is medusa clump a style? found a crab apple with about 10 little trunks.

[Waltron]

im not sure, but it seems like the could be a style.. maybe shorten it down to about 10" height, get rid of straight sectrions.. throw it in pot?

 

[Wilson]

Do it up! If you have room for it, and it's free, it's another opportunity to practice. In time it could be a cool tree in your collection.

 

[GrimLore]

im not sure, but it seems like the could be a style.. maybe shorten it down to about 10" height, get rid of straight sectrions.. throw it in pot?

Cool either way, if it grows and you don't like it PM me

Grimmy

 

[aml1014]

Ive seen a bunch of elms around here that are the same and wanna do the same thing.

Aaron

 

[Waltron]

oh its gonna grow, it makes cute little apples too.

 

[sorce]

Nice.

Sorce

 

[Waltron]

here's a quad trunk/clump haw that caught my eye. huge base, trying to decide where to chop the thickest trunk and go from there on heights of the others. anyone care to chime on on this one? if base diameter is say 8"?

 

[Waltron]

another old crab I thought offered some potential, huge ol bitty, going off the bark I believe its of the yellow fruiting variety, but im still not sure that the kind with this bark definitely makes the yellow apples, i just know that I've seen one with this bark make yellow apples, and the ones that make red apples generally have different bark.

 

[Walter Pall]

Collect them and bring the them to Bonsai Academy in October in Ann Arbor.

 

[Waltron]

Ive seen a bunch of elms around here that are the same and wanna do the same thing.

Aaron

heres an elm that might resemble a clump, or maybe a broom, idk. farmer came in and wacked it low last year, photo from last spring, looks pretty neat naked, I looked at it the other day. its probably a 8" base.. shoots everywhere. I feel like it would be cool to mess with, but it will be quite the process hauling it in, not real high on my priority list at the moment.

 

[Waltron]

Collect them and bring the them to Bonsai Academy in October in Ann Arbor.

you gonna be in ann arbor? I'll be there! October is bow season.. but im a big fan, love for you to look at my jack pines I PM'd you on facebook too. probably have a better one by then.

 

[Waltron]

here's the best bradford pear I could find so far.. deer dont seem to be interested in rubbing them or eating the fruit.. they all seem to want to grow straight up. this one seems to be more a twin style than a clump, although there is a sucker in the last photo you can see that would full the negative space between them, but its angled outwards so as it wouldnt really tangle with the foliage of the other two trunks. probably chop the larger trunk below the burl somewhere around that back branch.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

All these look like they have potential. Collect what you can or have room for.

There is a Penjing style called Octopus, but that is a bit esoteric. The "Medusa" clump could be worked into a nice naturalistic style, that accentuates it's contorted elements. Walter Pall would be the one I seek out for style advice on these.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

The four trunk clump, I would chop the main at about 4 to 8 inches tall, each of the others should be chopped to two thirds the height of the main. The smallest should be chopped to one third of the height of the main.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Remember, the chop should be about one third of the finished height.

Catch a theme? Thirds tend to be visually pleasing.

But these proportions are only suggestions, the material actually in front of you should dictate what is best.

 

[CWTurner]

heres an elm that might resemble a clump, or maybe a broom, idk. farmer came in and wacked it low last year

This looks to be growing on a slope. I've found that trees growing this way do have a nice curve to them, and good root flare on the uphill side. However, the downhill side cups under making it almost useless. I dug quite a few like that until I learned not to.
But if its special, I guess you can always root graft.
CW

 

[Waltron]

another interesting crab.

 

[Waltron]

a different variety of hawthorne, I like this one.

 

[Waltron]

literati tulip poplar anyone? lol

 

[Waltron]

Remember, the chop should be about one third of the finished height.

Catch a theme? Thirds tend to be visually pleasing.

But these proportions are only suggestions, the material actually in front of you should dictate what is best.

I agree, but sometimes with yamadori, other aspects need be considered before going by the rulebook, horticultural, and stlye- wise, but you are probably right, give or take an inch.