Help with Stewartia decision

[penumbra]

Thanks Penumbra it’s my understanding Stewartia heals fairly easy. If I’ve learn something with bonsai it’s to be patience but 10 years sounds like a long time to heal. If that’s what you meant! Let me know if you have experience with Stewartia, Would continue to do research as I have till spring to make this decision.

The healing won't take 10 years but the development of a fine broom will take at least that long.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Brian thank you, that’s exactly what I was thinking and once I read your answer I noticed immediately how it’s starting to develop that inverse taper. It’s always intimidating that trunk chop. But your answer it’s reassuring. I will continue to Study this species before doing anything else. Should I cut tips to redistribute energy to inner buds before it looses its leafs? They started color changing 10 days ago.

I wouldn’t cut anything until you decide on the chop. If anything, gently scrape away the top inch or so of the soil and take some photos of the base to help determine which is the best front. Then you can look at the options for where to cut above.

 

[Potawatomi13]

How long personally doing Bonsai? You have yard at home? Where is home.

 

[BobbyLane]

It looks like whoever had it before you already started growing and cutting the branches for taper, it wouldnt take 10 years to build a dome twice the size as you have now. fine brooms are reserved for zelkova species, you wouldnt be aiming for the typical zelkova broom but some of use use the term 'broom' to describe the typical way trees grow in nature as up n out. most deciduous trees build up fine twigging fairly quickly in 5 years you could have a nicely ramified crown thats presentable in 10 youd have something special.
I found some images of stewartia with single trunklines which also have a little reverse taper, so it seems its inevitable youll get some bobbles with the species

read up on forms here:

Styling: The Basic Forms of Bonsai – Bonsai4Me

bonsai4me.com

informal 'broom' I guess is term im looking going by Harrys article

so to sum up, 'it depends' more on what styles you like. the material has a couple ways it can go!

 

[mwar15]

I would chop one and stick it in the ground or a box. That will help decrease the time it takes to heal

 

[MHBonsai]

Personally I like the uniqueness of the double trunk. I would leave it and work with it, take care of the crossing branches so it looks more natural… That is a very common form in large ancient deciduous trees around here and could look very naturalistic.

 

[NaoTK]

I just think the world doesn't need another sub-par single trunk stewartia. If you were going to make such a tree I would not start with this particular material with a very long taper and motion-less section.

 

[bwaynef]

I think I'd be really tempted to airlayer right at the fork and develop a twin-trunk with the top and then shorten the stump that remains and develop a squat-single-trunk tree. I have never airlayered stewartia though, so I'd have to research the viability before proceeding very far down that path. I'd think its possible though.

Also, hello (relative-) neighbor. I'm pretty sure I saw that tree not too long ago.

 

[johng]

One consideration as you are thinking... Stewartia are most appreciated for their beautiful trunks. I am told that in Japan, every effort is made not to scar the trunks. When you look at quality Stewartia in photos you never see any major scars on the trunks. This may not be option for you, but I would strongly consider not making a chop if it is avoidable. I think @NaoTK makes a pretty argument on how to handle the tree.

 

[bwaynef]

One consideration as you are thinking... Stewartia are most appreciated for their beautiful trunks. I am told that in Japan, every effort is made not to scar the trunks. When you look at quality Stewartia in photos you never see any major scars on the trunks. This may not be option for you, but I would strongly consider not making a chop if it is avoidable. I think @NaoTK makes a pretty argument on how to handle the tree.

I've also heard they heal extremely well/quickly. Particularly in places with warm summers.

 

[dbonsaiw]

Following up on this one - what did you choose?