Actually, your chopped off trunk will end up being a plus as your plant ages, especially if you wait a bit and then remove and smooth the dead stub so the plant is able to 'roll' new tissue over the wound to close it. It will add taper to the trunk and make it look older.

What do you envision your plant looking like in 10 years - a single trunk that's bare for about 2/3 of it's ht and a canopy situated in the upper 1/3 of the o/a ht ..... a multi-stemmed plant that's full from just above the soil line to the top of the plant ..... other? How you want it to look in the end is what determines how you prune it now.

Thanks for the kind words, btw.

Al

Ah the Venerable Al! I was hoping you would be around. Thank you for the response :) This is all great news! I've always wanted to get into bonsai but was so deflated when my internet-ordered tree arrived dead that I never had the guts to try again. Surely it was a sign, I thought. Anyway, eventually I'd like it to be 6 or 7 feet tall and as you described but a canopy in the upper half maybe? I know this one is huge but the shape is what I'm shooting for.

How would you recommend we prune it to achieve that? I think it would be cool to experiment with peeling the trunk, too. I imagine that comes much later? I haven't changed it's pot yet - I have a ceramic pot that's just an inch bigger than the one its currently in but from what I understand in your threads, it might be better to go find one similar to the plastic pot its in? Thanks again for all your help - I look forward to learning!

Being "into bonsai" means you get exposed to techniques that for all intents are unique to that community, which is unfortunate because what the bonsai folks have learned have wonderful potential for wide application. Why not apply the artistic aspects of bonsai to make traditional plantings more beautiful and the horticultural aspects to keep them healthy (rhetorical)? I use what I've learned from my pursuit of the art every day. Even looking at a tree growing wild in the landscape gives me much more pleasure than it did before I began my pursuit of the art.

The first thing I see when I look at the pic you posted is, the plant has 2 heads. You have codominant leaders (the tree has 2 tops) that immediately confuse the eye, so I would shorten the one and keep the one growing closest to vertical as the leader. I'd also shorten the heavy/long branch on the left by somewhere around 5 leaves. If you imagine these changes, you can see how much more eye appeal the plant would have. At least based on the 2D picture. You can't always tell enough from a picture to make good decisions from afar.

Re your tree: I wouldn't do anything for a while, other than repot it (repotting is different than potting up) when it needs it, making sure it's in a good soil, and fertilizing regularly. When the plant reaches the ht you want it to be, cut it back by 1/3 of that ht. That's when you start to develop the branches and promote the plants ramification (more branches and leaves). You want to avoid any heavy pruning along the way, so tip pruning regularly will help force a fuller plant with a minimum sacrifice of growth potential.

When you start to see a collar developing around the existing stub, you can prune away any residual deadwood inside the collar and actually hollow out the wound slightly so the callus tissue can roll over the wound (also mentioned above), or you could simply create a hollow where the wound is, which will lend character to the tree. Eventually though, even a carved hollow will close, unless you regularly carve the callus away.

While the tree is still young, leave all the lower branches on as long as they are alive. Their leaves' food contribution help to fatten/strengthen the trunk and will help you avoid the need for mechanical supports like stakes. That's about it, unless you have more questions. A good soil, good light, good fertilizer, regular root maintenance, and good watering technique, are the keys to maximizing your plants' potential.

Al

Well thank you for this - I'll do just that! I'm going to bookmark this page so I'll have it for the future. I'm sure I'll have more questions but the way you explain things is extremely helpful.

Just remember the best time to do anything major is between Father's Day and July 4th (assuming you live in the northern hemisphere), and if you think you might need help or advice, asking for it before you start is better than asking when you're into the project or it's already behind you.

I hope you'll fare well, and only good things lie in your path.

Al