Trident with Very Straight Trunk - Help!

[dbonsaiw]

just when I think I have my mind made up, someone else comes along and makes another suggestion that makes total sense

As I tend to be impetuous and make silly mistakes with my trees, and also internalizing that I will be developing my trees for many years to come, I started a new practice of not doing anything with my trees until the grow season after I purchase it. This gives me plenty of time to contemplate next steps and change my mind 30X. Also, I can post threads on my different ideas and get feedback. I tend to make better decisions this way and the tree is allowed to progress. Otherwise, my next threads tend to sound like "will my tree make it if I ......" and there's a lot of scrambling and troubleshooting for no reason. Observe the tree and learn. There's really no rush when you understand that spending another 10 years before this gets into a pot is not so long.

Based on my personal experience (and this is probably not what you want to hear), you may not have the same attachment to this tree as time goes on. When I started, I bought material not having any clue what was good material and what to do next. I learned a lot in the process, but killed and mangled many trees, forcing me to obtain material anew. Rinse, lather and repeat.

 

[Shibui]

Makes total sense. Sounds like something to take care of on a, say, annual basis as the tree grows. Every spring, just remove those roots that want to lift the tree off the board or tile and repot. Regular maintenance.

I now root prune all field grown tridents every winter/spring. ALL roots get trimmed each time. Makes for much easier digging and promotes a radial root system of finer roots - much better nebari and more pronounced basal trunk flare as a result of lots of vigorous lateral roots and fewer down roots.
Local climate and growth rates may mean less often would be more appropriate but I can't be sure as I only have experience in one climate zone.

 

[Goodroot]

Just a little assurance for you- I chopped the top of two elm trees I have growing on our property. In NE Tx, at end of July, 105-107 for the next frickin month, left 12-14” of stump with NO buds or leaves below. Trunk probably 2” at most. Noticed last week buds forming! I did this from trees in the woods to see if a bare trunk would bud out or die. It worked! Gonna make good bonsai.