Tree Identification help and development

[Bad_Bonsai]

Hey Bnut, can anyone by chance identify this tree?

I had picked up this up 3 years ago while staying at a mountain top spa with my wife. This was in the province of Quebec. This was was picked up when I first started collecting/training bonsai so I had gotten it without quite knowing what to do.

A few years later and I've repotted it into what you see now and went in the literati direction. Every cut I made prompted a tonne of budback. Now, I'm rethinking my approach to this tree.

What I want to try and do is develop two trees at once. I want to be rid of the problematic root. (note the hard 90°angles at the base) I want to make a short squat tree by cultivating the buds at the base and cultivating the branching at the very end of the whip. (and eventually air layer the top portion just above all that bud back.)

Is this a fools errand? This was one of my first trees and it has survived all my stupid mistakes.

What would you do with this kind of material?

 

[sorce]

I'd layer the top off and develop the base seperate.

Sorce

 

[Forsoothe!]

Watch for insignificant looking flowers which may help ID it. Get good photos of that and the leaf close up top and underside, and the arrangement.

 

[Potawatomi13]

No fools errand. Just needs creativity. Getting rid of 90 degree root? Do any sprouts grow from this root? Why not cut loose, leave as is and see if sprouts eventuate. Then just continue growing main bush without air layer. Seems easier and will(maybe)not kill top.

 

[Mikecheck123]

Hey Bnut, can anyone by chance identify this tree?

I had picked up this up 3 years ago while staying at a mountain top spa with my wife. This was in the province of Quebec. This was was picked up when I first started collecting/training bonsai so I had gotten it without quite knowing what to do.

A few years later and I've repotted it into what you see now and went in the literati direction. Every cut I made prompted a tonne of budback. Now, I'm rethinking my approach to this tree.

What I want to try and do is develop two trees at once. I want to be rid of the problematic root. (note the hard 90°angles at the base) I want to make a short squat tree by cultivating the buds at the base and cultivating the branching at the very end of the whip. (and eventually air layer the top portion just above all that bud back.)

Is this a fools errand? This was one of my first trees and it has survived all my stupid mistakes.

What would you do with this kind of material?

This is absolutely some kind of willow. But it's hard to say which one. There are dozens of endemic species with tiny leaves like that. I'd do a bit of research on willows that are native to Quebec province to see if anything looks like a close match.

 

[Bad_Bonsai]

No fools errand. Just needs creativity. Getting rid of 90 degree root? Do any sprouts grow from this root? Why not cut loose, leave as is and see if sprouts eventuate. Then just continue growing main bush without air layer. Seems easier and will(maybe)not kill top.

Now I'm rethinking things, the buds are multiplying. Now I'm considering a clump/multi-trunk.

I just repotted this, last month. I'd do well to not cut another thing just yet anyways.