Japanese Elm suggestions

bheritage

Hi all. This is my first picture post to the forum.

I purchased this Japanese elm from a bonsai sale about two weeks ago. It was root bound in a nursery container, so I removed the container and reduced the roots considerably. I was able to get it into a deeper bonsai pot for now, figuring I’d reduce the roots in the future and get it into a smaller pot. The tree is already growing quickly and seems to be doing well. I’ve posted several angles of the tree for viewing. As you can see the tree had a large scar area where it had been chopped in the past. It was starting to callus over but the interior heartwood was rotting. I’ve cleaned up the rotten wood and the callused area. I’m not sure whether to let the wound callus over completely, or to open it up more to make a hollow trunk. Any suggestions?

Thanks,
Anthony

Attached Images

	jap_elm1.jpg (72.6 KB, 93 views)
	jap_elm2.jpg (64.1 KB, 67 views)
	jap_elm4.jpg (70.2 KB, 79 views)

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rowan57

Please edit your title and post to say "Japanese" and not "Jap", this may not seem like an offensive term but it is a racial slur and is not allowed on the site, as per a fairly recent topic, search for "racial slurs and epithets"

Regards
Rowan

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In literary and art criticism there are two criteria, the political and the artistic....

Words and actions should help to unite, and not divide, the people of our various nationalities

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bheritage

My apologies...no slurs intended.

rowan57

Its cool, its just that there have been a lot of discussions about this recently

__________________
In literary and art criticism there are two criteria, the political and the artistic....

Words and actions should help to unite, and not divide, the people of our various nationalities

I often talk to myself because i am the only one who truly understands me.

midwestbonsai

Personally I would like to see a hollow trunk on this one.
Only my novice opinion.
-Paul

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Cre8tive

I believe you could go either way depending on your taste. I personally think that hollowing it out would be the best way to go due to the size of the wound. (Not based on experience--just what I feel the final outcome would look like.)

Ron Martin has been involved in a couple of debates about hollowing out trunks. I can't remember if he was for or against, I think the former, but there was a wealth of info in that thread. I will see if I can locate it for you.

Regards,
Mark

Here IT is.

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ART - An object or event that evokes an aesthetic reaction—a sense of beauty, appreciation, harmony, and/or pleasure; the quality, production, expression, or realm of what is beautiful or of more than ordinary significance; the class of objects subject to aesthetic criteria

Vonsgardens

Well, carpinus japonica and coreana are generally slower to heal than some of the more aggressive growers. We tend to put trees with big cuts back into the gound for a year or two (plant it on top of a piece of plywood or tile). It will heal at leat two to three times as fast- unless you want a hollow trunk. While doing this you keep on the branches that you are interested in keeping.

Just what an old tree farmer (or in bonsai slang grower) would do. John

bheritage

Thanks for your suggestions Paul, Mark, and John. I'll probably just think about this one for a while before I do anything to it. My other option would be to put the cut towards the back of the tree...unfortunately the cut side is the better angle.

John - I'm not sure about this being a slow grower. I'm constantly pinching the new growth back. This tree has me working hard.

Anthony