treebeard55

From what I've read and my own experience, Thuja occidentalis is a funny tree in some respects.

Biggest problem for the bonsai grower is that the roots are connected pretty directly to the branches and foliage above them; there is very little or no crossover. So if you remove a branch, some of the roots directly below it are going to atrophy and die. Same with root pruning: take off a major root completely, and you're going to lose some of the foliage it was feeding. Neighboring roots don't send any of their take "sideways;" because of the plant's vascular structure, they can't.

I have had a Thuja occidentalis for 10 years. (I was doing a demo with it when the woman who is now my wife stopped to watch; that's how we met.) I can't recall ever having seen mine throw a new branch on old wood.

Thuja occidentalis is native to eastern Canada and the northern states of the eastern US. You might be able to find more information (and more experienced growers) if you went to the websites of bonsai clubs in cities like Detroit and Toronto.

I wish you the best with it.

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Treebeard 55

"To do bunjin is easy. However, to do a bunjin masterpiece is difficult." -- Susumu Nakamura, at MBS '07