Clear gel like substance on elm cut sites.

Mr GeaRbOx

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Greetings, I've searched a bit and couldn't find anything perhaps someone can answer my question. I apologize if this has been answered and I couldn't find it.

I have some elm root cuttings and they are producing a relatively large blob of clear gel from the cut site. I notice the same (but in smaller amount) on a branch I accidentally broke. I assume this is the sap? Is there anything in particular I should do about this? I would like the highest success for my cuttings. Thank you all.
 

Bonsai Nut

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Photos? I have pruned a lot of Chinese elms in my day, and can't recall ever seeing a clear gel at the cut site.
 

AlainK

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I can't find it again at the moment, but I'm pretty sure a member from Spain posted about how to take cuttings from elms.

As far as I can remember, he takes the cuttings when the tree is in full leaves and put them in water. When a gel is forming, he repots them, without removing this gel (they are, must be, natural hormones).

If he, or someone else reads this, maybe they can give us the proper link to this conversation.

EDIT : sorry, it's not on this forum, it's from a blog, just found it again :


PS: and I don't know why I was sure it was from Spain, "Stone Lantern" is in "Kraaifontein, South Africa!"
Oops.
 
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rockm

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Greetings, I've searched a bit and couldn't find anything perhaps someone can answer my question. I apologize if this has been answered and I couldn't find it.

I have some elm root cuttings and they are producing a relatively large blob of clear gel from the cut site. I notice the same (but in smaller amount) on a branch I accidentally broke. I assume this is the sap? Is there anything in particular I should do about this? I would like the highest success for my cuttings. Thank you all.
Elms can be capable of producing this kind of thing. FWIW, one elm species is named "slippery elm" because its inner bark has slippery covering that is used for cough drops, etc.

 

Mr GeaRbOx

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Gel
 

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Mr GeaRbOx

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hard to see in the pics but it's almost a 1/2 inch thick in some spots.

the first pic, that is an airlayer that was buried a little deeper. It seems to be oozing the gel nearly everywhere it was previously under the soil line and even from a spot that just has some corking forming (right side, before fork).

These are seiju

Perhaps I should take them out of the rain?
 
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Mr GeaRbOx

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I can't find it again at the moment, but I'm pretty sure a member from Spain posted about how to take cuttings from elms.

As far as I can remember, he takes the cuttings when the tree is in full leaves and put them in water. When a gel is forming, he repots them, without removing this gel (they are, must be, natural hormones).

If he, or someone else reads this, maybe they can give us the proper link to this conversation.

EDIT : sorry, it's not on this forum, it's from a blog, just found it again :


PS: and I don't know why I was sure it was from Spain, "Stone Lantern" is in "Kraaifontein, South Africa!"
Oops.
Yes, that is exactly the same stuff. There is no explanation in that article but it's good to know it is expected. I guess being near 100% humidity and then rain on and off is the same as being in the water. Good ol' Oregon 😁
 

rockm

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Yes, that is exactly the same stuff. There is no explanation in that article but it's good to know it is expected. I guess being near 100% humidity and then rain on and off is the same as being in the water. Good ol' Oregon 😁
This is called mucilage. It's always present in elm cambium. Some species have more than others. Combined with a lot of water (like alot of rain), it expands, like this...This compound has been used for quite a while in cough drops and cough syrup to coat irritated throats.
 

Tieball

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This happens all the time I my American Elms. Nothing to worry about. The tree is protecting itself. It’s, as I’ve realized, always on severe root pruning especially if I flatten the bottom. I see the gel accelerate with washing the area with water, I ignore it and keep on doing what I was doing. I never lost a tree. I do find the gel in the roots tends to stop rapid expansion once submerged is soil. In the end it seems to form a barrier of protection.
 

Shibui

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Clear gel on Elm cuts, especially on roots is also common down here. Maybe more so after water or rain? Perfectly normal anyway, as others have pointed out, and does not seem to cause any problems.
 
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