Ugly procumbens

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This was a gift from family, so I have my best to work it into something. There is a terrible straight section that is half jinned on the underside and I tried to expand that to add some interest to the long straight section, but that portion has mostly healed over. I think I’ll try to be a bit more ruthless this year.

Any tips?

It’s pot crumbles last year so I slipped it into this too bi one, but I should probably find a cascade or literati type pot for it?
 

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Cadillactaste

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It's hard to give ideas...when one is not looking straight at the tree. We have photos of us looking down on the tree. We need an eye level view of the tree.

An example of what I mean...so we see more of a view...for bonsai structure. Makes it easier to offer advice.
image.jpg
 
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Ok, I snapped a few more.. in addition to my abysmal photography skills, it is hard to see any of the movement level to the currently potted angle. It is a big, straight, right angle with reverse taper, and then some interesting movement coming down. The first branch I was just growing out to Jin, but I think it will come off soon.
 

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Cadillactaste

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Personally...though in just changing angle in editing...a cascade to me seemed so limp of movement unless you intend to do some drastic bends. I felt this was a good stronger direction in editing. Just what I could get from rotating its angle. Never seeing it first hand...2D still doesn't allow for grasping all the movement a tree offers.
image.jpg
 

Vance Wood

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It's hard to give ideas...when one is not looking straight at the tree. We have photos of us looking down on the tree. We need an eye level view of the tree.

An example of what I mean...so we see more of a view...for bonsai structure. Makes it easier to offer advice.
View attachment 186591
Thank You for pointing that out about the photo angle. I have done this in the past and it seems it goes unheeded.
 

Vance Wood

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Personally...though in just changing angle in editing...a cascade to me seemed so limp of movement unless you intend to do some drastic bends. I felt this was a good stronger direction in editing. Just what I could get from rotating its angle. Never seeing it first hand...2D still doesn't allow for grasping all the movement a tree offers.
View attachment 187205
The only hope for this tree I can see is in killing the left branch and jinning it back to the trunk. You will have to leave a substantial stub and you will also have to strip the bark of the portion of the trunk a little below the kink in the tree and the subsequent swelling at the kink/turn swelling is going to have to have the live bark striped off so that the living portion of the tree that remains appears to be proportional top and bottom. I hope maybe someone else can define what I mean. You are essentially taking the reverse taper produced by the ugly bulge in the trunk where it goes off to the right and sculpting it down.
 
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Thanks everyone.. Definitely going to re-attempt adding more shari to add interest and maybe some movement. And @Cadillactaste, that angle definitely looks better than where it is now.

I could also try my hand at levering that right angle either more acute or straighter, but I'm not sure how successful that would be. The underside of the top section is already dead wood, so I could hollow with a dremmel and try to put some more drastic movement into it?

@Vance Wood , when you say the "left branch," do you mean the one on the "butt" from @Cadillactaste 's picture, or the one half way up the straight section. I am thinking they both will have to go, but not sure if leaving a stub would help stylistically. I had though about leaving a stub and I guess might as well since they can always be removed.
 

Vance Wood

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Thanks everyone.. Definitely going to re-attempt adding more shari to add interest and maybe some movement. And @Cadillactaste, that angle definitely looks better than where it is now.

I could also try my hand at levering that right angle either more acute or straighter, but I'm not sure how successful that would be. The underside of the top section is already dead wood, so I could hollow with a dremmel and try to put some more drastic movement into it?

@Vance Wood , when you say the "left branch," do you mean the one on the "butt" from @Cadillactaste 's picture, or the one half way up the straight section. I am thinking they both will have to go, but not sure if leaving a stub would help stylistically. I had though about leaving a stub and I guess might as well since they can always be removed.
The left side at the place where the curve occurs.
 

Beanwagon

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Personally...though in just changing angle in editing...a cascade to me seemed so limp of movement unless you intend to do some drastic bends. I felt this was a good stronger direction in editing. Just what I could get from rotating its angle. Never seeing it first hand...2D still doesn't allow for grasping all the movement a tree offers.
View attachment 187205


You beat me to it haha gere is my crappy virt 20180417_191433.jpg
 
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Looking better already I think.. Thanks for the help everyone. I needed the larger pot for an elm. I only had it in the one because it’s old one shattered over last winter. Next come working on the live vein / deadwood to add interest and maybe some movement.
 

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Dramatic improvement in the last couple years with the potting angle update, and it is much healthier since recovering from a fungal bout. I’m starting to like the tree after previously thinking it was a hopeless mallsai.

Pardon the mud men. They were a present from the same family as the tree came from.

61987969-6EA1-456F-934C-78ABC0A47F93.jpeg
 

BonjourBonsai

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What a difference a new perspective / planting angle can make. I really like the way your tree is developing.
 
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