tree surgeon interested in bonsai.

[.Mr.tree.surgeon.]

Hey guys, thought I would be polite and introduce myself first before I go straight into asking questions my names Karl, I live in Cambridge-England, I am a 20 year old tree surgeon, with an interest of bonsai's. I have pruned normal trees before with chainsaws ect, but I still have no idea when it comes to a bonsai. I have a young horse chestnut 'aesculus hippocastanum' tiny sapling about 30cm tall, growing in a large pot out in the garden. if I was to turn that into a bonsai, what would you suggest I do first, I am guessing I should leave it in that pot for now? the leaves are so big, how could I get them smaller? I hope I am not being a pain in the edited lol

Thanks.

[snowblind]

hello hun and no your not being a pain in the ...

right if you could post sum picckys on the site so we can see whot it looks like now we may be able to give you a better idear of its looks and structure ect and go from there =D good luck and look up sum of the other guys post on here to see there style of trees(ps go look my tree up =P )

hugz and good luck

[.Mr.tree.surgeon.]

It has taken me ages to figure out how to put pictures on here lol but I did it.
If these don't work, just take off the [img]

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/3818/dsc000461b.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/256/dsc000461.jpg

http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/9598/atworkd.jpg

The last one was me attemping to make a bonsai im joking lol

By the way slowblind your trees awesome

[.Mr.tree.surgeon.]

Maybe I could cut it right down to the buds half way down the stem, trim the roots and put it in a bonsai pot?

[IndorBonsai]

There are a couple different ways you can train this tree of yours into a Bonsai.

First way is move it into a pot of its own about the same size it is in now.
let the tree re-adjust for at least a week, then start training. The larger pot will help the trunk thicken up while your working on the branches and trimming/style of the tree. This method will take several years but you will get a very good looking tree.

Second way is you can move it into a bonsai pot let it adjust a few weeks, then work on your branch and trimming/styling. This way the roots will be getting trained but the trunk wont thicken up as fast. This method will also take several years.

Both ways will take a few years( it really is worth it tho ). After a few years you will be able to look at your tree and say WOW that really looks nice!!

Taking your time is the key to Bonsai. One of the most rewarding parts of Bonsai is when someone sees your tree and is blown away by its style and beauty. The feeling you get when you do the styling work yourself over several years is indescribable, especially when others love it and tell you

[.Mr.tree.surgeon.]

Thanks for the reply IndorBonsai, some usufull information there. If I was to pull up all the other herbs in that pot, would the tree be able to stay in there? If not then no worries I will just repot it. And when pruning, am I just cutting all the new growth off? What do I know lol

Could you please check out this web page, its about bonsai chestnuts, would you say thats good information?

http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Aesculus.html

[IndorBonsai]

You can keep it in the same pot when you remove/ transplant the other little plants.

That link seems to be some good information. I wouldn't completely defoliate the tree tho. Maybe remove a few large leafs at a time but not all at once, this is really hard on a tree.

I have never seen one of those trees as a bonsai before. Keep us posted on how its doing. I would like to see how it turns out

[.Mr.tree.surgeon.]

Would you suggest cutting it right down to the buds on the stem about half way down? Or just remove single large leaves at a time. I will keep pictures coming in Earlier I was walking in the woods and brought back a Scots pine 'pinus sylvestris' and a holly 'Ilex acuafoliam' sorry if the spelling isn't correct. With all the trees I have put a thin layer of moss, to hopefully prevent them drying up to quick

[.Mr.tree.surgeon.]

Here you can what I have done with the moss, I have also taken off a lot of the larger leaflets. The tree has gone back outdoors.

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/2500/dsc00048t.jpg

http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/1044/dsc000501.jpg

[bonsaiboy]

Sorry to interrupt, but I think you may be jumping the gun here! I think that the tree needs to grow before you begin any pruning on it. If you are to start any training now, the trees trunk would never thicken up like it otherwise would, and the branches will form oddly and be sparse. It can be repotted, but I'd hold off on the training. It may also be a good idea to read up on bonsai as well from books. No one here could possibly cover the amount of information you can get from even a simple book.

[.Mr.tree.surgeon.]

By taking off some of the leaves could I have damaged the tree? How tall should I let it grow?

[IndorBonsai]

I take off unwanted leafs all the time on my Bonsai and have had no problems. I think removing a few leaves help light get to the lower branches and leaves and improve growth.

I am sure you have done no damage to your tree by removing a few unwanted leaves.

[.Mr.tree.surgeon.]

Thats good to know I think I will just let it grow for a while