Chris,
I didn't score my zelkova when I put on the clamp. I'm hoping the clamp will just keep it from bulging more, and meanwhile the trunk down below might get a little larger, and the branches above get a little larger, so the existing bulge might be less obvious. It's an experiment, not a proven technique.
I did see your large trident... you could try it on it, but to my eye, tridents look fine with healed scars. Zelkova brooms look best with the smooth trunks that then break into the multiple upward sweeping branches.
I think the best result would be obtained if when the V cut is made, an additional step of hollowing out some of the wood just inside the cambium layer would allow the new bud/branch to swell in towards the center rather than out. That and also being sure to bind the V to stop the swelling outwards. Zelkova is bad to swell when healing wounds.
Cmeg1,
I'm not sure I understand your comment about "mature bark" on a zelkova. Zelkova have a smooth grey bark. It will turn grey in about 2 years. It shouldn't ever get rough.
Stripping leaves does have it's purpose, but it's not to constrain growth. You can induce more twigginess (ramification) in a season by stripping leaves. It induces a "false fall" and if the tree is healthly it will produce a new twig from the bud that exists at the base of every leaf. Edit: (When you "strip leaves", I recomend that you cut them off, don't pull them off. If you pull them off, you may destroy the dormant bud at the base of the leaf.) But, again, you don't have a healthy tree if you withhold fertilizer. The zelkova leaves will reduce in size as ramification increases. In other words, as you get more twigs.
Think of if this way: A tree of a certain size will want to produce enough leaf surface area to catch enough light energy to sustain it. If it has only a few branches, it will produce big leaves on those branches to get that surface area. However, if the tree has lots of branches, it can produce that surface area with more, but smaller leaves.
A similiar concept works with the roots. More small feeder roots is better than a few big larger roots. Also, the tree will stay "balanced". A tree with small feeder roots is more likely to produce multiple branches (ramification) than a tree with large tap roots. The roots and canopy are mirrored in each other.
Now, all that said... zelkova are vigorous growers. You will have a challenge keeping them at shohin size and balanced. Not that it can't be done, but it will be a challenge. It is difficult to keep the internodes (the distance between branches) to less than an inch.
I'm planning on keeping my zelkova at about 24 inches.
Please post pictures of your progress! I'd love to see how your little brooms develop.
But Good Luck either way
