Chinese Dragon Tree rises from the clouds [Bonsai]

One man's trash is another man's treasure.

This little tree, as I can best recall, was found sprouting in the yard. All my old cherry tree cuttings had failed in a Summer scorch, but this one seemed to be a seed sprout of the same species. When I dug it up from the yard, I put it right into a pot, as is. Little root work. Added some moss, charcoal, and some mix to the soil.

That was in May 2022.

The stem seemed very flexible, and I felt it could benefit from some extra support. Rather than cut the tip off to keep the tree short, instead I went with the tree's natural instinct to elongate.

A bit of wire and some radical bends, and this tree looked it wasn't even phased by the challenge I had given it.

In June of that year the leaves continued to develop mostly at the growth tip.

By October, the stem grew out so much, I had to add a few more bends to continue the theme I started.

The fun thing about the way this tree grew is that the stem is also narrower and more flexible at the tip. So each time I bend the wood with wire, I can make the curves much more drastic to make smaller loops.

With barely any taper in the trunk, I somehow discovered how to make the tree appear very wide at the base, and narrow on top.

In June of 2023, it grew vigorously, pushing out new leaves along the entire ladder work of the trunk, top to bottom.

Most fruit trees tend to benefit from lateral branches. The sunlight invites these areas to more equally sprout buds for leaves, and flowers to hang fruit from.

For the bonsai design, I will be pinching off buds growing inside the looped areas, and allow shoots forming on the outside of the bends to form the first branches.

The new buds are too tender to bend with wires. Even though they are growing upright to the sun, I will eventually guide the into outward angles when the stems become more flexible.

This year in April 2024, it must be three or four years old by now.

It has handled all the wiring so well. Every few months I examine the wood, in case it is swelling through the wires. Wires can always be loosened, removed, or adjusted.