Elm #1 (~Daygan)

[daygan]

I've collected a few elms during the last couple years that I've been learning bonsai, but surprisingly, this tree, which I just collected two weeks ago, is the first for which I've started a dedicated thread. I believe this is Ulmus pumila (Siberian Elm). I dug it up from a mostly abandoned field designated as a construction site.

Main trunk diameter: 4.7 inches
Current height: 15 inches
Approximate planned height: 30 inches

Before digging, it looked like this:

Now, it looks like this:

I do intend to remove that smaller trunk in the future. I didn't when I initially collected it simply because I just couldn't find a good place to position my saw that also gave me the correct cutting angle. I'll work on it later this year and see what I can do.

 

[gergwebber]

Nice! That has decent bark already!
what style are you going to go for and
what did you get for roots?

 

[daygan]

Nice! That has decent bark already!
what style are you going to go for and
what did you get for roots?

Yeah, I really like the bark on this. I haven't firmly decided on a form yet, and may change my mind as the tree grows this year depending on how it grows, but I think I may just go with an informal broom form. It has a good number of radial roots which I'm trying to nurture by keeping covered with soil, except for the side where the tap root was, which I'm hoping will develop roots as well now that the tap root is severed.

 

[daygan]

with leaves

just a simple update. proof that this tree is alive. of course it is. It's an elm! I've been having second thoughts about that minor trunk. I'm wondering if it might make a good mother-daughter composition. Any opinions? Maybe I'll have to do a poll

 

[linlaoboo]

that's quite a monster elm you got. The mother and daughter might work. A virt should help. IMHO the tree also needs taper so even if you have to cut off the daugher, it should work into the trunk flare near the nebari. Are u near Shanghai or somewhere? My wife just came back from a trip there and brought cloudy pictures like yours.

 

[daygan]

Thanks for that input, linlaoboo. It will definitely need taper resolution at some point. Maybe I'll do some carving later this summer or next... I'm about an 8 hour fast-train ride from Shanghai (or 2 hrs by plane) - further north in Tianjin. I'm not sure about what you saw in your wife's photos of Shanghai , but I think what you're seeing in my pictures is more haze than cloud... We get a lot of that here, mostly during warmer months when humidity levels are up.

 

[linlaoboo]

looking forward to see your carving work! What I saw was the Stratosphere looking thing which they also have in Shanghai, whata I know, never been to neither city myself.

 

[october]

I think you should go with the mother daughter style. Also, I think this pic represents the best front for that. I would tilt the tree towards the viewer though. Also, grow a new apex on the main trunk and wire that towards the viewer as well. This is very nice material.

Rob

 

[Tieball]

Keep the progress posted

Excellent elm. Thanks for posting...if possible and time permits please keep this thread updated as you progress. I'm an elm person and interested in your work.

 

[dkraft81]

I love the potential the tree has. I like the idea of the mother daughter, or use that smaller trunk fir a nice hallow. We have a lot of these here in colorado, you gotta love their resilience.

 

[daygan]

Thank you all for your replies! I do enjoy the conversation and feedback.

Rob, thank you for your insight. I do see what you're saying about that particular angle, and I think you've convinced me! The more I look at it, the more I see the possibilities for that particular front. I'll keep your advice regarding the tilt and the new apex direction in mind as I continue to work on it.

Tieball, thanks for the encouraging words. I'll certainly keep updates coming.

dkraft, thank you also for your encouraging words. Interesting idea about the hollow. I think I'll work with the mother-daughter idea on this one for now, and maybe use your hollow idea on another tree in the future... but you never know what might evolve!

linlaoboo, yes, that's the TV tower. I think every major city in China has one of a similar shape. Shanghai's Oriental Pearl Tower just happens to be one of the more well known ones.

 

[daygan]

This tree was showing signs of chlorosis this weekend, and had some drying on the edges of some of the leaves. Suspecting that it might be pot bound (not an experienced or professional diagnosis) I did a simple slip pot, and discovered that the pot that it had been in was draining poorly and many of the lower roots were affected. Fortunately, there weren't many lower roots in the affected region, and those that were affected were mostly thick and already somewhat unhealthy/rotting, so I don't think I lost much, but it was obvious that getting it into a better draining pot with more growing room would be beneficial for the tree. Here it is in it's new pot, minus a few leaves.

It's stabalized now, and, while it's not putting out new growth (I think partly due to the damage it received and partly due to the fact that we are now into the hotter part of the summer and it's going into a semi-dormant state), it is looking healthy. The leaves are mainting their green color and are not drying out. It's a tad more upright now, and you may also notice that I've tilted it slightly more towards the viewer as per Rob's suggestion.

 

[daygan]

Here are a couple pictures(taken during the slip pot) of the roots. As can be seen, the tap root has been completely chopped back, was about as large as the trunk itself, and exits largely on the side of the current "front", meaning that surface roots on that side of the trunk will need to be re-built in some creative way or another, or just will not exist.

 

[vdeschamps]

Aren't you cutting corners by chopping an actual tree and letting small branches grow? I would be interested to see how it looks like in 20 years from now.

 

[linlaoboo]

huge tree like that shouldn't take 20 years to become something nice.

 

[october]

Could be just heat stress and not chlorosis. If the soil was compact and it was hot, maybe the tree could not get enough water. Either way, I think you did the right thing.

In regards to how long before it is a nice tree. I think a nice structure will be in place within 5 years.

Rob

 

[daygan]

Aren't you cutting corners by chopping an actual tree and letting small branches grow? I would be interested to see how it looks like in 20 years from now.

Absolutely. Cutting corners is a big part of collecting trees (from the wild) for use as bonsai. (Though I wouldn't consider it "cheating", as "cutting corners" implies. It's just another way that bonsai is done)

 

[vdeschamps]

Absolutely. Cutting corners is a big part of collecting trees (from the wild) for use as bonsai. (Though I wouldn't consider it "cheating", as "cutting corners" implies. It's just another way that bonsai is done)

My apologies, I didn't mean to be insulting! I am just seeing more and more people collecting trees from the wild and transforming them into bonsais.

 

[daygan]

My apologies, I didn't mean to be insulting! I am just seeing more and more people collecting trees from the wild and transforming them into bonsais.

No problem. I didn't take it that way

I personally enjoy collecting. It allows me to work with trees that already have a good deal of development and naturally influenced shape / age / inspiration, not to mention, it means that I can develop something nice (to me, at least) in a relatively short time. I think many who collect trees do so for similar reasons.

 

[linlaoboo]

blame the inventor of yamadori in bonsai then lol