How should I proceed?

[carmabonsai]

I have a Fukien, I bought it pre-shaped?, and I don't quite like it but don't know if I should try to re shape or add to it as new growth comes in. It's a really awkward? shape for me and doesn't necessarily seem very natural.

Thoughts?

 

[Housguy]

I like the stance it has in pic 0975, if you select and grow out the right branches and apex, this could be a nice looking bonsai, it will take time and patience, good luck and enjoy!

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Its a young tree, I would just let everything grow. But I already have enough trees that it is easy to be patient.

As new branches sprout, each will give you another possibility for styling. If you can bear to wait until spring, that would be great.

 

[Forsoothe!]

They are very angular. If you just clip & grow, it will take a long time to aim the growth in any pattern in particular. The older, large stems that are too straight will be broken before being bent, but you can use existing growth potential to grow twigs that you form into a design knowing that you will eventually cut off some or a lot of this existing straight wood. You need to leave leaves and wood in place to use the leaf surface attached to generate the new twigs elsewhere you will be forming with wire. This gets complicated, so you will need to draw a design on paper and hope that new twigs will grow in useful places. Without a written plan you will just clip to make it look good rather than clip to follow the plan, and that leads nowhere. You encourage growth elsewhere by clipping the primaries as soon as you see them and keeping primaries on useful twigs that you can wire to meet your drawing's design.

The alternative is to chop it down to wood you like or can stand, etc. Same outcome, two methods. It wants to flower a lot which uses resources. The more flowers you remove, the more foliage growth you get instead. They don't call them tree of a thousand stars for nothing.

 

[leatherback]

For now, just let it grow. Learn how to keep it happy. They are iffy at times.

Check the surface, often these pebbles are glued on. If so, do remove. (Actually, remove the pebbles)

 

[sorce]

If we are not helping you kill a Fukien Tea, we are not going our job!

By the time any good comes out of this trunk, you'll have found a much better one, maybe even off the deep discount rack, free.

So the way I see it, you might as well get them itchy little pruning fingers a fix.

I have a concern about the bulgy top, perhaps you can airlayer that part off for fun and more material.
(There's that free)

Then cut the 3fers off the rest, it seems to have many spots with three branches emerging.

Sometimes stuff like this, that proves to always want to throw 3 branches in a spot, isn't even worth the effort, depending on how much time you have available of course, and your Hort skills.

It can end up a constant battle of removing stuff it needs to grow healthy because it isn't in a good spot, if that is sustainable bonsai, it's sooo long and slow and boring, it's just not fun.

Have fun. Have Scissors.

Sorce

 

[World Bonsai Police]

You know how I hate to be picky, but the nature of the beast's twigging is an exception to the rule when it comes to clusters verses individual twigs. The internodes are relatively long and skinny and straight as an arrow. At least the clusters cover each other's skinny stems.

 

[carmabonsai]

Thanks for your input, it was all very helpful, especially the drawing out the design first, I forgot to do that but I did have something in mind for how it had already looked, but wanted to change it, I just didn't know how to change it or how it would, hopefully, look once I did. : ) *happiness overflow of a dork*

 

[luvinthemountains]

If it were mine, I would probably chop it back to this point, eliminate that middle branch, and try growing new branches with the clip/grow method described above. This fukien will never grow by much in Albuquerque, unless your growing skills are wayyyy better than mine. Just play around and enjoy it. If you do chop it back, then you might want to root that top above the bulge first, whether as a cutting or air-layer. That might end up being the better material.

Also, this is not "tree of a thousand stars" - that is the serissa foetida. But the flowers are a cool bonus.

 

[carmabonsai]

If it were mine, I would probably chop it back to this point, eliminate that middle branch, and try growing new branches with the clip/grow method described above. This fukien will never grow by much in Albuquerque, unless your growing skills are wayyyy better than mine. Just play around and enjoy it. If you do chop it back, then you might want to root that top above the bulge first, whether as a cutting or air-layer. That might end up being the better material.

Also, this is not "tree of a thousand stars" - that is the serissa foetida. But the flowers are a cool bonus.

Okay so if I was to take the top off, just from the bulge up so I can do a little less damage for the first time I ever try this, how would I take care of the then "open" end to the main trunk so it doesn't get too dry or [insert very worrisome or deadly thing here], the idea of air layering is still confusing, I don't know if it applies to just rooting for propagation, or if it is to encourage new growth near a newly cut branch.

I took off the lower branch you mentioned above tho

 

[carmabonsai]

The pebbles are also not glued down and I have them on there to weigh down the top layer of soil to keep it from blowing off when I have my window open, since it gets super windy and I don't want soil all over the floor. If there's something better to put on that will help to keep moisture and keep the soil from blowing off I'm good with that too, if it isn't more than $100 for what is needed.

 

[luvinthemountains]

Okay so if I was to take the top off, just from the bulge up so I can do a little less damage for the first time I ever try this, how would I take care of the then "open" end to the main trunk so it doesn't get too dry or [insert very worrisome or deadly thing here], the idea of air layering is still confusing, I don't know if it applies to just rooting for propagation, or if it is to encourage new growth near a newly cut branch.

I took off the lower branch you mentioned above tho

There are a lot of different products that you can use to seal the cut end, including bonsai cut paste which you can find on Amazon or pretty much anywhere. If I remember right, fukien tea does not callous over wounds very well, so it may never heal. Read up on it, and if there is no hope of healing then any kind of thin sealant may do the trick. Think Superglue.

There is a lot of information on this forum about air layering. I suggest you take some time to read through it to familiarize yourself with the process.

Good luck!

 

[carmabonsai]

I know this took a real long while from when I was considering it, but I did it FINALLY!!!!
I took off the large top portion from the knot up as well as a large branch that stuck out awkwardly and was a little too long. It's weird but I replaced a normal sealing [something] with maple syrup just so the tree could, hopefully, get rid of it on its own later and not have a thick coating over it.


They're a bit dark, the photos, but I hope it's a little easier to see than I see it...
and I'm not removing the moss yet... ... ... maybe ever, or the rocks... ... maybe... ... everything is a maybe for this tree right now, other than that it seems fine and healthy

 

[the.ecologist]

Congrats.