Celtis africana - bridging the big wound.

June 2009:

I can not really remember where I got this material. The biggest problem with it was the big ugly wound low down.

March 2010:

 I have cut back some of the thick branches and is slowly rebuilding the branches. There is a big wound but the cambium is starting to roll over so over time it will be healed. The wound extends just above the lowest branch downward to the left. The branch indicated with the pink line (picture 3) is going to help heal that area (closeup picture 4).

The branches and twiggy growth are coming along nicely  - the wound is still a big problem!

October 2012:
I have used one of the twigs to bridge the wound.

June 2013:

The graft/bridge has fused well.

The tree today:

Un update-July 2015:

Comparing 2014 and now:

Celtis africana 3 tree 5 trunk clump style.

I have bought this Yamadori (from a guy who was selling his collection)  in June 2009. It was planted in a black plastic nursery growth bag:

The trunks are about 70cm high and the base of the trees together is about 30-40 cm wide.

 In spring 2009 I replanted it in a plastic basin after removing some roots to lower the plant in the pot.  The four biggest mistakes I made, right from the beginning, were that I did not sprayed the tree insecticide, fungicide , did not seal the chops and I damaged the tree further more to make a deadwood feature on the biggest trunk.

Beginning 2010 I cut it back heavily and and smoothed of the chops done by the previous owner.

When replanting I noticed that there are 3 separate trees. I did not separate the trees because I did not want another single tree yamadori - I rather like the feel of the trunks together. Giving the grouping a name I think it can be called a clump- or sprout style.

This would probably be the front of the tree because all the trunks are visible and looking into the gap brings some depth to the planting:

I was thinking of styling the setting "into a dark fairytale forest thing. To work, it would probably has to have a lot of its trunks visible and strange, gnarling branches and somewhat abstract foliage pads... And it should have dead moss (ochre-ish brown) between the trunks."

Some virts by friends:

The scars of the chops presents a problem - I could either hide them with the foliage or make the scars part of the setting: a 5 trunk strike by lightning clump-style group . The biggest trunk has a sunburned area and then I was  not sure if the bark had died there. It felt hollow when I scratch that area. Later on another trunk got sun burnt - learned my lesson well!

The sun burnt area:

  I removed the dead bark to prevent insecy from hiding in there and to prevent the root from rotting.

This is one of my Celtis that I wire this time(spring) of the year. With the bare branches it is easier to wire - although it took me the whole week working on the tree at least one hour a day. Luckily I had a lot of used wire lying around so I did not cost me much.

Although this tree have a lot of problems I do love working with it....and I think I have rid the tree finally of scale after three years of spraying! I have also sprayed fungicide because I got some mildew in June. Will repeat the spraying tomorrow to play safe - the buds are swelling very fast!

I have also repotted the tree in a wider basin and tilted it about 20 degrees to the front - the main reason for all the rewiring.

I think my main love for this tree is it's unsure future - I must keep the veins healthy to fight the deadwood decay. This is also the reason I have sealed of all deadwood. I believe the dying bark was caused by moisture entering the top cracks in the deadwood and when the trunk got baked in the sun the vapor moved in between the deadwood and cambium cooking the cambium. I have also noticed it on some other trees and now I seal everything! I also remember, as a child, that we whitewashed all the lower trunks of fruit trees to prevent them from getting sunburn after they were pruned.

My main aim this season is to fatten up the lower trunks using sacrifice twigs. I will have to make sure that the top growth is also kept healthy to protect the veins running up to there. Because the deadwood is sealed of I don't think I will have any problems in that department any more.

"I would suggest Robert Stevens "transformation" approach, based on the  concept that the upper quarter or half of the trees died, by fire/ snowstorm/ crashing airplane etc. and they have since returned to health, which is what you will then depict (design)." - Brent
 November 2010:

February 2012:

July 2013:

And yes, I am keeping the "watszat":

The tree November 2013:

 

January 2014:

From the time  posted the last pic I pinched the growth in the upper part the crown heavily to force growth into the lower branches.

This is the tree now in March 2014:

The tree will be potted up in a nicer, but big pot in late winter.

In November I am going to remove the sealant and start working on the deadwood. I am not going to hollow it out too much and I am going to seal it up using a waterproof woodglue that will be colored using oxides.


I could use lime sulfur, which I also tint with oxides, to get some color into deadwood. I paint the deepest carved areas darker etc.

The problem with using lime sulfur is that it reacts with the waterproof woodglue (FB10 sealer) and then the woodglue becomes white and does not stay transparent.

At this stage it is more important to keep the deadwood healthy and dry - this is why I am going to paint in the texture on the deadwood like in a painting. The only reason why I want to do it is to make the tree looking better than it is now - the black sealant I used is a real eyesore.

I am going to let the lowest twigs grow out as much as possible - this species grows up to end of April, so I will get some thickness added to the lower branches. As you can see the growth is pinched heavily.

I will be wiring the upper branches a little bit upward. This tree was styled in my bonsai beginnings and I only thought about flat pads then.

