Japanese Hornbeam Advice

DAngelo

Hello all,
I aquired this here Japanese hornbeam a few years back. The tree is very large. I am satisfied with the trunk development and the main branches. I am not satisfied with the refinement. How does one go about geting this hornbeam to back-bud? There are alot of areas on the main branches that are bare . I tried a few threads but with no success. It just does not want to back bud onto the old wood of the branches. The photos are not great, this is a 2 man bonsai, to heavy for myself to move around to try to take good photos. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/attachm...tid=33837&stc=1
http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/attachm...tid=33838&stc=1
http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/attachm...tid=33839&stc=1

Attached Images

	hornbeam1.jpg (61.5 KB, 108 views)
	hornbeam2.jpg (60.3 KB, 67 views)
	hornbeam3.jpg (66.8 KB, 74 views)

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Wayne A. D'Angelo

http://dangeloengraving.com

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rockm

Hornbeam, in my experience with Korean and Carolina hornbeam, backbuds strongly when hard-pruned. It doesn't backbud well if all you're doing is snipping new growth in the spring.

I wait until new shoots have hardened off in the spring, then nip them back to one or two leaves. I also hard prune into old wood in late winter to tighten up the branches. This tree could use some of that, especially on the first branch--which could be reduced by half. The large angular branch near the apex could be removed completely. Both operations will probably drive new shoots back on the trunk or further back on the branch in the lower branch's case.

Additionally, the roots on this plant look a bit tangled. It may be root bound and in need a cleansing root prune. The soil also looks a bit too dense to me, but can't really tell from the photo.

Lastly, and something to consider down the road, the pot might not be the best visually for this tree. Such a nice trunk is a bit diminished by the pot's overall fussiness--etching, pastel panel, and ornate feet. A plain rough glaze oval in grey or similar would look nice, as would a low unglazed oval.

pootsie

I love this trunk!

I learned from some experience last year that hornbeams get fussy when you mess hard with their roots. Mine sulked until August before really putting out leaves. Scared me bad!

pootsie

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p.s. My cat is a bonsaiTALK Master.
Columbus Bonsai Society

rockm

"I learned from some experience last year that hornbeams get fussy when you mess hard with their roots."

They also get fussy when you don't mess with their roots from time to time. This tree look very rootbound to me...