ZELKOVA #02

[MACH5]

This is my second Zelkova that I am developing. Only this one being much larger than the shohin one I have in my collection. It was purchased basically as a stump from Peter Tea in the fall 2021. I believe Peter may have said this tree was ground grown for about 20 years. The 360 nebari is impressive and whoever grew it clearly knew what they were doing. Large scars were left as a result so I needed to tackle those before the tree developed much further.

Today it received its very first styling to get it ready for the upcoming growing season. In the spring it will be repotted into an oversized ceramic bonsai container for growing purposes.

Below is the tree as originally purchased (photo credit Peter Tea). When it was shipped to me in the early spring of 2022 I transferred it right away into a wooden box for more rapid development.






Fall 2022. The tree has been heavily fertilized with Osmocote which produced extremely vigorous growth in order to thicken the primary branches specially those at the bottom.






Here is the tree a few days ago. Before a lot of the wiring work was done, several large scars also needed to be addressed. The wood had partially rotted and they needed to be thoroughly cleaned and filled with two-part epoxy.






Some the larger wounds filled with two-part epoxy. Afterwards (not shown) the edge of the live tissue was exposed and covered with cut paste. They are now set to heal properly.








After the work. This tree differs from the more traditional hokidachi style where all branches come from the same point. In this case, one can say it's in the chokkan/hokidachi hybrid style.








Projected future image. Estimated time to completion 8 years.

 

[Nybonsai12]

Very nice Serg. Really like the initial wiring and how well you make use of the branches, putting in good movement and good spacing. Already a good image!

 

[NateDyk47]

This is a great tree already, Sergio! I love the nebari. Excited to watch you develop this one.

 

[MACH5]

Very nice Serg. Really like the initial wiring and how well you make use of the branches, putting in good movement and good spacing. Already a good image!

Thanks Bri! As always with initial stylings there will be other cuts, adjustments made throughout the development process.

This is a great tree already, Sergio! I love the nebari. Excited to watch you develop this one.

Thanks Nate! The nebari is really something on this one!

 

[River's Edge]

I like the subtle shaping of the epoxy to give a more natural look after healing. Nice detailed work. Look forward to seeing this one progress. Should move pretty quickly after this. Wish I had a fraction of your talent to create sketches of future vision. Would love to have that skill in my toolbox.

 

[MACH5]

I like the subtle shaping of the epoxy to give a more natural look after healing. Nice detailed work. Look forward to seeing this one progress. Should move pretty quickly after this. Wish I had a fraction of your talent to create sketches of future vision. Would love to have that skill in my toolbox.

Yes I hope so Frank. My projected 8 year timeframe may even be a bit conservative. I may be able to move it more quickly than that. We shall see.

 

[badatusernames]

Very informative - thank you for sharing!

 

[vp999]

Great job Serg! How do you prevent the callous to not bulge and cause reverse taper after it's completely healed over? Thanks

 

[MACH5]

Great job Serg! How do you prevent the callous to not bulge and cause reverse taper after it's completely healed over? Thanks

Thanks! The wounds are still quite recessed with enough leeway I think to allow them to heal well without an ugly swell.

As a side note, if anyone ever sees the cambium on large wounds not advancing, take a look at the heartwood. Most likely it is not solid and beginning to rot and this needs to be corrected otherwise they are likely to form large uros and not close properly. This tree was a good example of this. After two full seasons of rapid growth, I barely got any movement of the cambium on these large cuts. Of course you can always opt for leaving them as they are and the uros that will form can be a design feature as well.

 

[flor1]

As always great tree.
I like what you did with the top of the tree.

 

[Gary McCarthy]

We're all waiting for your YouTube channel to see you work on your trees

 

[WavyGaby]

Thanks! The wounds are still quite recessed with enough leeway I think to allow them to heal well without an ugly swell.

As a side note, if anyone ever sees the cambium on large wounds not advancing, take a look at the heartwood. Most likely it is not solid and beginning to rot and this needs to be corrected otherwise they are likely to form large uros and not close properly. This tree was a good example of this. After two full seasons of rapid growth, I barely got any movement of the cambium on these large cuts. Of course you can always opt for leaving them as they are and the uros that will form can be a design feature as well.

Awesome work. Thanks for clarifying when/how to remove deadwood for healing scars.

I also like how one can easily see how directional pruning and wiring was used to develop the branches on this tree.

 

[MACH5]

We're all waiting for your YouTube channel to see you work on your trees

Thanks Gary. Youtube is something I have and continue to consider. It is a lot work at least in thinking about the sort of quality I would like to deliver on. In any case I continue to think about it and appreciate the thought.

Anyone has any ideas what they would like to see in these videos? And no... I am not putting on a Speed Racer outfit!

 

[MACH5]

Awesome work. Thanks for clarifying when/how to remove deadwood for healing scars.

I also like how one can easily see how directional pruning and wiring was used to develop the branches on this tree.

Thanks! In my opinion best results are achieved using a combination of wire and directional pruning at least in the beginning stages. In later phases, after the structure has been set, then you can lean on directional pruning almost exclusively. The point of using both methods is that you can get a greater diversity of shapes and forms to your branches much like you see in nature. Nature is always about randomness and variety!

 

[vp999]

. I am not putting on a Speed Racer outfit!

You do want millions of views and subs right ???

 

[MACH5]

You do want millions of views and subs right ???

I might entertain it if I could be guaranteed millions of views! But wearing a Chim-Chim outfit is were I draw the line. A man's gotta know his limits!

 

[Patrick K]

Looking good Sergio, lot of potential. When you repot into grow boxes (or Anderson flats), do you use 100% akadama or a different substrate mixture? Thanks,
-Pat

 

[MACH5]

Looking good Sergio, lot of potential. When you repot into grow boxes (or Anderson flats), do you use 100% akadama or a different substrate mixture? Thanks,
-Pat

Hi Pat. More or less I use the same mix for trees in boxes. Roughly 75% akadama 25% Kiryu. Nothing else.

 

[Dabbler]

Looks great! - This already had such good bones!