Help styling this olive

[maroun.c]

Had this olive since around 3 years when I was struggling with soil issues and lost many trees. This one got lucky and made it to a better soil and has been alive since couple years.
Not the nicest trunk but it's got a nice base (wish trunk woukd get similar bark) and it does go from 7 cm wide as base to 3.5 cm wide at top which is not bad compared to my other trees. Considering moving to a small bonsai pot and training on wiring and styling on it.
Plan is for a broom style olive yet this one only has a branch coming from front which I guess will need to be removed. And lower side branches won't work. To make it worse the top has been chopped before I got it and looks dead so doubt ill have any new branches pop up from there.
How would u style this one and how would u proceed? Would cutting the top branches as their base and chopping the top dead wood till I reach live wood result in some new branches popping at the top ? Believe now is a good time for the cuts but wondering if I also move to a bonsai pot at same time or leave it to recover in same pot till next year?
Front (no other sides to chose an front to avoud the front branch as other sides are ugly)


LT Side



And top showing the dead Top


Thanks for any info or suggestions

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

My suggestion would be to leave it alone and let it grow. You simply do not have enough branches yet to choose from. If you must do something, remove all your current branches. Then let it back bud and grow out. The branches you need to create a style have not appeared yet.

Let it grow, it will back bud as it gets vigorous and healthy. When you have more than 12 branches to choose from, then it is time to think about styling. At this stage there is no front, back or what ever, because you don't have enough choices.

 

[Adair M]

When you take pictures, take them from the side of the tree. We don’t want to see the soil, the top of the chop, no, we want to see the trunk. From the side.

 

[maroun.c]

My suggestion would be to leave it alone and let it grow. You simply do not have enough branches yet to choose from. If you must do something, remove all your current branches. Then let it back bud and grow out. The branches you need to create a style have not appeared yet.

Let it grow, it will back bud as it gets vigorous and healthy. When you have more than 12 branches to choose from, then it is time to think about styling. At this stage there is no front, back or what ever, because you don't have enough choices.

Thank u. Guess I'll just make sure to fertilise frequently this summer to hopefully get more growth and branches.

 

[maroun.c]

When you take pictures, take them from the side of the tree. We don’t want to see the soil, the top of the chop, no, we want to see the trunk. From the side.

Got it will be back home in 2 days and will make sure to post pics as suggested.

 

[Shibui]

The top of the cut stump is dead and a little way down the trunk on the side away from the live new trunk. This is OK and quite normal. That trunk had to be chopped - too tall and probably straight with no taper. Now you have the start of a far better tree.
The shoots growing from near the roots are probably not part of any bonsai. Olives will keep sprouting new shoots from near the base until the tree dies. Your job is to keep cutting them off.

I think it may still be possible to make something like broom style from this tree using the current leader and the midway right branch as main sub-trunks. The dead stump can either be cut down to live bark and hope it heals over or carve that part of the trunk to show off the dead part. I have mentioned dead being a part of ancient olives. Make use of such opportunities when they exist.

 

[maroun.c]

Thanks.will cleanup those branches at the base then. Was considering cutting all branches to hopefully get better new ones but guess will wait on the upper ones.

 

[maroun.c]

Some better pictures as requested

 

[Shibui]

I can see the dead part more clearly now and have marked where I think it has died back to in red here.

the bark is sunken and a little wrinkled where it is dead.
You can either cut back to remove the dead part or use the dead stump as a dead wood feature.

Your tree is really very raw. It will take quite a few years to get a good bonsai from it but My suggestion would be to try for something like this.

Grow the right branches to fill a rounded canopy - almost broom style - (grey branches and green foliage)
Remove bark and carve remaining wood to simulate an old, decayed trunk. Angling the dead part like this introduces the appearance of taper that is currently missing. (white)
note that the entire tree has been tilted about 15 deg to the left to bring the trunk more vertical and better balance the 2 main sub-trunks.

One of the problems with olive is the natural pattern of strong, straight growth with little taper. I've found it necessary to grow and cut repeatedly to get better movement (bends) and ramification into olive branches. Doing this well can take years. occasional wiring to better place branches is also necessary but selective cut and grow seems to produce more believable shapes in the new branches IMHO.