A friend of mine gave me a corkbark elm and if this was given to you what would you do with it.....

[Benny w]

Speaking as a Treebler, I have watched 'Taters chop trunks on many threads here. The expectation is that the tree will grow the branches it needs in some years and be styled into something with a proportionally large trunk & nebari because you chopped it. It rarely works that way. It is soon evident that the twigs that pass for branches will take a long, long time to grow to any shadow of a decent branch in proportion to the rest of the tree and that is achieved by thickening the twigs by growing long and chopping a few cycles. All of that takes years, and sounds nice, but the nature of our business is surviving winter and drought and winds and disease and pests and bad luck, and is commonly interrupted by the death of a strategic branch here or there requiring a shift in strategy to produce a replacement. It's you against the years in the end, and the years have a better batting average. I have seen here many, many started and damned few finished. Go figure.

I put myself out there like a lot of others do here on Bnut and I personally do it when I have questions about a certain tree that I want to style a certain way for the first time. With that I expect all kinds of comments but I do expect ( and im honestly grateful that)some to at least be beneficial for the bnut community and myself because of the talent and years of experience guys like smoke, leatherback, Adair and others have. I know its difficult since the cork bark elm I posted isnt in front of you but do you have anything to say a little less doom and gloom? If it helps my trees are healthy even in 112 degree weather ( but when it comes to pests on my trees i am more strict on myself because wouldnt that be funny if a pest control advisor had infested trees). your comment came across to me like I posted a stick in a pot and I'm asking if growing that stick inside is a good idea and if it will be show ready in 6 months. Lol

 

[Rivian]

Am I right that corkbark chinese elm is also called japanese elm?

 

[Benny w]

he said he didnt want a pine style tree.
it can be developed into an infomal broom

if you just stick to 2 or 3 leaders and develop a crown from those and swiftly rub off adventitious buds, all the root energy will focus on your 2 or 3 keepers and they will thicken rather quickly, wire them up n out towards the light for faster development.

Thanks! Great advice and love the pics. About The long top branch and the bottom branch ... I know I'm going to get rid of the bottom branch and the only thing left that I'm contemplating is if I should keep the top branch as part of the design but obviously cut it way back which for a informal broom would make sense since not every single branch needs to come out at the same height at the apex. Correct?

 

[Benny w]

Am I right that corkbark chinese elm is also called japanese elm?

I've never heard it called that.

 

[leatherback]

Two potential futures

 

[Benny w]

Two potential futures

View attachment 324243

I like it. I couldnt see keeping that bottom branch but now I can! Thank u leatherback

 

[leatherback]

You're welcome.
Going forward from here, I would just set the main branchelines with wire. Let them grow till they are set in place then unwire. Then let them grow untill the base of the branch is pretty much as thich as it has to become. Cut back the branches to pretty much what you have now, lengthwise (I know, it feels like 2 steps back; You sometimes you have to take steps back to go forward!). This will probably be around mid-summer next year if you get this to grow happily (And may differ for each branch!). Then do the same thing: Let grow, wire in place so you get a smooth transition in taper in the branches. If you do this 2 or 3 times over a period of 2 years you should have a decent branch setup and can work on building twigging.

(Or you can look into hedge-pruning as a development method, which also works)

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Am I right that corkbark chinese elm is also called japanese elm?

No. I have seen Japanese zelkova referred to as Japanese elm, and there is a Ulmus davidiana var. japonica that is considered the "true" Japanese elm, but I have never seen Chinese elm (of any cultivar) referred to as Japanese elm.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I put myself out there like a lot of others do here on Bnut and I personally do it when I have questions about a certain tree that I want to style a certain way for the first time. With that I expect all kinds of comments but I do expect ( and im honestly grateful that)some to at least be beneficial for the bnut community and myself because of the talent and years of experience guys like smoke, leatherback, Adair and others have. I know its difficult since the cork bark elm I posted isnt in front of you but do you have anything to say a little less doom and gloom? If it helps my trees are healthy even in 112 degree weather ( but when it comes to pests on my trees i am more strict on myself because wouldnt that be funny if a pest control advisor had infested trees). your comment came across to me like I posted a stick in a pot and I'm asking if growing that stick inside is a good idea and if it will be show ready in 6 months. Lol

No, you've read me wrong, you didn't post a stick-in-a-pot, you posted a substantial trunk that could have had a substantial canopy in 5 years.

