by Zach Smith | Mar 29, 2015 | Bald Cypress, Care, Chinese Elm, Elms, Wiring
I love when my trees begin to bud in the very early spring, especially the new arrivals, but I’m just awestruck when spring really kicks in. Shoots start extending, and you get a glimpse of the health of each and every one of your bonsai and pre-bonsai.
The photo of this tree in the March 17 post was taken a mere 12 days ago. Is this not amazing? And the growth is just beginning. Now, bald cypress is one of the strongest growers in the bonsai world. To be sure, they miniaturize in container culture, but this doesn’t stop them from budding up and down the trunk just as if they has no restrictions at all.
I’ll be wiring this one in another week or two, removing that wire in another three or four, and going into a second round of training this summer. By that time I’ll have a specimen which only needs refinement.
Remember this Chinese elm I posted for sale on February 28th? Well, here’s what a few week’s worth of spring weather will do:
Aren’t Chinese elms wonderful? Even if you end up with an “S” curve specimen, there’s hope. You just have to dedicate yourself to overcoming its inherent design flaw, but the process of doing so gives you the opportunity to work with what is truly one of the very best bonsai species for beginners. Drop me an email if you need some advice.
by Zach Smith | Mar 17, 2015 | Bald Cypress, Care, Chinese Elm, Elms, Winged Elm
Spring isn’t quite here officially, but the vast majority of my trees think it is and are popping buds to prove it. Here are a few trees that will be hitting the sale pages in the coming weeks.
Bald cypress – Taxodium distichum
Check out the buds on this one! And they’re not just on the existing branches, but all over the trunk as well. Those of you who’ve worked with bald cypress before know that these trees never stop budding on the trunk. You just have to keep rubbing them off during the growing season.
This specimen has a 3″ trunk diameter above the root crown and stands 27″ above the soil surface. Age is estimated to be 30 years. I plan to complete wiring of the secondary branch structure this spring, so the tree should be available at our Bald Cypress Bonsai page sometime in May.
The pot is an outstanding Byron Myrick oval.
Chinese elm – Ulmus parvifolia
Seven-tree forest just assembled this year from cutting-grown material. Everything is budding, which means I’ll have a nice forest canopy and good structure for the individual trees by summer, at which time I plan to offer it for sale.
The largest tree has a 3/4″ diameter trunk and stands 17-1/2″ tall.
Nice shallow oval by Paul Katich.
Winged elm – Ulmus alata
Exposed root style specimen just collected this winter. Buds are popping now. The trunk base is 1-1/2″ above the root crown; the rootage is 4″ across at the soil surface. Height 13″ to the chop. Age about 10 years.
This one gets its first wiring next month, and should have a nice branch structure by summer. Watch for it to hit the Elm Bonsai page in June.
The pot is a vintage Richard Robertson piece I bought back in 1990.
by Zach Smith | Mar 16, 2015 | Care, Elms, Potting, Water Elm, Watering, Wiring
As many of you know, in the winter of 2014 I lost a number of trees including most of my specimen water-elms. Of the water-elms that were on benches during the snow/ice storm and 15 F deep-freeze for a couple of days after, exactly four survived – but in the case of two of them, barely.
Here’s one of them, in a photo taken in September of 2010, two months after it was collected. I direct-potted this raft into a vintage Richard Robertson tray and let it recover from collecting. During the next three years I worked to refine the planting. Then came 2014, brutal cold, and I initially thought the tree was dead. I left it along, and finally in late April I saw some hopeful buds. But there was nothing to do at that point except water the tree and wait to see what was going to happen.
So here we are in 2015, and here’s what was left of my forest; this photo was taken from the opposite direction of the first. You can see I paid no attention at all to the planting, as evidenced by the butterweed that sprang up (or maybe laziness is a better explanation). What I’ve got here is a number of shoots emerging from the spreading root base, near the original trunks. Note: the two trunks off to the side had been part of the original raft, but became separated during the collecting and potting process. I kept them with the group, which I think was the right decision.
My first step was to completely wash off the roots, to see what was going on underground. I was pleasantly surprised to find a healthy root mass. So I definitely had something to work with.
I cut back the stubs of the original trunks, trimmed off unneeded branches and new trunks, and wired those new trunks that were not moving harmoniously with the others. I also removed the smaller group from this planting, putting it in the ground for future growth and use.
Finally, my new raft/clump style bonsai begins its new life in a fine Byron Myrick tray. Obviously, the quality of this specimen is not nearly what the original was. But isn’t it better to make lemonade out of our bonsai lemons whenever possible?
