Joanie

First you have to thicken the trunk if you want a bigger trunk. Don't worry too much about the branches being long. You will cut them back, or completely off, eventually. If you want to position the branches, just worry about the first few inches and think about the angle you want them to come out of the tree. Wire them so that they come out at the angle you want, but don't worry about the rest of the branch. You can later cut the branch back so that it is only a few inches long, and grow the next section of branch. That way, the branch will taper.

The trunk is the important thing. No, the pot is not big enough if you really want to grow out the trunk. It needs to be several times bigger I would think. Make it a growing box. (search this forum for "growing box" and read the threads you find) Then buy a cheap bathroom tile like they sell at Lowe's, 4" x 4" or 6" x 6", and when you take the tree out of this pot, lay its roots carefully over the tile so that they spread out like a wagon wheel, away from the trunk. Use some cheap cotton string and tie the roots down... it will rot away later and won't hurt them. Fill the growing box with good soil that drains well, and plant the tree on the tile. Make sure that the roots near the trunk are covered, they probably will thicken up quicker if they are kept moist.

Crape Myrtle are good, strong, vigorous growers so in a couple of years you will notice a lot of difference. Keep reading and learning. It's a very nice little tree, lots of potential, so do these basic steps and you'll be on the way to a very good bonsai!

Again, there are other options and other opinions. Read, ask, and you'll learn what's best for you.

Joanie

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