Steve: You don't need to do this with yaupon holly. You can find
shorter specimens with fat trunks, because they tend to grow as a
bush rather than a tree.

Alan Walker
http://bonsai-bci.com http://LCBSBonsai.org


-----Original Message-----
From: Steve

Ok, Do you think it will work for the Yaupon's too?
Steve

"Alan Walker" wrote ...
Steve: First, congratulations on your lack of tree mortality.
You're doing better than most of us! ;-)
If you are in Texas, then the elms you are finding are
probably Ulmus crassula (cedar elm). The leaves on these trees
are rather rough, like a cat's tongue, hence the name
'crassula'.
Some of my favorite bonsai are cedar elm. You can find more on
this tree at http://www.bonsai-bci.com/species/cedarelm.html
If you want a large trunk, you'll pretty much need to
start with a large trunk. That means you'll probably be digging
up a tree which is about 15 feet tall and cutting it down to
24"-36". Of course, it won't have any usable branches that low,
but elms are good at backbudding and will provide you with new
branches to develop in no time.

Alan Walker
http://bonsai-bci.com http://LCBSBonsai.org


-----Original Message-----
From: Steve

I have seen and admired the larger Bonsai's for some time now
and would like to have at least one in my collection.

Every year I go out to my Dad's ranch and get about 3 elms that
the
cattle beat up. I start looking now and remove them just before
spring.
The problem is, they are only around 1 inch in diameter at the
base
and I would like them to be much larger ( several inches at the
base).
There are bigger Yaupon's and Elm's, but their lowest branch is
1
ft
or more from the ground.

I don't know if I should air layer ( would be hard to keep
watered) these
big trees
or start cutting them way back to encourage lower branches.

Could I get some advise?
Is there a good book on just this subject?

BTW, I live in Texas and have not had any Bonsai's die on me
for
a few
years now (collected included).

Thanks
Steve

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