I will probably wire the whole tree in late winter again - it is going to take meters of wire and hours of work - but that is the only way to get some structure/integrity to the design, into a tree.

I am trying my best to let branches cut the trunks so the taper problems can be hidden away.

The tree looks okay from a few sides - a round pot would probably be the best. I do love blue pots.
Repotting into a shallower plastic container:

 

 The tree today(December 2014):

 

Celtis africana - African species for bonsai. (All pictures will be updated by better ones as they become available.)

Celtis africana

Celtis africana
RIP
September 2009- September 2011
Height: 12cm
Pot: Alberto

This is the first species I'm going to discuss as part of my effort to promote African species as bonsai.
DESCRIPTION
This is one of the best African trees to use as bonsai. This deciduous tree is fast and easy to grow under a wide range of conditions. The trunk of Celtis africana is easy to distinguish by its smooth, pale grey to white bark. It may be loosely peeling in old trees and with horizontal ridges.
In spring Celtis africana is very lovely, with its light green, tender, new leaves that contrast beautifully with the pale bark. The leaves are simple, alternate, triangular in shape with three distinct veins from the base, and the margin is toothed for the upper two-thirds. The new leaves are bright, fresh green and hairy, and they turn darker green and become smoother as they mature.
The true size of the leave and the reduction possibilities:

DISTRIBUTION
Celtis africana is common and widespread in South Africa. It occurs in a wide range of habitats from the coast up to 2 100 m, from the Cape Peninsula northwards through South Africa to Ethiopia, where it grows in dense forest, on rocky outcrops, in bushveld, in open grassland, on mountain slopes, on coastal dunes, and along river banks and in kloofs.
The typical form of an old celtis in the Bushveld:

The branch/canopy structure of the tree in forests:

Derivation of the genus name Celtis is the Latin name used by Pliny, and is also the ancient Greek name for one of the plants reputed to be the lotus of the ancients. The specific epithet africana means African. Celtis africana thus means, the African celtis. C. africana is commonly known as white stinkwood.
Growing Celtis africana
Celtis africana is fast and easy to grow. It is fairly drought resistant and can withstand frost. It does best in good, rich, deep soil with plenty of water in summer. Freshly collected seed germinates easily. Seeds collected from the ground are usually infested by insects, so it is best to harvest from the tree. The flesh from the berry is best cleaned off and the seeds should be sown in a flat seedling tray filled with river sand and well decomposed compost (5 parts river sand to 1 part compost). The seeds should be covered with a thin layer of river sand and kept moist. The trays should be placed in a warm but shaded area. Germination will take 15 to 30 days.

The seeds:

Transplant the seedlings into good, rich soil and give them plenty of water and they will grow fairly fast, more than one meter per year. The tree can also be propagated by air layering in early summer when the tree is actively growing as well as root cuttings taken in spring.
Here is a thick growing root cutting:

GROWING AS BONSAI (Also for Celtis sinensis, australiensis and hybrids with africana)

REPOTTING:
Repotting is done in early spring just as the buds begins to swell. Heavy root pruning may be done as long as the top is reduced too. Big yamadori, even big trees take also well. Keep the transplanted trees in shade until the tree starts to grow. Collected material can be left in light shade for a full growing season.
POTTING MEDIUM:
It can grow in a variety of mixtures as long as it is free draining.
STYLES:
As the leaves reduce very well, the tree can be grown in any style. The tree can even be grown in a cascade as long as the higher growth is pinched regularly.
An example of a double trunkline literati in the making:

As the tree lose all its leaves in winter its winter form is as much appreciated as when the tree is in full foliage.
STYLING:
The tree back bud easily especially after heavy pruning. Styling is mainly done by wiring but bending thick branches can be done by splitting, hollowing, notching and drilling. The tree grows very fast so wires much be checked regularly.As this tree has mostly a smooth bark wire marks stay for very long. For small wounds I only use flowers of sulphur but big wounds must be sealed to prevent the tree from drying out. Big wounds take quite a long time to heal over. When doing chop and grow let the wound grow over before doing the next chop. Taper can be achieved by chop and grow, sacrifice branches and by trunk splitting and the nebari can be build by using the tourniquet method.
A splitted trunk:

 The same split trunk three years later:

The tree July 2014:

 The first buds on a healthy tree can be pinched after every leave to reduce the size of the leaves. Defoliating is not necessary to reduce the leaves, but can be done to help with the ramification of the branches.
WATERING AND FEEDING:
When actively growing the tree is quite thirsty. In spring, summer and autumn keep the tree uniformly moist. In winter the tree still needs water but just enough not to dry out. The tree responds well to organic or inorganic fertilizers.
Another one I am working on bu mostly using clip and grow:

 I am seriously thinking of letting lower shoots on the nebari grow out to emphasize the "old" looking current nebari. This, also with fattening up the lower branches, will also add to the taper a bit. There are some "horse eyes" on the trunk - they do fit the nebari but not the rest of the smooth trunk. Should I find a way to let the rest of the trunk look older? Maybe patience is the answer here?

With the current nebari some very characterful surface roots will add to the picture.