Leatherbacks' Broom Elm Development

[leatherback]

OK.. I was growing out some elms in my yard, which required a bit of the old chopper. As a result, they became a LOT shorter and I decided to take one of them as a training-in-making-a-broom.

This is a stye I have not developed yet. So I am open for development suggestions on this broom elm. In particularly.. At what time should I stop extension growth, when should I thin out the number of shoots that have formed etc.

Pictures > 1000 words..

In fall, pre-chop:


In spring, a rim of life is showing



A month ago, The rim is starting to grow:


I do nto have pictures of today, but the rim of life is growing along the full rim. Maybe 50 shoots all in all. And .. 8 inches long?

I am concerned with too many, too thick, swelling etcetc.

I HAVE added a constrictor along the trunk and about half an inch above the cut so that the branches will initially grow inwards.

• When would one normally start shoot selecting, and would it be wise to not allow them to extend at will?

 

[Piedmont Bonsai]

Here is a shohin broom i am developing in a similar way. Originally a slightly taller tree but i didn’t like the trunk so i chopped it to a stump this February before it woke up. Did some pruning and leaf cutting today on it.



For your tree i would recommend plucking out the buds that look the strongest and select the weakest looking buds.that will help prevent overly thick growth. I did that on mine this spring once it woke up and im still getting budding now i will probably have to remove more shoots in the future as they thicken and select the shoots with the best angle out of the top

Id start pruning back to 2-3 leaves as the shoots extend too to help slow it down, prevent the growth from being stick straight, and start ramifying some.
I’d also start cutting the leaves so you will get smaller leaves and finer growth on subsequent flushes

And i know it’s not ideal at this time but you may want to consider getting it out of the ground and into a pot. I’d image it will be harder to control growth with it being in the ground

 

[leatherback]

And i know it’s not ideal at this time but you may want to consider getting it out of the ground and into a pot. I’d image it will be harder to control growth with it being in the ground

Yeah.. I forgot HOW vigorous elms get in summer. Maybe a transfer into a pot is what is needed, and risk it.

Good to see how you approach this. My gut-feeling was also.. I need to intervent. Guess.. Today is scissors & shovel day!
Good this is just a trial tree. I have another elm which is now .. ? 12feet ? tall, wrist thick, which is intended to become a broom. But there I want to have a feeling for the right approach before I start cutting the trunk. (planned for late next year)

 

[Shibui]

Chinese elm produce sooo many shoots after a chop that intervention is almost certainly needed. Too many developing shoots will cause severe over thickening so thin out to maybe 6-10 well placed shoots initially then make further selection as those shoots grow.
Just like developing branches on other style trees, allow growth to achieve some thickening and strength then chop to create ramification. Continue grow and cut cycles to develop the required ramification.
Also, as in developing other branching, longer internodes are not good structure so sometimes it is necessary to cut back and start again.
Broom style can be frustrating to develop. Branches just don't seem to co-operate and insist on growing in the wrong direction much of the time.
Good luck with yours. Maybe it will be more co-operative than most I've tried.

 

[leatherback]

The Deed Is Done..
It is in a pot, watered.
pruned to stubs.
Naturally, as I could not see what I was doing I stuck the spade into the trunk which was growing into the soil at a slant. Sigh. It will not be a good broom with a large section of bark cut off. It was intended as a training tree, but that does not mean my stupidity needs to make it ugly. Glad there is a market for Ugly, once my practicing is done...

I think there is some recordings on my camera. Will snap some screenshots tonight.

 

[Shibui]

Trunk in the soil at a slant probably means not such a good trunk for broom style. Broom is deciduous formal upright style. Traditionally the trunk needs to be straight and vertical.
Depending on how severe the damage is it might even heal over before the branching has developed enough to be called bonsai. Photos will give a much better idea of what is what when you get to them.

 

[leatherback]

Trunk in the soil at a slant probably means not such a good trunk for broom style. Broom is deciduous formal upright style. Traditionally the trunk needs to be straight and vertical.

True, slanted is not good. But.. If life gives you lemons, jadiejadie

Depending on how severe the damage is it might even heal over before the branching has developed enough to be called bonsai.

Yes, which is why I taped the scratch in the hope it heals over fast (little tree-surgery tip from the full-sized world; This is how they now handle car-damage to old trees here; It aids enourmously in healing peeled of bark

Photos will give a much better idea of what is what when you get to them.

and.. there you go!
The roots need further shortening, but I did not have a lot of finer roots near the trunk and at this point int he growing season I wanted to be conservative in root pruning.

 

[Shibui]

The angle trunk means not strictly traditional broom style but I don't mind if you don't mind.

 

[TrimmyWhimmy]

Windswept broom?

 

[leatherback]

The angle trunk means not strictly traditional broom style but I don't mind if you don't mind.

key development challenges for the crown remain .

Ideally the style has a perfect nebari and no blemishes on the trunk. Will never be a 1M E broom bonsai.

Windswept broom?

Not sure. Maybe just slanted.

 

[shohin_branches]

How well does the electrical tape remove from the tree? I've seen old electrical tape adhesive do some weird things to old tools that I used it on so I've hesitated to use it on my trees.

 

[Piedmont Bonsai]

True, slanted is not good. But.. If life gives you lemons, jadiejadie


Yes, which is why I taped the scratch in the hope it heals over fast (little tree-surgery tip from the full-sized world; This is how they now handle car-damage to old trees here; It aids enourmously in healing peeled of bark


and.. there you go!
The roots need further shortening, but I did not have a lot of finer roots near the trunk and at this point int he growing season I wanted to be conservative in root pruning.

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Do you think you could plant the trunk vertically in the future and then layer a new root system to turn it into an upright trunk?

I’m not sure if the tape is entirely necessary, we do want some horizontal branching as there is a technique of tying rafia or twine around the branches to create the upward and outward feeling of the branches that we want in a broom

 

[BobbyLane]

Do you think you could plant the trunk vertically in the future and then layer a new root system to turn it into an upright trunk?

I’m not sure if the tape is entirely necessary, we do want some horizontal branching as there is a technique of tying rafia or twine around the branches to create the upward and outward feeling of the branches that we want in a broom
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Love those images! and the method used to get the upright flow, could just as well use wire, but this works too. You can find many examples of 'brooms' in nature. Now I want to try one too!

 

[Piedmont Bonsai]

Love those images! and the method used to get the upright flow, could just as well use wire, but this works too. You can find many examples of 'brooms' in nature. Now I want to try one too!

Its from this book on trident maples and zelkova. Lot of great techniques in this book series.

 

[eplov90]

@Eric Schrader went through that technique in one his videos on Zelkova development here.