upper left now. There's a couple of choices: hide the odd bend with foliage so no-one can see it; or chop that branch close to the trunk and hope for new shoots so you can grow a new branch but this time bend early while they are flexible. Chinese elm are really good at budding after pruning and grow fast so that is not as drastic as it may sound. I would not do that operation until the tree is healthier though.

To build health:
Improve watering Always wet is just as bad as too dry. Need to water well when it gets almost dry. Enough water to flush through the soil and run out the bottom. White mineral deposits on soil indicate probable light watering or misting often instead of good watering. I can see sand in the tray below, maybe to lift the pot out of water? That's good but better if there's no tray unless you are really having trouble with the soil drying before the end of the day.
Fertilize - trees in small pots need fertilizer every 2-3 weeks.
Soil appears very fine which can have challenges for watering well. Consider changing to more open soil mix next spring as most of us seem to get much better growth, health and less problems when using larger particle soils.

Good luck with the tree.

 

[BonPiotr]

Just wanted to update

Elm is looking growing and it seems healthy. I have added some moss, cut dead little branches and found some more issues like old crack in trunk that was hidden below soil level (probably after bending) and also some thick scar (maybe after trunk cut?), but hey its looking much better now

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Welcome Aboard Bonsai Nut!

That’s a great species to begin with! The tree looks like it is slowly improving. If it was one my Elms, for the remainder of this growing year it would sit on my bench, soaking in 3/4 sun... get it safely over the winter. … then gather materials and repot as @Shibui recommends. Next year would be a grow out year, minor trimming, mostly hands off.

There is a lot of value to be gained in the long run by just studying a tree periodically. Planning future steps and researching a species thoroughly until the growth is visibly robust before initial styling.

Thanks for adding your location/usda zone below. Perhaps a better way to show this data to others would be to put it on your icon, which is one of the first things folks look at. To do this click your icon on top of the page. Next, click on Account Details, scroll down and fill in the appropriate data and adjust any other entries.
.
Cheers
DSD sends

 

[penumbra]

Great advice, every word. ^^^ Particularly the long term advantage of just studying your plant, something difficult for beginners....... and others.

 

[BonPiotr]

Thanks for advice, I love just watching that tree, but „hands off” is hard for me Every time I see 100% dead branch I cut it, but only small ones.

What are your recommendations for wintering? Currently I’m thinking about placing bonsai pot in bigger pot with mulch. Do you think I should also grab some foil?

I was also thinking about minigreenhouse like that for my balcony as an alternative to pot with mulch idea:

But i dont think it will do anything good. I can also place it in unheated greenhouse at my parents house, but it may be too warm for a tree to go dormant if winter isn’t that harsh.

I live on third floor and i rarely see any frost on balcony, so maybe it is ok to leave it be?