AusBonsai

hey all. im looking for somewhere to start styling this elm. its been in the pot which is quite large for the tree since november '10. i basically need some pointers as what would be suitable for this young tree. i bought the tree as bunnings stock.

front side from above

Hi owieo86
Sometimes I think this could be a standard reply to a newbie asking what to do with their first tree
If it was mine I would put it in a grow box and cut it back hard

Now having said that being an elm you can't do anything to the roots until it goes dormant over winter. Use the search function and read up before you do much. Oh and by the way welcome to the forums


Tony

ok so basically just let it be till about july-ish and then repot into a grow box, while doing so work on the roots a bit and cut the top back lots?

Hi mate and Welcome to AusBonsai
I wouldn't bother with a grow box, just plant it in the ground somewhere with good soil and water and feed heavily for a couple of years . Personally i wouldn't even remove any branches yet either
Cheers mate

2 or 3 years in the ground or grow box and you wil have a nice trunk to work with.
I would sort the roots when you pot up, and only after showing vigorous growthe in late spring, cut them ain trunk back to a shoot to start to develop taper

Ken

thanks all i think i might be doing some work this weekend on my elm. root work then into grow box for few years

oh is it a good idea to wait till winter dormancy to do anything to it

Hi,
If you don't want to develop a large trunk, this elm has the potential for development through wiring and trimming now and the rootpruning during its more dormant period. I have seen some great miniture bonsai. Big is not necessarily better, certainly in the design perspective.
Your call and good luck.
Michael

Hey Owieo86
I agree with Michael, it depends what you want for the tree; do you want a big trunk and height (eventually!) or do want the elm to be small (mini). If you know the anwser to that then you can work out what to do next. For now you probably only want to give it a light prune and also lightly (half strength) fertilize for the next few weeks then stop before the end of autumn. The liquid fertilizer will help the tree store nutrients for its dormancy period (winter) and to prevent die back when spring arrives. This will also increase the plants vigour when it starts to shoot in spring. I personally use charlie carp but you can use whatever liquid fertilizer you like; something thats not too strong (nitrogen%-NPK%).
Then in late winter/early spring before buds open you can root prune and repot into a training pot. Its up to you depending on your goal or vision for the tree. Don't purchase any bonsai trees from bunnings unless you want to pay through the nose ($$$). Usually they aren't taken care of either real well either because they don't sell many as opposed to all their stock plants...If you want quality bonsai trees; wheather its bonsai starters or stock plants or more established/mature trees; go visit a bonsai nursery if there's one available to you....
Chinses Elms are awesome for bonsai. They are fast growers, develop strong roots (nebari/surface roots) backshoot really well and can handle being pruned back hard. They also develop a strong root system and mostly need to be repotted every year. I hope this info helps you in any way, its just my opinion so take it as you will. Try get yourself some quality bonsai books and study up as much you can. Cheers thanks mate


Glen T

i intend this tree to be alot larger than it is currently with wide spread nebari. thats my basic vision for it