What to do with this Cedar

[one_bonsai]

I was thinking of just transferring it to a bonsai pot or maybe just put in the ground to thicken the trunk. It's about 30cm (12 inches) tall.

 

[defra]

Skip the bonsai pot....
Ground is possible ... i prefer the mobility of training boxes/pots to grow things out.
If possible wire the trunk and add some movement in the lower part its straight as an arrow the movement will add interest!

 

[one_bonsai]

Skip the bonsai pot....
Ground is possible ... i prefer the mobility of training boxes/pots to grow things out.
If possible wire the trunk and add some movement in the lower part its straight as an arrow the movement will add interest!

I was thinking formal upright, but what would you recommend?

 

[defra]

I was thinking formal upright, but what would you recommend?

Informal upright...
Half way up the trunk seems to have a bend and with formal upright the trunk must be straight all the way.
If you realy want to go formal upright you will have to wire the trunk and straighten it

 

[atlarsenal]

I don’t think this is a cedar

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Hmm, I think this is a very young Cedrus deodara. The long needles don’t reduce that well, but hey worth a try.
Charles

 

[Potawatomi13]

Definite in ground. Make bend lower straight boring trunk first. Formal upright boring!

 

[one_bonsai]

I decided to plant it in the ground, because I couldn't convince myself that it looked like a tree, but I started pruning it and it started to look a bit like a tree.

 

[one_bonsai]

After I plant it in the ground, what is the best way to thicken the trunk and get some taper?

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Let it grow for 3-5 years no pruning. Then chop, choose new leader, grow for another 3-5 years etc. Also each time you are ready to chop, dig it up, prune roots to stop the running roots, keeping fine roots close.
Charles

 

[Shibui]

Free growth and time are the only ways to get trunks to thicken. Note K.P.G.s timeline 3-5 years + 3-5 years +......
Cedar is another genus that does not bud on bare wood so if you choose to plant this in the garden you MUST maintain at least one low branch with foliage so when you do chop to reduce the size you will still have some live growth to develop into a tree shape.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

The plan starts with setting a goal. How thick do you want the trunk to be, how big do you want the tree (depends on how small you get the needles)? I'm not familiar with the species but i suspect backbudding will be medium.

year 1 Select and wire branches (keepers and runners). Use the lowest growth possible for the first branch. Bend it down in an acute angle and add movement. Examine the rest of the trunkline, wire and place a new top. Let a branch near the top grow as a sacrifice. Remove wire when growing in.
year 2 rootprune, determine rootbase and flare, transplant to ground or big growbox. Keep definitive branches in check, let runners run, remove lowest branches and foliage on the runners so you don't shade the definitive branches. Only remove runners after they done the job or if they create problems.
year 3 Fast growing, idem as year 2
year 4 transplant with rootpruning in a container or smaller training box. Style the tree (if your intention is to develop new runners, start selecting them)
year 5 style tree, decide if runners are needed to restart the thickening process.
year 6-7 back in ground or big box
year 8-9 back in pot.
Repeat until you have a good starting plant (pre-bonsai) i.e. Good roots, good trunk with movement and taper, branches on the right places.
year 10+ start bonsai development.

Most "ordinary" plants need 5 to 15 year of training before you can make a bonsai (worth showing) out of it. The well prepared material comes with a pricetag, or you prepare it yourself (often better, cheaper and you learn more).

It is good to start with material like this, know that only 1 or 2 of started young material will make a decent tree in the long run if you are good. Besides having material like this it is good to have more advanced stock on the bench so you can ease your bonsai hunger in the years you wait for the plants to mature.

side-note: since this will be a project on the long run: look around and determine if this is a plant that
a) produces great bonsai (look for examples you admire)
b) grows vigorously in your climate
c) thickens and matures (bark) rather fast.

PS. you removed the lowest growth. Not often the best choice early in the development.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

After I plant it in the ground, what is the best way to thicken the trunk and get some taper?

Letting everything grow = maximum thickening
Cutting back to an appropriate branch = taper

The balance between the two is the magic. A big waving top (2 meters or more) will induce basal flare.

 

[one_bonsai]

Let a branch near the top grow as a sacrifice.

So should the branch near the top be wired so it grows horizontally?

 

[KiwiPlantGuy]

Free growth and time are the only ways to get trunks to thicken. Note K.P.G.s timeline 3-5 years + 3-5 years +......
Cedar is another genus that does not bud on bare wood so if you choose to plant this in the garden you MUST maintain at least one low branch with foliage so when you do chop to reduce the size you will still have some live growth to develop into a tree shape.

KPG’s = cool ??
Charles

 

[one_bonsai]

Thank you for all the great information. Would the same strategies for trunk thickening also apply to pines?

 

[Shibui]

Yes. Pines also reluctant to bud on bare wood so to get good thickening allow free growth while maintaining at least some inner/ lower shoots / needles that you can cut back to after growing phase is done.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

So should the branch near the top be wired so it grows horizontally?

The more the branch grows vertical, the more he thinks he's the new leader. A tree wants to grow tall. Wiring a branch down is one of the ways to get it weak...

 

[one_bonsai]

year 1 Select and wire branches (keepers and runners). Use the lowest growth possible for the first branch

I would of thought that the lowest branches would be removed so that it looks more like tree.

 

[one_bonsai]

Or have I removed enough lower branches?