Build a Zelkova!

[MichaelS]

Just taken from the bed.. nebari now about 8 inches across. I normally don't handle trees this big but damned if I'm not going to make a nice zel!
It started in a pot for 8 years. No good. In the ground one year. A bit better. In the ground another 2 without touching it.
Nebari is not perfect and never will be. Branch transitions are not perfect and never will be.
We will see what happens from here..........



trimmed a bit



Final prune



A box of matches.



very coarse mix for huge fertilizer dump it's going to get. (Not the normal mix for elms!)



Potted.

 

[MichaelS]

Out of the ground 2015...


pruned 2015 Pruned 2017

 

[barrosinc]

A box of matches.
View attachment 149186

Redheads! I just need a meat pie and I will feel right at home

Very nice tree! I like it a lot

 

[ColinFraser]

Cool; nice bones

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Fantastic result. Do you have earlier pictures? Now it is potted, ramification will go faaaast...

 

[BobbyLane]

Nice, i shall follow with interest. i recently done something similar to my Chinese elm broom. took it right back to the bare bones. @ConorDash these are the types of progressions you should be watching. Markyscott has similar progressions also worth watching and learning from. see what they do, apply to your own trees.

 

[Tieball]

I like all the character in that trunk! ....Nice pruning of the roots! Mighty fine.
I hope to see what happens next with growth and continued cutting.

 

[mcpesq817]

That's really nice. Good to see that the scars have healed over nicely. Scars aren't all that easy to deal with in zelkova.

 

[cmeg1]

The way the scars healed,certainly looks vigorous.Looks great shape.
Hope it flourishes for you.

 

[ConorDash]

Looks great, such a good starting material. Look forward to seeing more.

 

[wireme]

What's with all the never will be talk? I don't see anything there that can't be made as "perfect" as you might want?
Nice job growing that.

 

[MichaelS]

What's with all the never will be talk? I don't see anything there that can't be made as "perfect" as you might want?
Nice job growing that.

What I mean by ''perfect'' is that this particular tree does not seem to grow straight branches so I have abandoned the idea of growing the ''classic'' broom style with all the branches smooth and the transition from thick to thin nice and even. In other words this tree will still be a broom but the branches will have a lot more ''twists and turns'' than your classic ''perfect'' zelkova broom. As for the nebari, I don't know if I could be bothered layering or grafting roots to even that out.
I must admit though, as I'm getting older, a ''perfect'' nebari is becoming less important to me.

 

[ConorDash]

Perfect is a matter of opinion .
Maybe it'll be the most perfect broom style tree, that this tree can achieve. I wouldn't ask anymore of a tree than that.

But in terms of "classic", then yeah I think that's open to being judged.

 

[Anthony]

Michael,

shape is attractive and I am sure you will continue to enhance it.
Waiting for the future images.
Good Day
Anthony

 

[Giga]

This has wonderful bones!

 

[drew33998]

And a greenhouse? You lucky sob

 

[wireme]

What I mean by ''perfect'' is that this particular tree does not seem to grow straight branches so I have abandoned the idea of growing the ''classic'' broom style with all the branches smooth and the transition from thick to thin nice and even. In other words this tree will still be a broom but the branches will have a lot more ''twists and turns'' than your classic ''perfect'' zelkova broom. As for the nebari, I don't know if I could be bothered layering or grafting roots to even that out.
I must admit though, as I'm getting older, a ''perfect'' nebari is becoming less important to me.

I see. Well hopefully less than perfect will turn out to be more perfect than actual perfect someday. A trees gotta still look like a real thing to really be perfect.

 

[MichaelS]

So 3 months of growth has given this....




Back in the shop after removing all the crap and leaving just potentially well placed branches. Some stubs did not shoot so I cut them off. Just kept those branches in good positions big or small.






Below. And after a bit of directing with some wire. I have found that with this tree, if you cut back to the first bud or so it sometimes fails to move from there. This time I left the branches very long in the hope that I will get a lot more buds to choose from.

Hopefully I will be able to cut off 2 thirds from their length. The plan now is to let them grow without touching until the end of the season so they beef up a bit more.

 

[Adair M]

Michael, when you defoliate, don’t remove that first really small leaf on each stem. Keeping it keeps the waterline active, and you’ll have fewer abandoned branches.

 

[MichaelS]

Michael, when you defoliate, don’t remove that first really small leaf on each stem. Keeping it keeps the waterline active, and you’ll have fewer abandoned branches.

That doesn't seem to make any difference.