Trying To Make A Broom

[Adair M]

Hi Adair M,
I have a question for you regarding this broom growing technique and I am hoping your answer won’t be “IT DEPENDS” lol.
When applying hose clamp or plastic tape ( insulation tape work?), I am wondering at what stage of the new growth you can remove the clamp??
One full season? Or sooner mid season etc? Yes, it depends on growth rate from an individuals climate, but some advice would be useful.
I guess with some experience I will find out myself, but if your answers saves me and/or others the effort, it’s worth while for everyone.
Thank you for your in depth answers,
Charles

Charles, it’s just like how long to leave wire on: it depends! Seriously! Every tree will grow differently. You can take it off, check the progress, go from there. You may need to carve backon some swelling here or there. Just know if you do that the new wound will swell!

Also, let’s say you get two new shoots, growing out, and they are 1/2 inch apart. You could, if the trunk had been hollowed out a bit, cut a V down in between them. Maybe that V could be 1 inch deep. On the other side of one of those branches maybe it’s only a 1/4 gap in between. There, cut a V, but make this V only 1/2 inch deep. And so on.

When you’re done making V cuts, apply cutpaste, and wrap around the outside of all the V cuts. Binding so the tree doesn’t bulge out, it bulges in.

See how this works? There may be several iterations of this process.

So, indeed: it depends!

 

[M. Frary]

See how this works? There may be several iterations of this process

I'm going to be starting a couple of elm brooms this year.
What percentage of the diameter of the trunk should the hole be?
Say for 3 inches at the cut.
One inch maybe?
Sticking to the rule of thirds?
And how about a V cut along with the hole?
Combine the 2.

 

[sorce]

@KiwiPlantGuy Hose Clamps have to be watched more, I'm not a....fan....of the straight line it will give you if left too long...
"Insta-ugly gonna get you".

It's way safer to use parafilm, and electircal tape...something with more give, that you can progressively wrap up in overlays, like a baseball bat grip. So there is never one straight line of pressure....

By adjusting the tightness of the wrap, and the number of layers, you can successfully create a scenario where it is impossible for it to get ugly. Of course this is near impossible, but the goal.

Further, if many layers are used....
After a while you can begin cutting some layers (carefully, pulling with tweezers and slicing with a steady hand) from the outside, but leaving it in place...this allows a further "fine tuning" without need for complete removal. Lessening pressure in small increments, in strategic places.
For example, the extra tight wrap you must begin and end with to get it to stay at first...those are the first to be cut and loosened. After which pressure should be quite equal, except for where the film may have doubled over on itself...those areas should have the second most heavy pressure, and would be cut next.

Speaking of pressure....(shoot selection)

This growth...to me...is like the water that comes out of a hose that has been turned off, and is being rolled up.
The amount of stored energy in the tree is equal to the amount of water left in the hose. Imagine a tree that was just 3m tall and fully healthy...a full hose.
While a tree that was in a bonsai pot and kept smaller has only about 20% full.

The idea is to utilize this energy reserve properly before it runs out, to properly space our kept shoots around the ring.

With a hose, we can use forethought, and screw a rosette on the end before we wrap it up, so the energy is equally divided and comes out perfect.

So, how to "screw a rosette" to the top of these brooms?

People get scared to shoot select, but with a proper gauge of stored energy, and a plan to protect what you keep, even if it means building a cage for this to sit in...

While we may not be able to create a perfectly balanced even rosette....making well calculated attempts to utilize this stored energy to the best end is what we must do.

There is risk. But a man who must eat takes risk in selecting one of 2 vegetable seedlings. He discards one in his confidence in the other. At risk of starvation.

I will be so confident with my art, because for me, risking artistic failure is worse than starvation! (Note that shit!)

So have confidence.

In a perfect world you end up with equally healthy shoots all the way around.

John's result is more typical ..
For me, it becomes a mission of balancing vigor and position. (Screwing that rosette on before the energy runs out)

This tree had a lot of energy, so I personally wouldn't be afraid to continue stomping out a few shoots on that vigorous side, definitely the big ones, in an effort to get some of that energy popping on the close side, before it runs out.

Even the worst tuned Future Vision Goggles know small shoots so clustered are going to battle for dominance, and eventually, some will die. Thing is they die before giving anything back to the tree...so keeping them is ONLY bad.

I argue the faster you get to knocking them out, the better.
Hose theory says if those 2-3 extra vigorous shoots were stomped out as soon as they were identified as too dominant, the close side may be further along.

We are simply guiding the tree to what it wants to be anyway, even, perfect.

To me, those little shoots in the front, is the tree saying, "hey asshole, why didn't you tell me this was a great place to grow?"

Sorry tree, next time I will do better!

"But wait Sorce....you Kill ULMUS regularly...
Surely we can't take advice from someone who kills ULMUS regularly, you don't have any nice finished trees so you must be wrong...."

I've utilized this method (or the theory behind it) successfully to the point where the shoots were into an energy giving state which is proof that it works and is not the reason I have been killing these.

I have been killing these which is proof this works with trees that aren't even healthy.

Which means Damn near anyone can use this method with more confidence than I, to a better aesthetic end, which I assume is what we are going for.

