Garden center elm save

[bonsaidave]

I am sorry I didn't state my source http://walter-pall-bonsai.blogspot.com/2007/03/reoptting-of-teh-big-maple-part-1.html I've learned that from @Walter Pall

My guess is the strong and well cared for maple has VERY different roots from this elm.

Leo is spot on.

 

[Bonsai_paul]

Thanks all, ill resist changing the soil and work with what i have until next season.

Thanks again

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I recently purchased a Chinese Elm on line that came from Brussels. It had 70% new foliage, but was very root bound to the point that it would not take on water very well at all. I re-potted it, raked out the roots and trimmed them, and put back in the same pot. It never missed a beat. Wild Elms (American Elms??) where I live grow right out of the pavement.

Is it common for Elms to have leaves that turn yellow and fall off on a daily basis? Always new growth but the daily yellow leaves bothers me. Help appreciated. Peter

A certain amount is normal. Is your elm outside yet? Past danger of frost?. Once outside for spring, the leaf drop should stop. You should be getting more new leaves than you are loosing.

 

[August44]

No, still inside Leo, and I always seem to have plenty of new growth. Actually we still can have frosts here until end of May-June. My maples are doing the in and out dance right now. I'll just put the Elm with them and see what happens. I have been able to leave all out the last two nights as temps were NOT below freezing....yaaaa!

 

[Walter Pall]

We have repotted hundreds of trees in this stage without problems , also very expensive ones. Too late repotting is much better than too early. But why exactly would you want to repot. The tree looks happy. Repotting should in general be avoided as far as possible. You are NOT doing the tree a favor, you are hurting it, endangering it, throwing it back a year. Why is the whole bonsai community thinking that repotting is good for a tree. It is not good. But sometimes it has to be done. It is a necessary evil if the soil is so dense that it would not let water and air through. Sometimes a tree is in what is considered 'wrong' soil. Then one looks at the tree carefully. If it is happy then there is no hurry. You can wait and pick a good time for repotting. Another reason is an artistic one
.You want the tree to go into a much better pot. Well, fine, but are you in a hurry?

 

[Bonsai_paul]

I think that branch needs to go in the future when the tree is strong

 

[amcoffeegirl]

Good to know since I just ordered an elm.
I might kill it because I treat every tree like a ficus. I will try to treat it like an elm now.

 

[amcoffeegirl]

I think that branch needs to go in the future when the tree is strong

View attachment 236322

Does it have to go or can it just be moved?
Can you cut a notch in the side of top of it and bend it or wire it?

 

[Walter Pall]

There is absolutely no need for a notch. You just put wire on it and bend it. You can do this instantly. Where is the problem?

 

[sorce]

I think that branch needs to go in the future when the tree is strong

View attachment 236322

What Walter Said!

That IS good movement after the straight part....both them left branches could use a bit of wire.

But too... The secondary branches can start way earlier, like before half way to your redline.

So just cutting it back laterlater (yes) can give you movement plus taper.

Still love this tree. Its a beast! Do it well!

Fish feed feed feed!

Sorce

 

[Bonsai_paul]

What Walter Said!

That IS good movement after the straight part....both them left branches could use a bit of wire.

But too... The secondary branches can start way earlier, like before half way to your redline.

So just cutting it back laterlater (yes) can give you movement plus taper.

Still love this tree. Its a beast! Do it well!

Fish feed feed feed!

Sorce

Thanks @sorce so cut back those branches on the left later to the red you think ?

Thanks again

Paul

 

[BobbyLane]

as said, you can position the branch you want to remove, with a piece of wire. this tree needs development, basically all you have is a bunch of primary branches and not much secondaries or terteries (ramification). you need progressive forks, remember the G potter video link i posted where he explains in detail the process of branches forking into two, then four, then six? if you didnt understand this concept, you need to keep watching until it clicks, 'the light bulb' moment i was at this stage once.
the branch in red you're so desperate to cut off, is a secondary branch. but its crossing other branches and you dont want that, which is why you position it with wire, this is all explained

 

[BobbyLane]

to be frank though, this tree could probably benefit from a hard cut back at some point, you'll be a little scared to do that now as you want to enjoy your new purchase. but if serious about taking the tree forward later down, it would likely need to be cut back and re grown. the inner buds need to be stimulated, you need some interior twigging.

like i did here in pics

this elm was pretty to look at, but similar to yours, you can see where it lacked interior growth and many branches were actually somewhat leggy and lacked genuine taper, i see the same in your tree. do you get that?
IMG_6461 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
IMG_6473 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

it was a strong grower, but still, it lacked interior growth, but it was getting there, but those long branches still lacked genuine taper
IMG_1039 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

so in the end, to take this tree to the next level i decided to cut it back ruthlessly. yes it was pretty to look at before
it was just pretty, but it lacked real quality

june 2017 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

everything was cut back to the closest nodes/branches, closest to the trunk. some branches were just cut back to approx 2in, being a healthy elm it buds back no problem
june 2017 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
july 2017 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

july 2017.. by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

IMG_6951 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

still in development, but it will be better than it was before eventually

 

[Bonsai_paul]

to be frank though, this tree could probably benefit from a hard cut back at some point, you'll be a little scared to do that now as you want to enjoy your new purchase. but if serious about taking the tree forward later down, it would likely need to be cut back and re grown. the inner buds need to be stimulated, you need some interior twigging.

like i did here in pics

this elm was pretty to look at, but similar to yours, you can see where it lacked interior growth and many branches were actually somewhat leggy and lacked genuine taper, i see the same in your tree. do you get that?
IMG_6461 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
IMG_6473 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

it was a strong grower, but still, it lacked interior growth, but it was getting there, but those long branches still lacked genuine taper
IMG_1039 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

so in the end, to take this tree to the next level i decided to cut it back ruthlessly. yes it was pretty to look at before
it was just pretty, but it lacked real quality

june 2017 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

everything was cut back to the closest nodes/branches, closest to the trunk. some branches were just cut back to approx 2in, being a healthy elm it buds back no problem
june 2017 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr
july 2017 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

july 2017.. by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

IMG_6951 by Bobby Lane, on Flickr

still in development, but it will be better than it was before eventually

@BobbyLane Exactly what i wanted to see/Hear with examples as i learn better with pics. When would be the best time to cutback as i repotted it a little late but it seems to like the new soil more than the nursery soil.

Thanks

 

[BobbyLane]

@BobbyLane Exactly what i wanted to see/Hear with examples as i learn better with pics. When would be the best time to cutback as i repotted it a little late but it seems to like the new soil more than the nursery soil.

Thanks

judging from the first image, i can see you did some pruning already. i would just leave it now, feed it well and let it grow out.
i did the first hard cut back in the month of june, this was after it literally became a bush, you can see from the images.

i would say mid to late june, if its grown well

 

[Bonsai_paul]

judging from the first image, i can see you did some pruning already. i would just leave it now, feed it well and let it grow out.
i did the first hard cut back in the month of june, this was after it literally became a bush, you can see from the images.

i would say mid to late june, if its grown well

Ill leave it alone for now, get it into a bigger pot at some point and hard cut thank you

 

[sorce]

to the red

Likely farther back.

Sorce