MIRAI YATSUBUSA ELM

[MACH5]

Hi Mach,

What’s your tips for handling a big tree like this, without damaging bark? I recently did a larger tree of mine and couldn’t help but damage a few small flakes of bark. I tried wrapping gentling in a sheet.
Thanks!

Hi Conor,

With trees like these do not wrap anything around the bark as it will likely get damaged. In this case, I simply identified four strong branch junctions or shoulders on which we could hold and lift the tree out of its pot. Beforehand, we took some soil out from around the perimeter of the rootball to make things a little lighter. Hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[MACH5]

It was a great experience being able to help you move this tree forward Sergio! It was pretty painless for such a monster tree. Just so you nuts can appreciate the scale, this is the Byron Myrick container!!!

LOL and that's one thin layer of 25mm akadama we laid for aeration.

 

[MACH5]

I always feel like... somebody's watching me...
View attachment 365763 View attachment 365765 View attachment 365766

Nice! I had spotted the one in the middle as I was taking the close up shots.

 

[leatherback]

It was a great experience being able to help you move this tree forward Sergio! It was pretty painless for such a monster tree. Just so you nuts can appreciate the scale, this is the Byron Myrick container!!!

I thought the pot was on the larger side. But this is ridiculous!

 

[leatherback]

Great tree buuuutttt... It looks a little square headed.

When wiring and pruning, have you at all considered cutting some corners? Like..:

 

[MACH5]

Great tree buuuutttt... It looks a little square headed.

When wiring and pruning, have you at all considered cutting some corners? Like..:
View attachment 365772

Good note Jelle! The overall silhouette is still in flux as I plan to extend the right side in some spots a bit more while compressing others. Now, as far as the top is concerned. Last year I let it run to improve the transition. It was cut back now and compressed. After now having clarity on which branch I will use as my apex, the idea now is to let it run again while managing others back. So... this means that the apex will end up being somewhat taller which will impact the overall silhouette. At which time things will need to be readjusted.

 

[Maiden69]

It was a great experience being able to help you move this tree forward Sergio! It was pretty painless for such a monster tree. Just so you nuts can appreciate the scale, this is the Byron Myrick container!!!

Kiryu aeration layer? (I guess it was akadama after reading above, it looked to pale in the picture so I though it was kiryu)

@MACH5 Loving this tree, I was waiting patiently for the update this spring.

 

[leatherback]

the apex will end up being somewhat taller

Makes sense! Scales the proportions a little more natural I suppose.

 

[butlern]

Root graft after repotting?!

I thought that should be done contemporaneously with the re-pot. I have a couple of whips that I plan to graft as new roots on a sharps pygmy… But I was going to do that at the same time during the re-pot this week.

I look forward to this report and detail. Hope you are able to document soon!

beautiful tree, Sergio

noah

 

[MACH5]

Root graft after repotting?!

I thought that should be done contemporaneously with the re-pot. I have a couple of whips that I plan to graft as new roots on a sharps pygmy… But I was going to do that at the same time during the re-pot this week.

I look forward to this report and detail. Hope you are able to document soon!

beautiful tree, Sergio

noah

Very late reply! Sorry did not see your post until now. Yes, you are absolutely right. Ideally you want to get all your root grafts done while repotting your tree, mainly because you have easy access to the nebari. There was a lot to do that day and time was limited so I decided to take it up in the next couple of days following the repotting. Not too much of a big deal since I had to scrape some soil out to fit in the root grafts. Out of the three grafts, one unfortunately died back.

Here is a quick update from today.

 

[JudyB]

Very late reply! Sorry did not see your post until now. Yes, you are absolutely right. Ideally you want to get all your root grafts done while repotting your tree, mainly because you have easy access to the nebari. There was a lot to do that day and time was limited so I decided to take it up in the next couple of days following the repotting. Not too much of a big deal since I had to scrape some soil out to fit in the root grafts. Out of the three grafts, one unfortunately died back.

Here is a quick update from today.

