Progression of my Olea eur. subs. oleaster

So, I thought the time has now come for me to share one of my trees with you.
It is an Olea oleaster which has been collected in January 2011. It has responded very well and since then it has been sprouting from all over. The only problem I have had was my cat Blofas who keeps on eating/pruning the leaves no matter what measures I have taken to protect the tree...
Anyway, here are some photos of its progress

1.- As it was collected (detail of the roots)


2.- As it was in October 2011 after pruning and selecting the branches


3.- The tree last Aug. 2012


4.- Then after Christmas I decided to try some initial carving (which was my goal from the begining). After burning the chips of wood with the torch I cleaned the surface with lemon juice and then I have applied melted vaseline. I do not like the white effect of lime sulfur.




And some details of the carving




Any comments/advice/critic are most welcome!

Wow , tipical italian oleaster .

Greek or Italian it's the same, no difference

Looking great! From the first pic it looks like it has some good surface roots. When you get it into its first real pot maybe you can expose some of them. Thanks for sharing.

Exactly so, MikeG!
Next spring I hope I will make the repotting into an appropriate bonsai pot and I intend to reveal the roots. However they are not extending all around the trunk. Hopefully there should grow good quantity of hairy rootlets... we will see.

Thanks everybody for your response.

Hi Alexandra,

Nice material, I love it!

Taner

Thank you, Taner! I'm glad you like it.

my nellie wrote:... ...Next spring I hope I will make the repotting into an appropriate bonsai pot... ...

As far as this repotting is concerned, what do you think about?
Is it safe to repot this year or it would be better to wait one more year? What do you advise?
Thank you in advance.

Hi Alexandra

Your tree look nice and healthy, and it probably can be repottet next spring....but what is one more year, if you want to be safe... the pot is nice and big, and you can have a lot of developement by waiting one more year, this tree does not need to be slowed dawn now.

Right now does your tree look, as you a going for s slightly windswept design leaving some tradition behind, is this your plan?...or
If I designed the tree, would I do something else, with the material you have now....more traditional...easy to maintain....( the branch you have in the low front now, will cause you a lot of designproblems in the future)

Your carving look nice

Kind regards Yvonne

I Think it is going to be an exceptional tree. Well done and very nice carving!!

You lable should read... Olea europea subsp. oleaster (oleaster is a conglomirate name for all the hybridazation occuring with olives.)

Olea europea not only occurs throughout Europe and the Middle east, but ALL over Africa from Kairo to Cape Town to Timbuktu! Here it is called
Olea europea var. africana

Yvonne, Alain, thank you both for your response.
Alain, I have corrected the title. I believe it is OK now .

Yvonne, I can exactly understand what you say.
I am also confused about this first low front branch... In fact this is a new/young branch which I have wired and is turned to the left (it doesn't show correct in the photo) and I wonder whether I should keep it or remove it. If I remove it (as you have said it is going to be sort of a problem in the future) do you think the trunk would look too empty?
Sure I will also correct the unnatural hollow at the base of the right branch as shown in the 5th photo in the next "carving session" I did not want to mess with the live tissue more for the present, you see.

As far as the design is concerned, I aim to a traditional form like you said. Windswept is beyond my present abilities, I'm afraid.... Windswept is a difficult design of course.
I have no skills with photoshop so I cannot show some sketch... Maybe someone will chime in with a virtual

Alain? who's that?

....... the second name of a Species plant will always be in small letters, uless its a Hybrid, Sorry nellie, (I'm not attacking or being a prude, I'm just teaching, forgive me.)

Olea europea subs. oleaster

Love and light
Andre

I'm so sorry André... Your name sounds French and I confused you with another member from France (Alain K)
Thanks for the lesson I don't get it wrong

Hi Alexandra

If you decide to have the crown above the trunk, is the low branch in the front not really a problem, ( and it does not have to become a future windswept) as you will still have the open look, and the trunk has its interesting move.

If you want branches with the leaves beginning low close to the trunk....would I suggest you turn the front a little, and let the problembranch in the front, become the first branch to the side...after that you cut the upper branch as shown. and create a new branch, that will be natural thinner, leaving the lovest branches strong...

How this suggestion actuly will look, can I not say, I will need a photo before cutting...aslo not so much from abowe.

Kind regards Yvonne

Thank you for your suggestion, Yvonne.

Yvonne Graubaek wrote: ... ...How this suggestion actuly will look, can I not say, I will need a photo before cutting...aslo not so much from abowe.

I will try my best. Tomorrow perhaps.

my nellie wrote:Thank you, Taner! I'm glad you like it.

my nellie wrote:... ...Next spring I hope I will make the repotting into an appropriate bonsai pot... ...

As far as this repotting is concerned, what do you think about?
Is it safe to repot this year or it would be better to wait one more year? What do you advise?
Thank you in advance.

Hi Alexandra,

Sorry for my late reply, I've been in a vacation.
I wouldn't rush and would exactly wait for one more year.
I would wait for sub-branches to develop enough before repotting into a bonsai pot.

Take care
Tamer

Taner, thank you!
I have come to the decision to postpone the repotting just like Yvonne and you have suggested.
By "repotting" I refer to repot into a similar training pot (not a bonsai pot) for the reason of just checking on the roots and perhaps arrange them in a better way around the trunk base.