Zelkova Broom attempt

[Darth Masiah]

looking good. you got a decent number of primary branches growing around the chop. get ready for a lot of pruning later on if you want a dense broom.

 

[MGTT]

Based on what I’ve gathered, I’ll remove unnecessary branches this fall, after leaf drop. This includes some pruning of the primary branches, and lightly tying them up.

I didn’t repot this year, knowing I was going to do the chop, so a repotting is in order next spring - likely into a wood box.

 

[MGTT]

Update - I repotted in 2024, with no trimming at the time. It grew wild throughout the year. So, unfortunately , it got way out of control. It’s basically done ever being a reasonable broom.

But, I was curious to see how the chop continues to recover. So, I repotted in March 2025 and drastically trimmed the branches. The tree did not like that approach. I thought it was dead until last week when I saw a scale on it.

This week it looks like it will finally bud out.

I’m happy with what I’ve learned-with the prime point, be on it big time during the growth period, and do branch work in the Fall vs Spring.

The swelling at the chop seems like it was controlled with the wrap, the branch growth/callous has gone inward nicely.



While I will try another broom on a few other seedlings, I may experiment and chop this one again next year, just below the branch swelling - honestly, nothing to lose at this point.

 

[DMac74]

I previously attempted a broom, chopping an in-ground tree. I did it in early spring, and it quickly grew out of control, in addition to having poor branch/bud distribution.

This time, I grew out a seedling in a root pouch for a few years.

Today I chopped it-removing ~3’/1meter. The trunk is now ~6” tall, ~1” diameter.

I cleaned up the chop, drilled out the center with a 0.5” drill bit, added a wrap of twine to try and help control swelling, and put some sphagnum on top to keep the chop moist.

I’m hoping this ‘mid-season’ chop will lead to both better branch distribution and growth that’s a little more restrained. Plus, being in a’pot’, it will be easier to maintain.

But, I am looking for some input-
1) I added a plastic bag to retain more moisture. It is open at the bottom, but I’m not sure if this is helpful or hurtful.
2) I placed it back out in full sun (about 12 hours per day, temps are in the 80’s F, and tel humidity is moderate (~50%), but will get higher very soon. Should I keep it in the sun, or look for a spot where it’s shaded?

Hi. Any updates on this technique?