View attachment 400415

This is so monster.

 

[MACH5]

This is so monster.

Yeah it's a little bit on the XXL side! I have nicknamed it "The Sentinel" as it always looks like it's watching over the entire garden.

 

[JudyB]

Yeah it's a little bit on the XXL side! I have nicknamed it "The Sentinel" as it always looks like it's watching over the entire garden.

nice name!

 

[Tidal Bonsai]

Yeah it's a little bit on the XXL side! I have nicknamed it "The Sentinel" as it always looks like it's watching over the entire garden.

Great name, definitely a sentinel!

 

[Crazy Diamond]

Just here waiting for the autumm colors

 

[AnutterBonsai]

Damn. I literally have no words. I could just sit down, enjoy a nice cuppa, and watch the Sentinel all day and see the light dance around it as the clock ticks away.

 

[Katie0317]

Stunning tree in the perfect pot! Congrats..

We have drake elms (Same as Chinese elm) in our landscaping and they're about 40 years old. One was planted too close to the house but the trunk has draped beautifully towards the sun and the branches are bent in a very graceful way and seem to weep. Our house is wall to wall windows built in mid-century style and original. If the tree wasn't beautiful we'd rip it out but it is.

From the inside of the house the trunk is only a foot from the windows and people comment on its texture. It's not the cork texture that you have but a texture where hand sized thin sections peel and reveal a lighter color underneath.

It's a very flexible tree and has developed on its own in this style.

Good luck fashioning your tree in the years to come. I suspect it will tolerate whatever plans you have for it. Oh, and the few times we've had serious hard freezes here, the drake elms have never seemed to minded.

 

[MACH5]

Stunning tree in the perfect pot! Congrats..

We have drake elms (Same as Chinese elm) in our landscaping and they're about 40 years old. One was planted too close to the house but the trunk has draped beautifully towards the sun and the branches are bent in a very graceful way and seem to weep. Our house is wall to wall windows built in mid-century style and original. If the tree wasn't beautiful we'd rip it out but it is.

From the inside of the house the trunk is only a foot from the windows and people comment on its texture. It's not the cork texture that you have but a texture where hand sized thin sections peel and reveal a lighter color underneath.

It's a very flexible tree and has developed on its own in this style.

Good luck fashioning your tree in the years to come. I suspect it will tolerate whatever plans you have for it. Oh, and the few times we've had serious hard freezes here, the drake elms have never seemed to minded.

Katie your elm sounds wonderful. It is commonly known as lacebark elm. As you've seen, their bark is unique and attention grabbing. As bonsai, all elms in my experience are much more flexible than other deciduous species which is very helpful when styling them. My yatsubusa quite readily takes whatever I have thrown at it. It is a strong, hardy tree that stands well to very hard freezes much like your lacebark elm.

 

[Katie0317]

Thank you, our good friend who's a landscape arch always called it a Drake but I guess Lacebark is a more precise term. That's exactly what it is, I could tell from the bark.

My husband said in front of Jason Schley 'that looks just like our elm' and Jason said, "It is the same tree. A Chinese elm is a Drake elm." We hadn't known but my husband recognized the bark on a pre-bonsai elm.

I only posted to say...Yours is a fab tree and these are tough creatures. The way this tree trunk decided to shape itself. It wanted more light and just went for it. It couldn't have been done nicer with wire. It's fun in spring...The tree is bare one day and suddenly it's green again. I knew yours would be just as hearty.

Will look forward to seeing how you shape yours, it really is a beauty.

 

[vp999]

Good note Jelle! The overall silhouette is still in flux as I plan to extend the right side in some spots a bit more while compressing others. Now, as far as the top is concerned. Last year I let it run to improve the transition. It was cut back now and compressed. After now having clarity on which branch I will use as my apex, the idea now is to let it run again while managing others back. So... this means that the apex will end up being somewhat taller which will impact the overall silhouette. At which time things will need to be readjusted.

Let me know if you want to borrow my plastic triangle guide that I use when styling all my trees