I’ll post an update once the tree leafs out.
by Zach Smith | Mar 15, 2015 | American Elm, Care, Elms, Potting, Wiring
Many of you read my post from a few weeks back, “The Humble Bud – Sign of Things To Come.” The bud is the means by which any plant grows to its genetic limit and is able to remain alive for the duration of its lifespan. Most of them begin as a very small thing – some invisible to the naked eye. Yet within such a small package lies the entire means by which a bonsai artist can create a miniature representation of nature.
The humble bud turns powerful in due course. Consider that as it develops and elongates, it produces leaves the plant cannot survive without. The leaves are the powerhouses of any plant. Photosynthesis is the second most important biochemical reaction known (second only to enzymatic activity). Without photosynthesis, the plant starves and is unable to power any of its other metabolic processes. No hormones to produce roots or shoots. No enzymes to produce chlorophyll in order to support more photosynthesis. Nothing.
Leaving aside the rest of the negatives that go with lack of buds in the plant kingdom, not least of which is you and I would die, let’s focus on the raw power of the bud. As you might imagine, if each bud that appeared on a tree consisted of only one leaf the tree wouldn’t last long. Therefore each bud is a complex package, containing not only leaves – which appear readily as the bud opens – but also the entire vascular structure needed to transport raw materials to the leaves and food throughout the tree. Consider for a moment the collected deciduous tree consisting of only a trunk and severely pruned roots. The tree “knows” that without a branch structure supporting food-producing leaves it’s a goner. Therefore, the first order of business for the collected deciduous trunk is to grow new leaves and start making and transporting food; beneath the ground, it’s to grow the entire sub-surface support system that provides raw materials to the leaves. (The order in which this occurs varies from species to species; each knows what it has to do, however, regardless of the order.)
This is the American elm that appeared in the earlier post, in a photo taken March 7th. The buds on the tree at that time were very tiny – just big enough to be visible to the naked eye. Fast-forward a single week, and they’re beginning to move. Even at this early stage, you can see the extension of one of the buds. But what’s much more fascinating, at least to me, is the knowledge that this extending bud is programmed to become a mature branch with its own sub-branches and sub-sub-branches – what we in the bonsai world call ramification. I mean, consider the fact that all of this is programmed in right from the start. The bud doesn’t grow and then “learn” to get bigger and produce axillary buds; everything is already there, just waiting for signals from hormones to do their thing.
This process is reliable. The photo on the left was taken March 14th. Now our nascent shoot from last time has about half a dozen leaves (some are very tiny, waiting their turn to expand). It’s not a branch yet; that’s the next stage. Right now it’s very tender and easily damaged. It also has the ability to perform photosynthesis just as the leaves do. This ability only lasts until the shoot hardens off, at which time it will become brownish gray. But as with most plants that make their own food, there lies beneath the inner bark a layer of chlorophyll-infused tissue called the cambium layer of the plant. Whenever you use the “scratch test” to see if a branch is alive, you’re exposing a bit of the cambium layer – essentially it’s the presence of chlorophyll you’re seeking. If the branch dies, the chlorophyll degrades and turns brown (and dries out).
Notice that this shoot is stronger than the others. Whenever we chop an apically dominant tree, it’s only focus is to regain its height. This doesn’t work for the bonsai artist, meaning I can’t allow the strong shoot on this tree to become the dominant one. Once it hardens off sufficiently, I’ll trim it, wire it and bring it down into a horizontal position. This will automatically alter the dominance of certain hormones, allowing me to create an entire tree in just a foot-tall specimen.
I’ll post updates on this tree as it develops. This year I’ll be able to create the basic branch structure and get some secondary branching established. In 2016 the tree will be ready for a bonsai pot. By 2017 it should be a presentable American elm bonsai.
by Zach Smith | Feb 28, 2015 | Care, Chinese Elm, Elms, Potting
We got some rain this week – it’s been without a doubt the most miserable weather of the winter – so my “mini-swamp” is partly full, as you can see in this photo. I know spring is not far off, because I’m getting budding on a number of “early risers.” You can see another clue here – the beautiful Louisiana irises growing in my mini-swamp started pushing a couple of weeks ago and are already getting pretty lush.
It’s time to lift this Chinese elm, which has been growing for the past five years with only the occasional disturbance by me. This next photo, which was taken a couple of weeks ago, shows some of the details of the tree and the plan.
The original cutting gave me a good start because it had a turn in the trunk. Often when you make cuttings, they end up arrow-straight. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing; you can chop the trunk as it develops either in a pot or the ground. In the case of this specimen, I was able to let it run undisturbed for a few years. But a second chop was in the cards, and I dutifully made it two years ago. Now, you can imagine that after three years of strong growth without much restraint this tree could put on some wood in a hurry. The new leader that runs to the left is only two years old! Yet it’s 1.5″ in diameter, while the trunk base is 3″.
