Cork Bark Chinese Elm(s)

[ColinFraser]

Here's an angle that may show my taper concerns better.

 

[bonhe]

Thanks! It's not just cleanup of the visible stuff either, the root mass is a complete solid block that water barely drains into. My idea is to wait until spring to do anything, but watering it makes me think a slip pot or something else minimally invasive might be in order. At the moment I'm just stabbing it with a chopstick a bit . . .

Hi ColinFraser,
This is a best time to do transplant for Elm, at least in my area. Elm likes to be disturb their rootage in the cold time when it has no more leaves! Remember doing root cutting when you transplant it. The trees from the root cutting will have some interesting shapes.
Bonhe

 

[ColinFraser]

Hi ColinFraser,
This is a best time to do transplant for Elm, at least in my area. Elm likes to be disturb their rootage in the cold time when it has no more leaves! Remember doing root cutting when you transplant it. The trees from the root cutting will have some interesting shapes.
Bonhe

Thanks for your input
I understand now might beat good time to repot, but my gut tells me to put it off until after I have completed my air layer . . . afterward, I can be brutal with the roots on the remaining trunk.

 

[ColinFraser]

Here is a possibility for proceeding with the lower half:

 

[sorce]

That's exactly what I was looking at!

I still want to see these carved up!

Sorce

 

[Giga]

I like the look it has. If it was mine I'd keep the height and clean up the top a bit and carve some hollow in the reserve taper area. Then let e few lower keeper branches grow unchecked while keeping the top on check. It's an elm it supposed to bu ugly and beautiful at the same time.

 

[jeremy_norbury]

I like it just the way it is.

 

[bonhe]

Thanks for your input
I understand now might beat good time to repot, but my gut tells me to put it off until after I have completed my air layer . . . afterward, I can be brutal with the roots on the remaining trunk.

If I was you, I would do transplant before air layering. The reason is that when the tree is healthy, the air layering will be more successful.
Regarding to reverse taper, the elm is tending to have it naturally. May be that is why Jeremy_norbury said he liked it just the way is was.
If this tree belonged to me, I would carve out the reverse tapering part since the elm has capacity of healing well.
Bonhe

 

[ColinFraser]

Wakey wakey, Spring is coming:

 

[sorce]

Dislike button.
Damn it.

Sorce

 

[M. Frary]

3 more months!

 

[sorce]

3 more months!

2.....2!

Sorce

 

[dirk hoorelbeke]

Yes they are always early. Refining the branchtips between this and a week will eliminate the stronger apical buds inducing more strength for the interior and delaying the start of the growing season with 2 or 3 weeks.

 

[jquast]

I'm with Jeremy, I wouldn't make two trees from it. I would repot it now and let a sacrifice run to correct any reverse taper issues that you may see.

My elms are starting to push already as well. Will have temps in the low 70's this week.​

 

[ColinFraser]

Well, spring came fast and this thing turned into a green sphere:


I wish I had the time and chutzpah to have worked it sooner, but better late than never . . .

 

[ColinFraser]

Those of you who liked it as bought might want to look away now, as some serious carnage is about to begin.

 

[ColinFraser]

In for a penny . . . in for a pound.



There's a tapering trunk in there somewhere . . .



I think I found it:

 

[ColinFraser]

I think most, if not all, of the branches will eventually be removed and regrown, but I wanted to leave some to power this round of healing and the layer.

 

[ColinFraser]

Speaking of layering, this one's a little tricky. I can't open as wide a girdle on one side as I'd usually like, because I don't have trunk to spare above or below the layer site - it butts right up to the new post-chop leader on the bottom tree:

 

[ColinFraser]

I opted for sphag-n-bag™ for now, to try and limit the moisture to a small area (protecting as much bark as possible) without drying out. I think I may do what worked well on my recent Kishu air layer - leave it like this for about a month (or until callused and beginning root growth), and then swap it for a split pot. Kishu Air Layer