Sorce

 

[just.wing.it]

I think the trunk is a little big relative to the canopy...

?
I'll be watching this one!

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I’m the source of much of the hose clamp method.

If it start to swell below the hose clamp, it was too tight and/or left on too long. Other methods are wrapping with raffia, it wrapping with the black plastic “rope” the Japanese apprentices are using now instead of raffia.

Drilling the core out with a forsener bit is best done before you get new buds. It’s kinda hard to do it without damaging them.

You WILL get swelling at the base of the new shoots. Wrapping and drilling etc will allow YOU to direct the swelling, and not the tree. Let to its own devices, the tree will swell out and make a bulge, EXACTLY how you won’t want it. You must be proactive to prevent this swelling, er... I should say,, direct the swelling so that it doesn’t bulge out. Instead, it bulges in. And so there must be room on the inside for it to bulge, which is why we drill out some core. It gets filled when the tree wants to bulge out, but can’t because of the restrictive measures we’ve taken.

Once it bulges out, unfortunately, there’s no good fix, you just start over.

I don't think it was from you or even on the forum, but I think elsewhere on the 'net. There were several sites out there that had vague information on making a broom style tree. I have some hose clamps left over from when I change out the radiator in my Jeep, so I may throw them on tomorrow. Like you said, it is too late to drill, maybe after the shoots harden off and get wired out of the way.

 

[M. Frary]

I've utilized this method (or the theory behind it) successfully to the point where the shoots were into an energy giving state which is proof that it works and is not the reason I have been killing these

There lies the rub.
If you keep killing them how do we know for sure you know elms enough to be an expert?
Have you built a broom from other trees to say your theory will work?
A theory is one thing. But actual evidence is another.

 

[sorce]

There lies the rub.

Don't rub the lies!

Sorce

 

[Mellow Mullet]

@KiwiPlantGuy Hose Clamps have to be watched more, I'm not a....fan....of the straight line it will give you if left too long...
"Insta-ugly gonna get you".

It's way safer to use parafilm, and electircal tape...something with more give, that you can progressively wrap up in overlays, like a baseball bat grip. So there is never one straight line of pressure....

By adjusting the tightness of the wrap, and the number of layers, you can successfully create a scenario where it is impossible for it to get ugly. Of course this is near impossible, but the goal.

Further, if many layers are used....
After a while you can begin cutting some layers (carefully, pulling with tweezers and slicing with a steady hand) from the outside, but leaving it in place...this allows a further "fine tuning" without need for complete removal. Lessening pressure in small increments, in strategic places.
For example, the extra tight wrap you must begin and end with to get it to stay at first...those are the first to be cut and loosened. After which pressure should be quite equal, except for where the film may have doubled over on itself...those areas should have the second most heavy pressure, and would be cut next.

Speaking of pressure....(shoot selection)

This growth...to me...is like the water that comes out of a hose that has been turned off, and is being rolled up.
The amount of stored energy in the tree is equal to the amount of water left in the hose. Imagine a tree that was just 3m tall and fully healthy...a full hose.
While a tree that was in a bonsai pot and kept smaller has only about 20% full.

The idea is to utilize this energy reserve properly before it runs out, to properly space our kept shoots around the ring.

With a hose, we can use forethought, and screw a rosette on the end before we wrap it up, so the energy is equally divided and comes out perfect.

So, how to "screw a rosette" to the top of these brooms?

People get scared to shoot select, but with a proper gauge of stored energy, and a plan to protect what you keep, even if it means building a cage for this to sit in...

While we may not be able to create a perfectly balanced even rosette....making well calculated attempts to utilize this stored energy to the best end is what we must do.

There is risk. But a man who must eat takes risk in selecting one of 2 vegetable seedlings. He discards one in his confidence in the other. At risk of starvation.

I will be so confident with my art, because for me, risking artistic failure is worse than starvation! (Note that shit!)

So have confidence.

In a perfect world you end up with equally healthy shoots all the way around.

John's result is more typical ..
For me, it becomes a mission of balancing vigor and position. (Screwing that rosette on before the energy runs out)

This tree had a lot of energy, so I personally wouldn't be afraid to continue stomping out a few shoots on that vigorous side, definitely the big ones, in an effort to get some of that energy popping on the close side, before it runs out.

Even the worst tuned Future Vision Goggles know small shoots so clustered are going to battle for dominance, and eventually, some will die. Thing is they die before giving anything back to the tree...so keeping them is ONLY bad.

I argue the faster you get to knocking them out, the better.
Hose theory says if those 2-3 extra vigorous shoots were stomped out as soon as they were identified as too dominant, the close side may be further along.

We are simply guiding the tree to what it wants to be anyway, even, perfect.

To me, those little shoots in the front, is the tree saying, "hey asshole, why didn't you tell me this was a great place to grow?"

Sorry tree, next time I will do better!

"But wait Sorce....you Kill ULMUS regularly...
Surely we can't take advice from someone who kills ULMUS regularly, you don't have any nice finished trees so you must be wrong...."

