Beautiful Yamadori

Just dug up this amazing yamadori, it was perfectly shaped, took me about 45 minutes, but it was worth it, im not quite sure what kind of tree it is, but it has red needles (does that mean its sick?) sorry in advance for crummy pics.

Im gonna make it a formal upright.

ps: I know the pot is way too big, but I added a ton of filter layers (sand plus dry pine bark) and I will repot it soon, that was the only available pot at the time being.

Joel, It looks like you have an Eastern Red Ceader.

Wow thanks for the info, just googled it, and the needles, branches, and bark match completely.

A couple of things for you to digest, Joel. Hope they are helpful.

First, the images are too small for us to see which means we can't really make other than generalised comments. Take pics at as good a resolution as you can - even cell phone cameras have decent settings these days. Then when you upload them to the site, don't alter the size setting - leave it as it is.

Second, you mention that the pot is way too big. In fact it is not. Most trees need to be in some sort of training pot and you really only pot into the bonsai pot when you have done the styling. Most training pots tend to be larger than needed to let the tree recover from having been dug up and to let roots establish.

BUT - and here's the real reason for saying your container is not too big. From what I can see this tree (and the one you posted previously) are way too young to have been dug out of the ground and have very thin trunks. When beginners bring us trees like this the first thing we usually recommend is that they put them ... in the ground. The reason is to do with trunk thickening. Rather than repeat ourselves THIS THREAD explains it well enough.

I personally would advise against yamadori at this stage in your bonsai life. Digging up trees is easy: collecting good trees needs experience of what makes a good bonsai and a really good eye and with no disrespect I don't think you currently have this.

But, as I said at the beginning, these comments are based on what looks like a very thin tree. If you can get a good picture up and it turns out I am wrong in that, then I can revise them.

Ill get a relative size picture, brb.

I'm not saying it isn't, but beware as there are a number of trees that look very like Eastern Red Cedar. Again, a good pic will help us be a lot more sure. IMHO another good "rule" of collecting trees is don't dig it up if you don't know what it is. Otherwise how will you know how best to develop it ore more simply keep it healthy?

Lol, as weird as it is i put a banana in the pot for size comparison.

The image is showing on my screen as very small - little more than thumbnail size. What resolution did you take the pics at? Cell phone or camera?

Irrespective of the answer to that, the banana has confirmed my first impression. You have a very immature tree which in its current state is not going to make a good bonsai - it is way too thin. You would have been better leaving it in the ground.

I think we recommended in another of your threads that you look at photos of good bonsai. The difference that we wanted you to see is that good bonsai have thick trunks - what you have there does not. Age gives a tree a thick trunk. Given time and growth, it might be possible to turn your tree into a bonsai, but not for a good few years yet.

Best thing to do is get someone to treat you to better material for working on while you wait for that little guy there to fatten up.

ok, thanks for the advice