Ohh what, my first Bonsai tree, i need some re-styling advice!!!

[diderkamal]

Hey guys im new to the forums and i have had my first chinese elm for over a month now (it's being kept indoors for now but when its warmer i'll keep it outside for the rest of it's life ... i geuss) Now as you can see it is one of those 'mallsai's' which i have never heard of until AFTER i bought the bonsai tree hahaha. I do wish i had done more research into what i wanted but nevermind i am willing to keep my faith in this tree and see what happens over the next 5-10 years. Now i need some advice on how i should restyle this tree as obviously it's not had any training of any sort and i feel like it's missing a lower branch to counter the low branch i already have? Any advice is welcome.
Thanks again!!

 

[Mystogan]

if this was my tree i would remove all the branches cept the present crown. then i would wire the branches on the crown and bend them down a little. and oh also i would create uro's where i cutted the branches. i think it would look cool.


...and also i would probably pot it in a inorganic soil

ps. dont take my advice im just as new as you are ---postwhorring as it is

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Welcome to the forums! As far as this tree goes, I've seen worse. Plus, it's a Chinese Elm which means fast results, pretty forgiving, and lots of options. You could air-layer it a couple of times and end up with three trees that all have more potential than the tree as it currently exists... and that's a GOOD thing!

So the first thing we always recommend is to join a club (if you live near one) because nothing beats first-hand experience. You won't know how much you'll benefit until after you join a club

As far as this tree goes right now, ignore it for a minute and pull out your bonsai books, or look at online bonsai sites, and find two or three photos of AMAZING chinese elm bonsai that really impress you... and print them out. Now sit and study the photos, and try to define what it is about the photos that you like, and what you would have to do to get your tree to look more like the trees in the photos.

There is a looooooooong list of things that you will eventually learn to look at automatically when you look at bonsai - but the key principle is this: start at the soil and work your way up the tree. The lower on the tree you look, the more important it is to the finished bonsai, the longer it takes to develop, and the harder it is to fix.

The section of the tree where it meets the soil is called the "nebari" and it includes the roots and the base of the trunk. Does the tree grasp the soil with gnarly old roots (like an old tree), or does the trunk disappear straight into the soil without any visible roots (like a sapling). Does the trunk have an interesting line that has character, but still looks natural? Is the trunk thick at the nebari, with nice taper as you move up the trunk? Are the branches well-placed and not too thick? Are the branches themselves well-developed with nice even taper and ramification?

There are many more suggestions like this - but the most important question to ask yourself: does this look like an old tree from nature? Does it look "natural" like an old tree on the mountain growing for hundreds of years? Or does it look fake, like someone has bent a tree randomly to make it look unusual - but it does not look like something you would see in nature.

 

[JudyB]

Yes, welcome! Don't worry about the tree not being something that it is not. Your goal is to keep it alive for now, learn from it, and move on to better trees in the future. If you can put it outside in a unheated garage where it'll be protected for at least a month (or 2) this winter, that would be good for the tree, as it wants to go dormant and "rest". If not, then try to keep it in a cooler spot in the house. Do be careful with your watering practices, let the soil dry a bit between waterings.
Many will tell you that this is the hardest part of keeping bonsai, learning how to water. If you need advice in this area, (or other help), don't be afraid to ask.

 

[diderkamal]

Hey thanks for the reply guys! I've decided to put the tree outside and it's done well so far, it's been about 3 days and i've not seen any signs of trouble, i have however just left it outside as i dont have a garage or a shed, the only protection i have given it is a small plastic tesco bag wrapped the pot? lol. It's not so cold outside in surrey so i think it should be ok for now. The guy who sold me the tree back in brighton told me not to buy it and choose another chinese elm that looked more like an old tree but i sort of just ignored him and went for the more interesting looking one, hahaha. Looking back now that other tree did have a much better 'nebari' and the trunk was much thicker but nevermind! I've decided that im just gonna let the tree grow out and see what new shoots i get, some of the higher branches are much thicker than they should be.

 

[JudyB]

If you could update your profile with where you are and a zone, then it'll be easier for people to give you advice that is based on where you live...
You can cut back branches that are too thick and that you don't like or need this spring, just before the buds open on the tree for spring. You can also repot at that time, and cut old thick roots off as well. Leave the thinner white "feeder" roots and surface roots, but you can cut a third of the older roots safely, and more if you do some branch cut backs. The one thing you wouldn't want to do is to cut too many roots off, and no branching. You see you want to even out what you do on the bottom with what you do to the top... You have plenty of time to read about all this, so you should be good to go when the time comes this spring.

 

[diderkamal]

Ok great, The guy who sold me the elm is gonna help me prune and repot (for free!) nearer spring so i geuss he'll show me first hand anyways. I was wondering, how do i go about making my trunk thicker? i imagine it will take a long time!

 

[JudyB]

I would concentrate for now learning how to keep a bonsai alive and learning the basics.

Growing out a trunk can entail different techniques, depending on species. Most -if they are hardy in your zone, -would want to be planted in the ground, and the branches left to grow wild for a few years. The branches are what feed the trunk and make it grow, so allowing them to grow without pruning, makes the trunk get bigger. Elms do grow fairly quickly, so it may not take that long. The finished size of your tree height wise is a guide for trunk width. Generally you want one inch of trunk for each 10 inches of height.