Hey guys here are some pics of my tree i recently dug out. Thought i would share some pics, they are not great quality as i took them with my cellphone. Be free to comment and say what you desire.

Hi Joncoh,

Wow! This is awesome looking! I luv the two knobby trunks...are they dead wood? If so, will you be creating jin with them?

Could you please tell me what *yamadori* is? So far I haven't been able to find the definition.

I'm curious...why did you bring the soil level up so high and well above the natural soil level? I really liked the crotch of the tree. I would have thought that keeping the soil level to where it was naturally...or a bit lower...would create an amazing nebari (root mound). I'm inexperienced in this area so that's why I'm asking.

If I may make one suggestion: The one knobby trunk that is closest to us in the photos and leans to the right with the one long branch moving out to the righ...from what I have read on correct Bonsai design, a branch should not cross another branch. It could be the perspective from which I am viewing it and/or it would also depend on where the front of your tree is. However, it is your tree to do as you wish.
Anyone else to comment on this?

Thanks for sharing the photos...they turned out quite well. I look forward to following it's progression!

Leslie

Hey Leslie im also not that experienced, been doing bonsai for about a year now. Yip it is deadwood in the middle. I have not trimmed all of the peices yet because i dont want to disturb the tree, i want it to be growing and have a few roots before i start any work on it. The soil level appears high but the basin is not very deep and i wanted to make sure that all of the roots are covered in order for the tree to start growing. When the tree shows signs of development then i will re-pot it or lower the sand level. Thanks for your comment

Lesli, from what I understand, a yamadori tree is a tree that has been taken from the wild. Supposedly the earliest bonsai were trees collected from Mt. Fuji and other mountains/volcanoes in Japan, taken into the cities in bowls and grown. These were called hachi-no-ki, or "potted trees". Later the shallow tray became popular, and so it became bonsai, or "tree in tray". Here's the full history:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonsai#A_concept_and_early_versions
Joncoh, it looks good! I agree, you probably should wait until the tree recovers from its journey before you do anything else. When it does start growing again, though, you can probably start working on the nebari and some initial styling. In the meantime, be thinking about what you want it to look like, and good luck!

Yip, thanks bassandbonsai, thats what im doing, looking at what styling i can do on it in the future. Im so excited

Hi Joncoh,

Thanks for answering my questions about your tree. It is wise to wait...Bonsai is an exercise in patience, it seems. I can relate to your excitement tho.

Hi Hannah...thanks so much for the definition and link. I haven't delved much into the history...yet!

Leslie

No thank you for commenting on my tree!

Hi Jonathan,

This is an impressive plant. Don't go about this overly hasty, as I think there is serious potential here.

My view on this..
Use the fact that all branches sprout from what seems like a massive base. I would probably consider removing most of the dead-wood, and create a hollow center. The 4 or so branches that are alive may be trained more vertical at the tops, to create a single canopy, each stem being a semi-formal upright style. something like this:
source www.happybonsai.com/prune-and-grow-or-wiring/

Thankyou that sounds like a great idea, all of these are going to be considered, at the moment im making sure the tree starts living and growing before i work on the tree. I will most probably shorten the deadwood to an extent as it is abit too wild. I will also definately grow the canopy

Just saw the photos of your olive tree. And I must just say wow. There is some serious potential in there.