I potted this Water-elm earlier in the season. It came home last August, and recovered very well. Since Water-elms love the summer heat, I know I can do some development work now.
It’s common to have to make choices as you develop your trees. In this case, I have a situation where there is a large chop on the trunk that was necessary post-collection, and I have what was originally another upright branch that had to be cut back. I can’t remove the stub from this original branch, or I risk losing the entire right-hand trunk. So the better-developed branch has to go.
This is an example of giving up something now for something better later on. You’ll do this a lot as you continue on your bonsai journey.
The young branch that’s left needed to be wired and positioned.
Next came the lowest branch on the left-hand trunk. I’ve also done a very rough trim to shape on the tree overall. This should be part of your development plan for every deciduous tree you work on (excluding American beech, but that’s another story).
This is also a good time to start carving some of the chops that were made when this tree first came home.
The stub where the young branch emerges on the right-hand trunk also needs an initial carving now. As the branch thickens, it’ll make the transition look very natural. And that’s all for today. I’d love to know what you think about how this specimen is progressing. Leave me a comment below.
Thanks for the excellent explanation on the choice of which branch to remove. I will have to do some rethinking on 2 of my Winged Elms. I have always automatically gone with the healthiest branch.
More often than not, Doug, selecting a healthier branch is a good choice. In this case both branches were healthy, I just couldn’t afford to risk killing the whole trunk for a more-developed branch.
So cool. Thank you for sharing this!
My pleasure, Douglas.