Inverted cutting elm

[bluone23]

I got the inspiration from this thread:

Inverted cutting!

It is insane idea, is not it? No, it is not! In other post http://www.bonsainut.com/threads/propagate-thick-olive-branch-by-cutting.14984/page-2, Si Nguyen mentioned my name in below reply: "You might have your stump up side down, which is ok. I have one of those up-side-down stump olive...

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Its a long term experiment,as with all bonsai.
Last year I repoted a larger elm, and planted this root. It grew some branches and a bunch of roots.





Basically I just flipped the tree 180 degrees, tied it with string and planted it upside down

 

[bluone23]

End result




My expectation is that it will grow “as normal”

The plan is next year, take it out and flip it again 180

 

[Shibui]

Elms are capable of surviving such an inversion.
Not sure what you expect to achieve by doing it but it should survive the challenge.

 

[bluone23]

Elms are capable of surviving such an inversion.
Not sure what you expect to achieve by doing it but it should survive the challenge.

Hello,

I`m also confident that it will survive. My ideea came from the initial thread that I posted above.

By flipping the tree every year I am hoping to get some interesting negari and some contorted branches maybe.
I know that you can achieve this with normal bonsai techniques but I am curios with this technique if I will achieve something different.

It was more one of those shower thoughts that you can`t get it out of your mind

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I know you can invert large olives and get them to sprout new buds from the top (previously the roots). The advantage when you do this is that there are no trunk scars from reducing a large tree stump. I will be curious to see if the same procedure works for elms!

 

[bluone23]

Its alive

 

[BrianBay9]

Its alive

View attachment 491455

Is that growing out of previous roots, or just pushing all the way up from the previous top?

 

[davetree]

I have a root cutting from a cork bark elm that I turned upside down for taper. It has grown just fine. The bottom of the trunk was a chunk of root sawed from a large root.

 

[bluone23]

Is that growing out of previous roots, or just pushing all the way up from the previous top?

Can’t say

 

[bluone23]

Still alive



Cut all branches to 2 buds
Did the flippy over
Tied the roots so they downface.

 

[bluone23]

And another year of growth to come

 

[PonderingSage:]

This is a cool experiment. Ive flipped a large elm root as well. Have you thought about letting it grow out for two years between each flip. That way it has time to establish and push harder the second year? Just a thought.
I may try this idea. Thanks for sharing.

 

[bluone23]

This is a cool experiment. Ive flipped a large elm root as well. Have you thought about letting it grow out for two years between each flip. That way it has time to establish and push harder the second year? Just a thought.
I may try this idea. Thanks for sharing.

Indeed 2 years would give it more vigor. Also I was thinking of putting it in a grow bag, but in the end used the same plastic pot

I ussually dont stick with plans but with this one i’ll flip it each year.

 

[bluone23]

It grew, cut everything and already inverted it