This is a good time to make note of a key factor in the development of bonsai material. Imagine if I had decided to lift this tree two years ago, when I made the first trunk chop to establish a second turn in the trunk. Do you think that, in a pot, the new leader would have swelled to 1.5″ in diameter in only two years? The answer is absolutely not! To grow the proper tapering transition in a pot would have taken at least four or five years. Not that it can’t be done, mind you, but in my experience when folks jump the gun on development this way they tend to skip the next step. This is very simply letting the new leader run to build thickness. Instead, they get in a hurry to create the tree’s crown and end up with a peculiar looking transition. This is easy to hide while the tree’s in leaf, but every winter the mistake is glaringly obvious. So one of my tasks is simply to practice restraint while developing this tree. I can build the next phase of the tapering transition in a couple of years, and have the crown finished out in another couple.
I’ve got a lot of practice collecting trees in shallow standing water; that’s the very best place to get bald cypresses. As with cypresses, this one came out in under five minutes. True to where I am, a crawfish was sitting on the root ball. He was too small to eat (and one’s hardly enough), so I put him back in the water.
Back to the tree. I went ahead and cut the top close to where I want the next turn to be. No reason not to. Now it was time to go find out what sort of root structure I have to work with.
Here’s the specimen with the mud washed off of the roots. I’ve found that Chinese elms are very cooperative when it comes to putting on a nice radial root structure. This is one of the reasons I rate Chinese elm as one of the best bonsai trees for beginners. You get everything in one package: easy care, naturally small leaves that readily reduce further, prolific budding, resistance to pests and diseases – and good roots. There are more than enough species to challenge your horticultural and artistic bonsai skills; I for one like some that don’t challenge me quite so much, if only for a change of pace.
Now the roots are cut back to fit a bonsai pot; this is the best approach whether you go directly to a bonsai pot or into an intermediate nursery pot. This is another point where the new enthusiast often gets off-track. When collecting deciduous trees, the major roots need to be cut back to both fit in a bonsai pot as well as to establish tapering transitions in each, in exactly the same fashion as you build a new leader. The tendency, unfortunately, is to make the mistake of trying to collect as much root as possible. This is simply not needed with deciduous trees (but it most definitely IS needed with pines and junipers, which may be why the assumption is made). The cut roots will reliably sprout new roots. Yes, I know deciduous trees store food in the roots during dormancy. But the collecting process typically removes the bulk of the tree’s above-ground structure along with the bulk of the below-ground structure. This maintains a balance, and dramatically reduces the need for stored food to promote budding in spring. New roots grow and buds become new shoots, and this process repeats in cycles throughout the growing season.
Finally, I went ahead and potted the tree into this very nice Paul Katich piece. I think the color will complement the foliage color when the tree leafs out. I went ahead and buried the roots to ensure they won’t dry out. But aren’t they outstanding?
I can grow the entire crown and branch structure from here, since the hard work of building the trunk has already been done. This should be well on its way to being completed in three to five years.
by Zach Smith | Feb 22, 2015 | Care, Chinese Elm, Elms, Potting
The second thing to bud out in spring, right behind crab apples, is Chinese elms. Today I decided to lift a tree I’ve been growing in the ground for the past five years.
Here’s the tree in the ground. If you look closely you can see where I chopped the trunk three years ago to create taper. The cut has rolled over very well, and should be completely healed in another three or four years.
The first step was to cut back the two leaders. You may be wondering if this doesn’t reduce the leverage you can get when it comes time to push the tree back and forth to get under it. Actually, you get more than enough with a shorter stump, and it’s always best to let the saw do as much of the work as possible.
Two or three minutes later, here’s the result. I cut the tree approximately six inches from the trunk all around. This is more root than I’ll need, but I can always cut more off.
The rough washing of the roots is now done. This is an amazing amount of roots!
There are two levels of roots on this tree, and since I’ve got a great root spread high up I can easily lose the bottom level.
After the final root washing. I have three more steps: cut the roots back to their final length; shorten the two leaders; and pot the tree.
The final cuts are made. At this point I’m not sure which leader I want to use in the design of this tree. It’s possible both could play a part, but I won’t know for a while. As for the roots, they’ve been cut back severely to allow the tree to both fit into an appropriately sized bonsai pot, as well as to develop a tapering root structure over time.
Since the tree does not need further trunk thickening, I decided to put it into a training pot (a nice Paul Katich piece that unfortunately cracked in shipment). I can develop both the new apex as well as the branch structure over the next few years, while allowing the tree to get used to a smaller living space.
The trunk base on this one is 2.25″ in diameter, and the height to the top chop is 11″. The nebari is outstanding.
What do you think? Chinese elm is one of the best bonsai trees for beginners, but every bonsai enthusiast should have at least one in his or her collection regardless of how experienced they are.
