Today I pruned en wired my Zelkova again. I want to train it in some kind of Hokidachi style, but smaller and more straight up.
The second picture is a virtual of the style i'm working to.. Hope you like it.

It's not exactly an Hokidachi, but the plan is good and the tree looks beautiful!
Now I need a Zelkova!

This one wasn't growing very well in this pot, so in spring I decided to repot him in a bigger pot and let it strenghten. Now is was time to reshape the tree. I think it he is going well.

Marco, I love the color of its new pot, the oval shape, but it's a little overpotted. When it gets strong again do you plan to find a new round one?
By the way, because of your Zelkova, I manage to bully Leatherback and he got me some saplings from Germany. They are growing, not big like yours but straight trunks and future brooms.
Yours look beautiful! Congrats!

Clicio wrote:

Marco, I love the color of its new pot, the oval shape, but it's a little overpotted. When it gets strong again do you plan to find a new round one?
By the way, because of your Zelkova, I manage to bully Leatherback and he got me some saplings from Germany. They are growing, not big like yours but straight trunks and future brooms.
Yours look beautiful! Congrats!

Thanks Clicio! As you say , this pot is much too big for the size of the tree. But that I did it for a reason; the tree did not grow very well is the small pot and had not much strenght. In the beginning of this growingseason I repotted him in this pot, gave him much to eat and let him grow for a while. Now it was much healthier and it was time for the reshape. For the health and development of a tree it is always better to pot him in a bigger pot than you would do for aesthetic.reasons. So I think you can imagine my choise of pot for the next coming years.

I like and use the teabags with the organic ferts also, very handy. Are you feeding it with biogold? It works wonders for my trees.

Biogold is one of the most expensive fertilizers, but works wel. I use Tamahi, Abrakas and fish emulsion. To fill all the teabags takes a lot of my time, and has both advantages and disadvantages.

BTW, when you're interested in it: Here in Europe Yannick Kiggen, from Yamabonsai, has developed a new product: Fertipad: its fertilizer in coffeepads: it saves you the time of fill all the bags: www.yama-bonsai.be/shop/ferti-pad/

Thanks, Marco.
Could you tell us your experience with the fish emulsion? I just bought a liter and will test it this season.
Thanks for the link, I will visit them!

I have read the specs, impressive. Have you tested it yet?
35€ for 200 bags or pads is reasonable.

Fish emulsion is a soft liquid fertilizer, with Also hormones and other ingredients wich helps the plant growing well. Adventage is that it can be taken immediatly and because it is liquid it is better controllable. You can also spray it on the leaves. Use it besides your normal fertilizer, eg once a week, or more often in a weaker mixture. Within a few times you can see results..

About the pads, I havent tested it decent yet, but Yannick knows what he’s doing. Björn bjornholm had a podcast Recently with Yannick about this product, and other stuff..