Pot culture

A graphic example of just how pot culture-and even pot size can make a real impact on plant growth. These two elm seedlings that were collected in May of 2013.  I was in front of COSI-the old Central High School waiting for my daughter to participate in a Girls on the Run event, and since I don't do standing around killing time very well, started to pace a bit.  The landscape plantings in the park area in front of COSI are not that well tended, which means that volunteer seedlings have a great chance to get started.  There were elms of various sizes all around, some of which I was bummed to miss out on but since I had no tools, they had to be left behind.

These two trees were growing right next to each other and came out of the ground with a good firm tub, bringing enough root to survive.  I scrounged a fast food cup out of a handy trash can and tucked the trees in the back of the car.
And yes, the other members of my family did grumble and roll their eyes and say things like"oh there goes dad again...'

The trees were potted in a terra cotta pot and watered but basically ignored. They grew somewhat and in the spring of 2014, still alive were potted up in the containers seen in the photo.  The tree in the big pot has a great natural curve ( unfortunately hidden by the pot) so more attention was given to it-big pot for fast growth and a big chunky bonsai soil mix. The other tree looked like it may be deciding to croak, so it was stuffed in what ever pot was close to hand.  Both trees sit next to each other, in group of other potted elm seedlings and cutting in a spot that gets all days sun. They are watered and fertilized liberally.

Both have grown very well, but with a big difference.  The smaller tree has smaller leaves and just a few branches.  By contrast the larger tree is nearly 2.5 feet tall and has larger branches, longer internodal spaces(the space between each growth node) and larger, more coarse leaves.

As different as these two trees look-and my assumption is that they are the same species or hybrid, compared to elm cutting developing in a growing bed, there there is in fact no comparison The trees growing in the ground are enormous!  In bonsai terms, it emphasizes that fact that putting a plant into a pot really slows down development.  A stock plant that needs to grow some truck or better branches will take forever to do it in a bonsai pot. Growing on in a larger container would be a better option, and unrestricted growth in the ground best of all!