Thickening Bonsai Trunk

[japanpsyhic]

---I have looked at many forums about trunk thickening. They only talk about letting the tree grow freely in a large pot. Is there any other way to thicken my bonsai trunk? I did see something about tapping/loosening the bark to make it callus? Also, I saw something about pricking the surface of the bark, and letting it callus over, thickening it? If you have any ideas on how to thicken a bonsai trunk, without putting it outside in the ground, or in a large pot, or even chopping it, please tell me.

{Sorry for the limits, but I have few options. Those aren't possible for me right now.}
Again, SORRY!!!

[Gnome]

japanpsyhic,

Although I have never practiced these techniques I get a really bad feeling about them. The usual admonition of 'If it seems to good to be true it probably is' comes to mind. The only realistic way to thicken a trunk is to allow the passage of time under good cultural conditions.

If you are limited, as you describe, about the best you can do is to pot your trees up as they require, this is common nursery practice.

or even chopping it,

Chopping a tree does not help to thicken it, it may help give the impression of thickness as a shorter tree will appear to be more in scale. Actually any pruning only serves to slow development. It helps to give the tree taper and movement but this comes at the expense of trunk growth.

This article will go a long way toward your understanding of trunk development.

Norm