 

[Rivian]

No. I have seen Japanese zelkova referred to as Japanese elm

Ulmus japonica

Ulmus japonica – Japanische Ulme Allgemeines: Wahrscheinlich handelt es sich bei dieser Pflanze um eine Varietät der Chinesischen Ulme ( Ulmus…

bonsaischule.de

"
Ulmus japonica – Japanische Ulme

Allgemeines:
Wahrscheinlich handelt es sich bei dieser Pflanze um eine Varietät der Chinesischen Ulme (Ulmus parvifolia). In unserem Betrieb wird sie jedoch seit vielen Jahren als Japanische Ulme produziert, da sie sich in verschiedenen Eigenschaften maßgeblich von der Zimmerpflanze unterscheidet. Sie ist nämlich ausgesprochen winterhart, und die Blätter sind nicht immergrün, sondern verfärben sich im Herbst sogar leuchtend gelb und fallen dann vollständig ab. Außerdem bildet diese Pflanze eine extreme Korkrinde und hat knotige Verdickungen an den Trieben. Das Blatt ist der Chinesischen Ulme aber zum Verwechseln ähnlich. "
Now I wonder if the auto-translate will work...
Edit: It didnt. I guess throw it in google translate if you care to

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Edit: It didnt. I guess throw it in google translate if you care to

Das ist ok, ich kann Deutsch

I don't know why they are calling it a Japanese elm, and don't just say it is a unknown cultivar of Chinese elm. It sounds like they don't know what it is Chinese elms are naturally deciduous, and the leaves (at least on mine) turn yellow in the Fall before dropping. Also, be aware that there are several Chinese elm cultivars that have corky bark in addition to 'corticosa'. 'Hokkaido' and 'Seiju' are the most common, but 'Yatsubusa' also has corky bark in addition to a very different leaf shape.

 

[Benny w]

No, you've read me wrong, you didn't post a stick-in-a-pot, you posted a substantial trunk that could have had a substantial canopy in 5 years.

No I didnt read you wrong. It sounds like I went wrong with the example i gave why i felt your comment deserved a thumbs down. In a nut shell but it went over your head. We good
Just wanted to be honest. I apologize if I come off rude

 

[Benny w]

You're welcome.
Going forward from here, I would just set the main branchelines with wire. Let them grow till they are set in place then unwire. Then let them grow untill the base of the branch is pretty much as thich as it has to become. Cut back the branches to pretty much what you have now, lengthwise (I know, it feels like 2 steps back; You sometimes you have to take steps back to go forward!). This will probably be around mid-summer next year if you get this to grow happily (And may differ for each branch!). Then do the same thing: Let grow, wire in place so you get a smooth transition in taper in the branches. If you do this 2 or 3 times over a period of 2 years you should have a decent branch setup and can work on building twigging.

(Or you can look into hedge-pruning as a development method, which also works)

Thank you leatherback. Appreciate the advice and I will post pics the pics in a year or so from now.

 

[Forsoothe!]

No I didnt read you wrong. It sounds like I went wrong with the example i gave why i felt your comment deserved a thumbs down. In a nut shell but it went over your head. We good
Just wanted to be honest. I apologize if I come off rude

Bobby Lane Elm is what I'm talking about, and remember this is Bobby's specialty.

 

[Benny w]

Found the olive in a citrus orchard we used to manage and didnt need to do much to it since this ag-yamadori was already constructed almost perfectly for a informal broom and same with the older olive above which I bought a couple years ago from the redwood king ( forgot the guys name) but hes well known and from Sonoma county. Really annoying I cant remember his name bob something I think but not 100%.

 

[Forsoothe!]

No I didnt read you wrong. It sounds like I went wrong with the example i gave why i felt your comment deserved a thumbs down. In a nut shell but it went over your head. We good
Just wanted to be honest. I apologize if I come off rude

Again, the biggest problem with 'Taters is nature. Shit happens and when you lose a piece of the tree to death by something or other after doing all stuff you are suppose to do, it is heartbreaking. In the last two weeks I had the top half of a Wisteria sinensis 'Kofuji' main trunk croak for no reason. I have 7 or 8 years into this tree, never seen a flower, it was ready for next spring beauty and now it is two puff balls right & left with a empty center. I can't stand to look at it. Back to square one.

Give yourself a 20 year window and I guarantee setbacks will happen.