Elm stump forever lost??

Tiberious

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Hi all,
I have big stumped European Elm that I bought at a show last year. It is a double trunk that had really straight taper as you can see in the pic. I chopped it where the red marks show this winter. Anyway, since then the tree has been suckering profusely from the roots. I got tired off pulling them off, so what I am wondering is:

Can I threadgraft some suckers to the trunk, or will this not work because I may have lost the trunk?
Anyone have any experience with losing a trunk and can it be saved by threadgrafting? Its still green on both of the trunks. I dont have high hopes for any buds showing up on the trunk :(
Thanks much,
Tiberious
 

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Tachigi

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Pulling off the suckers in my experience sends a message to the tree that throwing buds off the root won't work. So it will eventually start farther up the trunk,unless the trunk is dead. So keep pulling the suckers off.

Thread grafting the suckers you could do at the expense of having some really funky nebari down the road caused by the suckering.
 

Tiberious

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Tom thanks for the help. I will go out today and do some more pulling:) I really would hate to lose this elm.
 

Tiberious

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Is the trunk still alive? Did you seal the trunk wound after you made the cuts?

Well the trunks are still green, so I am assuming? I didnt seal the wound just because I had read alot of places were its better not to seal. Went out today and pulled off the suckers. Hopefully Ill see a bud or two on the trunk by the end of the year atleast. As long as the trunks stay green, Ill be keeping my faith. Might be till next spring even before it happens :confused:
 

Tachigi

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Well the trunks are still green, so I am assuming? I didnt seal the wound just because I had read alot of places were its better not to seal. Went out today and pulled off the suckers. Hopefully Ill see a bud or two on the trunk by the end of the year atleast. As long as the trunks stay green, Ill be keeping my faith. Might be till next spring even before it happens :confused:

You know the old saying about assuming :D

Tiberious if you go far enough back in some book, someone claimed the earth was flat as well! I'm not sure where you are since that info is missing from your profile. If the heats anything like it is here the moisture in that trunk will dry up, leaving you with kindling at seasons end. Being evaporated right out the top of the trunk. So for horticultural reasons and/or superstitious reasons (since you are relying on faith and crossed fingers) I would suggest you put some cut paste, vasoline, shoe polish, or spit on it. This will help those dormant buds from having the moisture sucked away from them like a victim in a old vampire movie.

One other thought to induce buds would be a cone at the chop mark packed with sphagnum which is a sure fire way to get bud pop at the chop....if.... the trunk is still alive in that portion.
 

Tiberious

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Tom, good ideas thanks. I have been using petroleum jelly as of late, since I heard this works good. I used to use wood glue mixed with mud in the past, which seems to work ok as well but seals really hard. Shouldve sealed it I guess :( Hopefully its not too late and I can put some on tommorow, but as you've mentioned; this could very well be the cause of the inactive stump. I'll put the cone on him tommarow so he doesnt bite himself :D
Thanks
T
 

Bonsai Nut

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If your trunk is dried out at the top forget about trying to get something to grow there. You are better off doing another trunk chop lower down, cutting into the live wood again and then seal that wound :) or else keep it moist via direct application of moss. It is better to have a short trunk with growth off the top than a longer trunk with a dead top and suckers springing out of the sides all over.
 
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