Large Overgrow Corkbark Chinese Elm Huge Trunk! Newbie to Bznut and New to Bonsai Any Suggestions or Help Appreciated

Drcuisine

Yamadori
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Nice tree!

Get assistance with planning from local club leader. Air layer the branches in the spring. The tree needs 5-10 years after branch selection. Think of the tree as just being the trunk and your job is to develop primary and secondary branches. Your tree is now in secondary development stage. Trunk is ready but branches are not. To make this look like a small tree you’ll need to start at secondary development. This tree has massive potential but you’re a bit away from what the tree can become.

Nice tree!!!!
 

brentwood

Chumono
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There's something to be said for waiting on any real work until you're more experienced. Maybe buy a juniper and work with the club members a season of two before you circle back around to that elm. Maybe use that year to scheme on what you might want to do to it, study it. The longer I do bonsai, the more I think going slowly is a good option. Great trees, your club did you right - good luck whatever you do!
 

jbhampton31

Sapling
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Nice tree!

Get assistance with planning from local club leader. Air layer the branches in the spring. The tree needs 5-10 years after branch selection. Think of the tree as just being the trunk and your job is to develop primary and secondary branches. Your tree is now in secondary development stage. Trunk is ready but branches are not. To make this look like a small tree you’ll need to start at secondary development. This tree has massive potential but you’re a bit away from what the tree can become.

Nice tree!!!!
Thank you and yes when my club came to take a look at this year's progress they suggested to take it to the next workshop we get scheduled... so hoping to get more direction on it in spring time if we can find someone... I have a nice big chinese painted pot for it, but don't plan on repotting into the bonsai pot for atleast 2 more years. I am still so new to things I am practicing patience with these trees. Thank you!
 

jbhampton31

Sapling
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There's something to be said for waiting on any real work until you're more experienced. Maybe buy a juniper and work with the club members a season of two before you circle back around to that elm. Maybe use that year to scheme on what you might want to do to it, study it. The longer I do bonsai, the more I think going slowly is a good option. Great trees, your club did you right - good luck whatever you do!
Oh man I have so many projects going all down for winter. I have quite a few shohin juniper projects. Those 2 big trident maples (in prev pics) 3 j maple forests
2 ch elm forest. A ton of j and t maple nursery treees ungrafted... 4 x over 40 yr old boxwoods(neagari style) from a 91 yr old club member came in nursery pots...now 3 in wooden boxes 1 in a pond basket with twine tying down 2 branches... 2 Hinokis styled at workshops this year... 1 shohin hinoki on my own (styled but next to slowly reduce root ball) I have plenty to do and and just trying to get steps lined up for each and to have a good plan moving forward with everything. I am in no means looking for a quick solution. Thank you I am looking for any and all advice to make my own informed decisions check out the pics on those 2 tridents in the pics 1 a fused trunk that has lost its way... another 3 trunk trident that is too tall both in earlier pics on this post. I went to the Kannapolis show and stocked up on supplies soil, wire, cut paste etc... Alot to do coming up...Thank you!
 
Last edited:
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Nice tree!

Get assistance with planning from local club leader. Air layer the branches in the spring. The tree needs 5-10 years after branch selection. Think of the tree as just being the trunk and your job is to develop primary and secondary branches. Your tree is now in secondary development stage. Trunk is ready but branches are not. To make this look like a small tree you’ll need to start at secondary development. This tree has massive potential but you’re a bit away from what the tree can become.

Nice tree!!!!
Very concise and easy to understand. Thank you for putting it this way. I learned a lot from this.
 

jbhampton31

Sapling
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hey update on this guy in case anyone is interested in this big corked bark elm. The club had a workshop setup with Shannon Saylor and we worked on cutting back to force it to backbud... Here are some pics from today..It's starting to bud on old wood
 

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jbhampton31

Sapling
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Hey so here is an update on this very large chinese cork bark elm... The club had a workshop with Shannon Saylor and with his help we cut back to encourage major backbuding... And here are a few pics of it budding back on old wood today...
 

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