Shrub to Tree (Part 2)

Ok.

Maybe I wasn't expecting this many branches to come off but the end result shows promise.

I won't post any photos of it for now, still need to clean up the trunks, but below is a plate of cuttings :)

The Other Idea...

Also, the top of the tree is so densely grown that its difficult to reach into and trim back any new twigs forming leading to even more dense growth. I understand that they will lengthen in time and the leaves nearer the trunk will fall away, but I would like the tree to have more height to it, so I would like to trim back some of the thicker branches - make the peak of the tree more defined and allow for an extention of the trunk beyond its current height...

The Idea...

I feel that the tree is more than a little unbalanced... Looking from the front - there is a lot more foliage and weight on the left hand side of the tree... I like the assymetry, but would like more balance for sure...

So the branch circled (or ovaled depending on precision...) is, in my view, in need of thickening and lengthening - the foliage needs to be denser too. So any growth from this branch will not be cut back (heard this helps with the thickening of the branch - someone please correct me if I'm wrong), the decisions on which to keep will come later...

The Growths...

The Chinese Elm is definitely in need of a trim... But I want the second bottom branch to fill out and lengthen to give the tree a bit more balance... Growing so vigorously! Just take a look at the pics, this is only in the couple of weeks since the last trim.

Won't be trimming all of them back though, as I mentioned earlier about the wish to lenghten and thicken a certain branch... That Idea will be described tomorrow...

And Now For The Trim...

Partway through the trim...

Want the branch on the bottom left to grow so limiting the trimming on that (this is the back view of the tree, though might have to change that in future, prefer the way the trunk looks from here).

And the end of yet another massacre... Didn't realise a tree could have so much foliage!

Much cleaner lines, though a bit sparse... this is the "front" view at the moment... Can see the trunk much better now without the mass of leaves and redundant thin growths...

From an eye-level angle...

And below - the severed limbs and digits with my hands to scale (have quite large hands, will need to do the coca-cola can comparison of the tree someday)...

The Tree Has Thrived...

Look how bushy it has gotten since the last trimming! Really thick foliage and long new growths...

As you can probably see in the pot and marginally in the pictures below there have been a fair few yellow leaves... After researching a bit and testing various scenarios the only real conclusions I could come to are:

a) The tree had a bit of shock from going from a dim garden-centre greenhouse to a windowsill that gets plenty of morning light.

b) The soil in which it is planted is not suited to it and I have been over-watering, even 5 days after last watering a stick in the soil still comes up a bit damp, not good.

The good thing is that it now seems used to the Sun, but I won't be replanting until next spring I don't think, unless the yellowing doesn't stop. Don't want to lose a summers growth unless I have to.

Will need to thin the foliage out a little bit as the leaves near the trunk appear to be yellowing through light-starvation (there are pockets of yellow in the deep shade).

Lets hope the three pronged approach works! Tomorrow I'll post post-trim pics - seems like this will be quite a big one!

After a Trim and a Good Nights Rest...

Here's how the tree looks after yesterdays trim, first from the back and then from the front. It currently lives on the windowsill (I have limited outside space at the flat, will see if I can convince my parents to house some of my collection if it grows substantially enough, my Father is a big plant lover so shouldn't be tough), I'll have pictures of that later...

Anyway, heres the tree from behind:

And from the front:

What do you think?

Massacre...

As I've had such great luck with killing Bonsai trees, especially Chinese Elms, in the past, I decided to be a bit more careful with the first trim. Only a few of the new-grown branches... I think I might have gotten carried away a bit...

A massacre?

Let me know if I've gone overboard on my first trim. Tree looks quite healthy... for now...