Liquidambar Orientalis

[symbiotic1]

I just acquired this characterful, field-grown oriental sweetgum from a trip to Lone Pine nursery in NorCal while visiting family for turkey day. It's losing all its leaves for winter at the moment.

I'm loving all the gnarly-ness of the base and the original trunk (possible Jin?), and it's showing some nice nebari at the base I can see just under the soil. There are two trunks growing right now though neither is that developed yet. The nursery had put the tree in the pictured pot two seasons ago to start training the roots for a bonsai pot.

I'd like to try to thicken up the trunks so I'm curious if I should just leave it in this pot to keep the roots more compact or should I repot it (in the spring) into a bigger pot, or the ground. Would the trunk take that much longer to thicken in its current pot vs. a much bigger pot?

OR would it be best to just start developing the branches and let the trunk just develop with it with only a modest increase in thickness?

Any other styling suggestions would be appreciated as well!

 

[symbiotic1]

PS- sorry the pics are sideways. They appear upright on my iPad but they upload sideways for some reason and I can see how to rotate them on here.

 

[qwade]

you flip them like this

 

[qwade]

all of them rotated

 

[symbiotic1]

How do you do it IN the forum editor though? They all show upright on my iPad but once they're uploaded they go sideways and I don't see tools to rotate the photos back. I tried rotating it on my iPad before I uploaded it and no matter what they showed up sideways on here. iOS 8 issue?

 

[qwade]

How do you do it IN the forum editor though? They all show upright on my iPad but once they're uploaded they go sideways and I don't see tools to rotate the photos back. I tried rotating it on my iPad before I uploaded it and no matter what they showed up sideways on here. iOS 8 issue?

Yes probably IOS issue. Always rotates correct on my android devices no matter what way pic was taken. You would need to host on another site and rotate with their software or use a different os before posting. I don't think it can be rotated on this site.

As far as the tree--- Indeed it would bulk up more in the ground. I usually prefer to develop at least some trees in an over sized pot so as I have something to display.Plus it is easier to work on a tree on a bench. I do not have "finished" bonsai to display so I display my trees I am working on. I do have other trees in the ground.
So I guess it would be a matter of personal choice. The tree will grow larger in a pot---more so in an over sized pot and yet faster in the ground. Bonsai requires patience no matter which path you choose

 

[symbiotic1]

Update - First Styling

I took the tree in for guidance from my bonsai teacher and the big trunk stump had to go because it was decaying. Turns out the center of the decay went almost down to the soil so the carved out chop site was drilled through to the soil to drain out. A few snips to the branches above to direct the new growth and here it is for now!

I liked the stump, but not enough to have it eventually kill the tree! Plus, I'm happy with the new styling. The fat base and carved out area will hopefully give the tree some nice character as it heals and ages.

 

[tmpgh]

I don't think the rotting interior would have killed the tree. There are hollow trees all over very forest. The hollow is caused by rotting where a branch has broken off most of the time.