New Growth???

goonerman1

Hi everyone. Newbie here. New to the site and new to Bonsai.

I have always been fascinated by Bonsai but have always been too scared to buy one because I have always (like so many others) thought them too difficult to keep. After much research I went out yesterday and bought my 1st Bonsay....yayyyyy!!

I went for a Chinese Elm on the recomendation of the specialist where I bought it. I LOVE it!!! It's already become like a pet to me

Now for a question. As you can see (from Photo) all of the leaf growth is on the top half of the tree. Will any growth (branches/leaves) appear on the bottom half at all or has this tree been trained to grow as it is?

Advertisement

eminart

The bottom branches will still grow, but you'll need to get light to them. There are ways to encourage growth in certain areas, like defoliating the parts you DON'T want to grow. Some selective pruning may also help to make the lower branches sprout new growth.

I'll leave more specific answers to the experts though. It will be recommended that you don't do anything for a while, except keep it alive.

Welcome to the Bonsai world! And, nice elm. That's one of the better-looking "first tree" elms I've seen.

__________________
"I want life in every word
to the extend that it's absurd....." -- the postal service

bonsaimeister

Gooner,

Welcome to BT and the world of bonsai!!


It would be helpful if you added some more info about yourself such as your location and growing zone.



Anyway, though you may be overwhelmed with all the info on growing bonsai, I think you should get your hands on as much learning material as possible before dealing with your elm in specifics. The important thing is that you get a handle on keeping your tree alive before doing any work on it. Lots of enthusiastic beginners are anxious to apply every technique they discover to their tree all at once, and they end up killing it. Take it slow and get a few cheap trees to practice on that won't be a big deal if you kill them. Also, you should join the nearest club to get some expert opinion and advice, and there are lots of people here that can help you as well. Being in a club also means going to workshops and having good trees to inspire you.

It looks like your tree is doing just fine and is in a well lit location. Most bonsai growers keep elms outside (where they are usually deciduous) but as long as you give it enough light and air flow it should do fine. If you read up on basic pruning, you could go ahead and trim the top to focus more energy on the bottom half and this will help you create a more rounded triangle image. A basic rule you could use to prune your elm is at the top cut each shoot back to about two leaves, then three in the middle and four leaves at the bottom. Sometimes the tree will look worse right after pruning, but it will help in the long run.



It is good that you chose a Chinese elm because they are very tough and forgiving so they can handle almost anything you throw at them. Also, when you cut back elms they will throw out lots of new growth and you can choose just how much of that you want to keep. Therefore, once you are armed with some pruning knowledge and the correct tools, go ahead and trim up the top, but I would leave the bottom pretty much as it is. I also to don’t recommend you use wire until you have some more experience and see how the tree recovers from pruning. You should also inspect for pests and lift the tree out of its pot to see how the roots are doing.



Here are some good links that should help you get rolling:


www.bonsai4me.com

www.bonsaisite.com

www.evergreengardenworks.com

www.artofbonsai.org

www.knowledgeofbonsai.org

http://basics.bonsaisite.com/

www.why-bonsai.com

I hope this helps you, and if you have any more q's please ask.

regards,

bonsaimeister

__________________
"On its root I firmly commit
In its trunk I keep my soul
Through its leaves, I reflect my vision..."

- Robert Steven