Growing Thickness

Daniel

What are the techniques? I have a twig really, going straight upward. And 3 lower branches that are pretty great, pretty thick.

But my tree is stuck at 3 branches and an upwards heading twig. My plan is to turn this twig into a major 'trunk' and have 3 more big branches heading off of it. I got my bottom layer, I am hoping to use this twig as the source of my middle and top layer.


Anyway, how do I turn a thin twig, into a thick branch with 3 other big branches stemming out of it ?

Advertisement

Daniel

BTW - I'm working with a young juniperus.

Lui

Hi Daniel My guess would be plant it in a real big container or the ground and let it grow. I would suggest being wider then deep so that you have a head start when its time to pot into smaller one as for the ground perhaps put a tile under the trees for the same purpose.
Lui

Stickboy

I would do the same thing. Plant it in the ground for some years. I bought a young chinese elm and i planted it in the ground. It will grow much quicker and will be a lot thicker.

LivingArt

u can get a good flair at the base of your trunks by wraping a wire around the trunk just under the dirt line real tight.

__________________
TreeBay Bonsai Tools & Supplies

Carl_Bergstrom

While I've heard this technique discussed, I'd argue that this is terrible advice, especially to give to a novice.

First of all, you don't get good flare. You just get a nasty swelling. Second, you need to be quite precise in your timing of application and removal, or you'll kill or disfigure the tree. Third, this doesn't take you from twig to sumo-style masterpiece; it just gives you a bit of extra swelling.

With respect to the original poster's question, there's probably not much you can do by way of taking shortcuts. Plant the thing in the ground or in a grow box, let it grow vigorously, and chop back hard.

So LivingArt, just because you read about a technique in some book somewhere doesn't mean that it is helpful for you to be parroting that advice here irrespective of the original poster's situation.

Best regards,
Old Mister Crow

__________________
In love with trees

Bonsainut

Dan,
Of course low branching + wild growth= thickness. Don't forget to encourage interior growth in order to have buds and branches for your eventual bonsai design.

Still shopping for books and magazines?

__________________
Keep growing,---'Nut



Lethal Use of Farce

Jonny D

Hi, i'd do eactly the same plant it in the ground and leave it be for a few years. You could in the meantime try and get hold of some good established stock (doesn't have to be expensive) and work on that as it wil have a better trunk etc..

As for the wire round the trunk, i've never heard of that whats the idea behind it? Does it trap sap flow and cause a swell in the surface roots and lower trunk? It just sound very risky to me and completley unecassary you can acheive a good flare in other ways e.g.: grafting or picking good material to start with.

Jonny.

Daniel

Great! Thanks a million for the replies so far, I've got a mission to move my baby into the ground this weekend.

Let me just clarify one thing though, to see if it makes any difference. I have a trunk now, and it's a fairly good size, fairly thick.

What I'm trying to do is turn a branch/twig stemming off of my trunk, into a continuation of the trunk. Right now it's just a twig going off the main (fairly thick) trunk. I want the trunk to proceed along this new twig and have the trunk grow this way.

Is this possible? I think so, I am just too worried. We'll see what happens, I'm excited to try a ground planting.


About books: Not shopping anymore, just waiting for my John Naka's 1 and 2 to get to Korea from america. Should be here in a week or two.. It's all I'm living for these days - oh, and my wedding in 2 months also