I've utilized this method (or the theory behind it) successfully to the point where the shoots were into an energy giving state which is proof that it works and is not the reason I have been killing these.

I have been killing these which is proof this works with trees that aren't even healthy.

Which means Damn near anyone can use this method with more confidence than I, to a better aesthetic end, which I assume is what we are going for.

Sorce

Wow, Sorce, you must be taking your meds, lol, that is the clearest post that I have ever read from you, I only had to read it once.

You are right about balancing, I plan to remove some of the shoots tomorrow, when the picture was taken a week ago a lot of them were so small that you risked taking them all out to get just one. They are a lot bigger now and I will still have to be careful but I can get at them better. Actually, the side with fewer shoots is better. While sparse, they are in a good position.

I am still on the fence concerning the clamp, tape, parafilm, or tie wraps. I have been studying trees in nature ( the majority of trees in nature are brooms in one form or another, at least here, except for our pines). What I don't want is a cylinder trunk with some branches on top, the result of the clamp. I want more of a naturalistic transition, just got to work it out. It is hard to explain what I am shooting for, perhaps I will draw what I want.

I would have to advise against using parafilm, unless you are going to use it as a first layer to keep tape from sticking to the bark. I use it daily in the lab and while it is great for sealing things, it has no real tensile strength, it will tear quite easily, especially when you it stretch enough to get it to stick to itself. So save it for grafting, it is great for that.

John

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I think the trunk is a little big relative to the canopy...

?
I'll be watching this one!

New style, "Urban Water Tower"

 

[M. Frary]

I will draw what I want

A flare at the base and one where the branches emanate from. Like an hourglass? Like how old maples that line roads,driveways and farm lanes look?

 

[Mellow Mullet]

A flare at the base and one where the branches emanate from. Like an hourglass? Like how old maples that line roads,driveways and farm lanes look?

Yes, that is it, sort of. This tree has some flare at the bottom, it is just buried, for now.

 

[Adair M]

I'm going to be starting a couple of elm brooms this year.
What percentage of the diameter of the trunk should the hole be?
Say for 3 inches at the cut.
One inch maybe?
Sticking to the rule of thirds?
And how about a V cut along with the hole?
Combine the 2.

Mike, the closer you can get to the cambium from the inside, the better. So, let’s say that your trunk is round, and is 2 inches in diameter. If you could use a 1 3/4 inch drill bit, that would leave 1/8 inch of wood all around. Drill down maybe 1/2 inch. Then use a 1 1/2 inch bit and go down another 1/2 inch. Then use a 1 inch bit for another 1/2 inch.

Fill the hole you’ve created with the putty kind of cut paste, leaving about 1/8 inch exposed around the top. This will keep it from collecting water.



John Naka used to advocate a technique that was to make a V cut instead of the straight chop to start brooms. It was somewhat successful. Then others tried making several V cuts. That’s great if the tree starts new buds on the tips of the wood. But you have so limited where you want branches to start, the tree might not give you any!

Ebihara’s method lets the tree choose where to bud out, and you then work with it.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

I thinned out the new growth today, I looks like I will have plenty of branches.

Before




After

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Fantastic. Don't wait to long to GENTLY direct new growth in the best direction.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Fantastic. Don't wait to long to GENTLY direct new growth in the best direction.

I won't, it is still a little soft now, I'm gonna give it another week or so.

Hey, where did you get that avatar photo?

 

[JosephCooper]

Usually brooms will have a perfectly straight trunk, perfect shaped broom, not very old; boring...

Most good brooms are either very large or very old.

This one has nice aging, and a slanted trunk. Could be interesting.

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

I won't, it is still a little soft now, I'm gonna give it another week or so.

Hey, where did you get that avatar photo?

Yes might be the soon now, just don't wait till the end of the season (been there).
The avatar is just a picture of one of my trees.

 

[Adair M]

I won't, it is still a little soft now, I'm gonna give it another week or so.

Hey, where did you get that avatar photo?

Get those branches growing up, not off at an angle as soon as you can. You will be surprised how quickly they lignify.

Usually brooms will have a perfectly straight trunk, perfect shaped broom, not very old; boring...

Most good brooms are either very large or very old.

This one has nice aging, and a slanted trunk. Could be interesting.

Brooms are boring? Perhaps from an aesthetic point of view. From the the technical side of creating one, a good one, they’re very challenging.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Usually brooms will have a perfectly straight trunk, perfect shaped broom, not very old; boring...

Most good brooms are either very large or very old.

This one has nice aging, and a slanted trunk. Could be interesting.

Thanks, I will be able to straighten the trunk out some when I repot next. It is screwed to a plastic cutting board, so it is either screwed on crooked or the board is not level it the pot, either way I can adjust it some next spring.

 

[Mellow Mullet]

Yes might be the soon now, just don't wait till the end of the season (been there).
The avatar is just a picture of one of my trees.

Yeah, I have to with azaleas, waiting too long is frustrating, I will put some wire on them as soon as they start to stiffen, some of them are really soft.

I must have been seeing things this morning, I could have sworn that your avatar was the picture of the water tower that I posted earlier in the thread. I guess my brain was still asleep or still feeling the bourbon, or both.....