AusBonsai

ok so ive got this stick in a pot its way to long like 40cm ive only just put it in the pot should i grow it a while first or cut it short now?

hi, I would try and let it grow for some trunk thickness. Maybe try and induce some movement low down with wire or something, give it a feed and wait for the wire to bite.

I agree with lacertilian
Let it get some girth and more leaves before cutting it

It all depends!
Everytime you do anything to a tree it sends it backwards. This is something I remember best explained by Brent Waltson.
I think these two articles cover it, but start there anyway.

https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/growprin.htm

https://www.evergreengardenworks.com/trunks.htm

The other thing I have learnt is that it is important to be doing some thing. So if you decidde to let this little sapling grow out for a bit why not get the tree out of the pot. Stick some wire down into the rootball next to the trunk, wrap it around the trunk and then put some nice interesting bends into the trunk.
This thread by Jow although I think aimed at conifers should give you some ideas.
viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1307&p=12420&hilit=wire#p12420
The basic idea I want to get accross is that yes there must be plenty of time to let the tree recover and also grow strong/larger but it is important to do something along the way. Think out side the square and just do it!

update on my little bonsai.
i think im doing ok for a noob with little clue of bonsai... or even plats for that matter lol.

ive been ferterlizing once ever 14 days might start doing it ever 10 days from now on.
gave it a wire to day had no clue what i was going for but i ended up with this
which resembles a tree i see every day on my way to work. growing from an embankment along the highway.
the only thing im unsure of is the big bend center top it bends down then back up which i think is unnatural for a tree to do. trees always grow towards the sun don't they?

anyway its still an improvment from a stick with leaves so im very happy. also im not sure if its a river red gum.

any thoughts would be much appreicated.

Aaron...

Hi Aaron, It's fine that you are a "Noob", we all have to start somewhere, some of us even move in a forwards direction on occasion .

It looks like you have twisted a couple of wires together and then wired the trunk? That might not end well. From the new shoots, your tree appears to be a Lilly-Pilly or perhaps an opposite leaved Eucalypt or what ever the botanists want to call them at 430pm on a Saturday, there are others better than I to ID either of these.

Good luck and remember that it's better to make 100 mistakes once than make the same mistakes over and over again.

Cheers,
Mojo

should i replace the wire with one thicker bit? i didn't think it would really affect the tree. wire is wire was my thinking.
i guess ill go down to the local nursery and see if they have some thicker wire.

thank you for your reply.

Aaron.

For age of the tree, I wil not replace it.
Wait till it start to cut in then remove it. It may well stay in place then, but if not you can reapply then

If you need to use a smaller wire, you can always just double it up by laying on 1 length, then putting another on alongside of it. Avoid wire over wire at all if possible

Ken

If you need to use a smaller wire, you can always just double it up by laying on 1 length, then putting another on alongside of it. Avoid wire over wire at all if possible

now you've said that i remember reading that in a forum somewhere.

also if i want to get it to bud back about halfway along its length (top bend) how could i achieve that. i keep pinching off new growth and cutting back what i dont want, but it dosent seem to bud back. it just grows new leafs at the ends.

thanx for your reply ken.

Doing well Bazron,
I would suggest getting some movement down low on the trunk. This would be difficult with the way you have wired. Often it is a good idea to pull the tree out of the pot stick the wire down into the root ball next to the trunk and wire around very low.

I would not be concerned with the trunk going down. The tree can be lent over moved any which way and it is more important to just get some movement one way or another in young stock like this. It looks like you have more growth down low than before, i would just keep doing what you are doing and you will get what you are looking for. Make sure the tree is well fed and you let it grow some so it can store up some energy, then you will get more back budding when you do cut back.
well done good luck

ahh makes sense the bigger the plant the more stored up energy it has then a sudden chop here and there and the plant still has to use up the energy. so its puts more buds out. now it kinda seems silly to expect a small plant to bud heaps. thanx for info much appreciated.

today i forgot i left it in the sun and it heated up a bit got some dry leaves on it now. its back in shade so ill see how it goes.

Aaron..

hi,

can i have an update please? would be interesting to see this tree now

Alek Stead wrote:hi,

can i have an update please? would be interesting to see this tree now

As Bazron has not logged in for nearly 2 years I doubt it

oh righto haha

Alek Stead wrote:oh righto haha

when I check old threads, I always check the last logged in time of the user.
Just click on the username in the original post and you can see the last time they logged in

strangely enough, some people stop posting and logging in

Ken