This will be Bonsainut.com's project (Red Prince Weigela)

[roelex14]

So i picked up this nursery stock Red Price Weigela.
I think this plant has some serious potential with its angled trunk and beautifully aged bark.
The thing is, i'm just a beginner and i really don't want to ruin this beautiful plant.

So what i want to do is pretty much have u guys tell me what to do with this plant, it can be a team effort. I am totally serious about this guys... What ever you want me to do, it will be done and i will keep everyone updated with information and pictures on the plants progress.

Please let me know if you will be willing to help me out, i have got some real expert help from people on here already and the more the better. I feel this would be a great learning experience for both me and everyone following along. I would rather learn hands on then having to read and study...

PLEASE let me know if you are going to be willing to help out, i would GREATLY appreciate it! If no one is gonna help out, i'll prob just plant it in the ground bc i don't want to risk killing it with some mistake i could avoid with help from u guys.

I'm posting pics of the plant so everyone can get an idea of what we will be working on.

PLEASE HELP A NOVICE OUT!!! THANKS EVERYONE!!!

 

[rockm]

Ok, so here's the deal. It's too late for any drastic work for this plant. If you get aggressive with substantial root work (which this plant needs desperately from the tangle of visible surface roots--the work would entail sawing off the bottom two thirds of the rootmass, IMO) and top pruning (which would require --I think--removal of all but the middle trunk), it will not really have all that much time to recover and be ready for winter. The resulting new root and top growth would be very vulnerable to winter kill.

The typical care for most bonsai this time of year doesn't include drastic pruning top or bottom. Trees in the Northern hemisphere are past their most active growing period and are now preparing for winter, believe it or not. They're setting next spring's buds and beginning to conserve nutrients in their roots...

I'd put drastic work off until next spring (late March probably in your area). For now, I'd just keep it watered and stress free. Come mid-November, get it into adequate winter quarters. Wait for Spring.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

You will want to do some major work on this tree, and I agree it is too late in the year (in Illinois) to do this. Personally I would try to get it as strong as possible for major work next spring. You might consider pulling it out of the pot (without working on the roots!) and planting it in a nice well-mulched location where it can spend the winter safely. Then you can pull it up in the spring, do your initial root work and pruning, and plant it into an intermediate grow flat.

 

[Treebeard]

If I remember correctly from a weigela we had in our garden a while back, the new shoots and juvenile branches are pithy. Or am I thinking of another plant?

If they are pithy then wiring to shape will be difficult.

Ifr they're not, forget I posted...

Chris.

 

[roelex14]

thanks everyone, i'll stick it in the ground for the winter and wait for spring