Advice for this Field Grown Elm

[PeaceLoveBonsai]

I picked up this Lacebark/Chinese Elm at a nursery recently. I don't think they quite new what to do with it. They told me they picked it up in the Pacific NW a few years ago and that it had been field grown for Bonsai. Whether thats true or not, IDK.

It took two guys to load into my car. Here's how it looked after bringing it home.


The trunk measures about 3 inches with additional flare.



I wanted to get the root ball reduced a bit in order to get it into a pot...but after I started, I found the ball to be some of the hardest clay I'd ever come across. A few hours later, and poof, I had basically bare rooted it.



I do love how the bark is showing that orange color.

Here's the pile of clay from the root ball:



Here's as it stands now, potted in a mostly perlite mix.


My question is...now what?

I can't tell if this is good material or not. The trunk is good size, and assuming it survives, it will now be growing in better substrate for root growth. My initial thought is I could airlayer a few of the larger branches and see what's left. I might also just use it as a patio tree for the rest of the season and see how it responds before doing anything further. Or I could just say "screw it" and chop it down and see how it goes. I didn't spend a lot on it, so I open to suggestions.

 

[Dav4]

That's going to make a nice broom. You already did the root work, so I'd want to cut all the secondary trunks back HARD... probably leaving anywhere between 2-4" of length. You want trunks of varying lengths and widths. Here's the catch, though... I would have wanted to do the cuts before doing the root work, preferably while dormant. I suspect that a healthy elm would tolerate the cut backs now, but you know... I've been wrong before.

 

[A. Gorilla]

Those low, thick, upward facing branches make me think of those voluptuous deciduous trees in the illustrated Winnie the Pooh books.

 

[PeaceLoveBonsai]

That's going to make a nice broom. You already did the root work, so I'd want to cut all the secondary trunks back HARD... probably leaving anywhere between 2-4" of length. You want trunks of varying lengths and widths. Here's the catch, though... I would have wanted to do the cuts before doing the root work, preferably while dormant. I suspect that a healthy elm would tolerate the cut backs now, but you know... I've been wrong before.

I, too, suspect a healthy elm would take the abuse. Problem is, I'm not real sure of the health, and by the time I do, im sure it will be too late to chop.

 

[Dav4]

I, too, suspect a healthy elm would take the abuse. Problem is, I'm not real sure of the health, and by the time I do, im sure it will be too late to chop.

you could always wait until mid summer to do the chops, assuming the tree grows well over the next few months.

 

[PeaceLoveBonsai]

you could always wait until mid summer to do the chops, assuming the tree grows well over the next few months.

Or Air-layer a couple of the larger branches, right?

 

[discusmike]

I wouldn't waste my time layering if it were mine,cut it back now n save yourself a seasons worth of work,you could have taken many large root cuttings while doing your rootwork,nice trunk by the way

 

[Dav4]

Or Air-layer a couple of the larger branches, right?

I wouldn't waste my time layering if it were mine,cut it back now n save yourself a seasons worth of work,you could have taken many large root cuttings while doing your rootwork,nice trunk by the way

Yeah, don't bother with air layers... depending on who you talk to, many will say you could probably strike the trunks as cuttings.

 

[augustine]

It's a nice trunk. I would take dav4s advice about the broom but I would not do the drastic pruning til next year. They are very vigorous but the rootball has been through quite a lot