As I predicted, nothing very much happened for about a month. The only visible change was that the leaves got more and more dark green and opaque, as the tree ramped up its chlorophylls supply. And the stem got a stiff wooden core and thickened again, gaining back the volume it originally had when it was all bloated with water. Subtle changes, they only could be observed up close and if you knew what to look for, but they are vital for the tree.
Last weekend the tree started to grow again and during this week it sprouted a new leaf and at the end of it there already is budding of another one. What will happen next is that the tree will sprout one long(ish) shoot upwards and one long(ish) root downwards. This first year I will leave it grow more or less uninterrupted to get a strong sapling. However the seed was fairly big, and the tree already is nearly as big as some of my current bonsai trees and I expect it in first year grow at least a few decimeters in height.
The growth rate and pattern will later on decide on what kind of bonsai it will be, but it seems that about 50-80 cm height in Chokkan or Hokidachi style will be about right for this species. I have no experience with persimmons (and I choose to not look it up), but plenty with other species. So far it does not look like it would be suitable for the more “dramatic” styles – its growth pattern this first month is very similar to that of sycamore maples and the leaves are fairly big too. The distance between the nodes is very short, and if it stays so, that would be excellent.
©Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
Looking good.
Looking very good indeed!
That looks like a healthy, happy little tree.
Charly could you put links to the previous posts in please, so we can easily see the whole story eventually?
Oh, the colour green. How I miss it.
Your tree is looking quite sturdy. What age will the tree be when you start directing its growth in a certain direction?
It’s looking great!
I’m really curious to see how this project develops. I know persimmon leaves are quite big and it’s not the kind of tree I would associate with bonsai, but I know nothing about it and I’m sure it can be turned into something beautiful. I wonder if it will bear fruit, that would look very pretty.
Yay for more leaves.
Interesting to see how the persimmon will develop. Also, as I’ve stated before, whether it will develop hard and heavy, ebony-like wood with the slow growth.