TP Collected American Elm

thumblessprimate1 · Feb 15, 2017

I collected this Elm at the end of 2015. It has two very straight sort of chunky trunks. I decided to shorten them today and do some root work.

This image is from the spring right after collection.

Here's an idea of what the roots are like after some cleaning, shortening, and removal..

The bottom

thumblessprimate1 · Feb 15, 2017

Lots of gaps as you can see. I didn't have any seedling around for the specific purpose of grafting, but I had this uncool one around from when I fooled around with some seedlings. This was two separate ones that I fused together.

I split them up, prepared them, and used them for grafts.

GGB · Feb 15, 2017

root grafting! on my "to learn list" this season. Also, jealous of that flat base

thumblessprimate1 · Feb 15, 2017

So Elm can be grown from roots. I haven't grown any from roots about as small as pencils before, but I guess I can try today. I used roots you see removed from the trunk that were long. You can see what I'm talking about from the first full sized image in the first post.

Here's a shot with the two seedlings and 5 root cutting attempts threaded where the gaps were. Red arrows are the seedlings. Green arrows are 3 of 5 root cuttings. Blue arrow just points to something that the thing I used to secure the top of the roots keeping them exposed to light. Hopefully the root cuttings grow, and I'll have success in a year or two getting an improved root spread.

Don't mind the small wooden board. I used whatever scrap wood I can get.

Back into the pot, chopsticked to fill dirt in between the roots, and watered. Here's the shorter tree with all it's rootwork done for the year. Yay!

thumblessprimate1 · Feb 26, 2017

@Cattwooduk @JudyB @bonhe

Didn't want to convolute Judy's thread. I'm trying out grafting root cuttings directly before they've sprouted on my Elm. Hope I get a good percentage of success. I thought of this idea after I had tossed a lot of Hackberry roots from rootwork, otherwise I'd have worked them the same as my Elm.

JudyB · Feb 26, 2017

Interesting, please keep us posted!

bonhe · Mar 2, 2017

Very good project TP.
Bonhe

thumblessprimate1 · Apr 27, 2017

Updating. I carved the chop sites weeks ago to have more contour. May need to carve more on the smaller trunk. The root graft cuttings don't look like they worked. I have no buds on them by now. One looks like it could be alive; I've seen things not bud until June around these parts. The other root cutting may be gone; it's shriveled a bit. The two other grafts from seedlings are alive. I thought I was going to lose one of them as the leaves turned brown and got dry. I've removed them to allow more light to hit the leaves that are alive lower on the same seedling. Don't know what happened there.

thumblessprimate1 · May 2, 2017

So for certain one of the root cuttings from the repot is alive. I find this out just now. It'll be next year at repot when I'll know if it fuses or can fuse and help in improving its nebari.

thumblessprimate1 · May 2, 2017

Still some hope for the other root cutting; it's still looking healthy near the soil.

thumblessprimate1 · Jan 28, 2018

Pretty exhausted. Doing 1 or just 2 repots at a time. Added three thread grafts. One root cutting thread graft survived but needs more time to adhere. One of two thread grafts for roots is alive and needs more time. The other one was constricted against the wood and sprouted new roots. Had to be reused.

I didn't like the angle of the tree so I added shims. The root base not perfectly level now, but I'll fix that over the years.

thumblessprimate1 · Mar 23, 2018

Pretty spring leaves.

Cosmos · Dec 4, 2018

How does this one look without its leaves?

thumblessprimate1 · Dec 4, 2018

Cosmos said:
How does this one look without its leaves?

I'll take a picture for you later. It's recently shed most of its leaves.

thumblessprimate1 · Dec 4, 2018

I like this Elm for its twin trunk and I like its base, but not sure what to think about the trunk. Too soon to tell? Just going to grow it out more, before I decide to chop or graft branches relative to the base and nebari.

Cosmos · Dec 5, 2018

thumblessprimate1 said:
I like this Elm for its twin trunk and I like its base, but not sure what to think about the trunk. Too soon to tell? Just going to grow it out more, before I decide to chop or graft branches relative to the base and nebari.
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I think I understand what you mean... the trunks are somewhere in a no man’s land in terms of height, neither sumo nor tall/tapered enough. I am a struggling with this decision too on an elm of mine.

Why not go crazy and go for a twin-trunk sumo? You’ve got all the low branches required, I think.

thumblessprimate1 · Dec 5, 2018

Cosmos said:
I think I understand what you mean... the trunks are somewhere in a no man’s land in terms of height, neither sumo nor tall/tapered enough. I am a struggling with this decision too on an elm of mine.

Why not go crazy and go for a twin-trunk sumo? You’ve got all the low branches required, I think.

If someone very capable wants it for that, I'd gladly sell it to him. Meanwhile I'm just going to slowly develop it. I'm not a fan of sumo style.

thumblessprimate1 · Feb 9, 2020

Some thread grafts failed and some in limbo. Hopefully the ones in limbo will make it next year by fusing/grafting into the main tree. I did some carving on main trunk and shortened the shorter trunk. I almost decided to remove it completely, but I think I'm happier now that I altered its height. A new leader was threaded. Nebari is improving slowly but surely.

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