Need some help on Elm

[AlainK]

Good tree. I like it.

 

[j evans]

LanceMac10 could you mark where you are talking about? I would appreciate it. Thanks

 

[ConorDash]

Yeh exactly. Where the aged bark ends and that last section of long straight taperless leader begins.. that needs cutting shorter, the next leader (which you don’t have to focus on growing, it’ll just happen) will then have a change of direction and taper. That’s that taken of.

The lowest branch I might let grow out to thicken and be more in line with others. I like my tree to be a tree, natural but I do like beating in mind old Bonsai Japanese guidelines; branches thickest at bottom and thinner as they go up. The second lowest (using 3rd pic as reference) also on the left, is quite long and thick, I’d keep that in check, perhaps shorten to bring some balance back to the tree.
Bear in mind your new leader at top, due to apical dominance should be growing well.

that’s how I would start.

 

[j evans]

So am I thinking right about your suggestions?

 

[Cosmos]

Years later, that tree is still planted too high.

 

[j evans]

I've waited years for you input. Thanks

 

[AaronThomas]

Bhahahhahaha!

 

[LanceMac10]

So am I thinking right about your suggestions?

View attachment 288435

yes....at least that upper mark as indicated. The lower cuts can come later, if at all. Some might need to be removed/reduced, but iron out a "front" first.

 

[j evans]

My personal opinion would be photo one or three.
I like the hollow in photo one but photo 3 offers some interesting curves.
Undecided...

 

[j evans]

Any input as to a front?
Thanks

 

[Forsoothe!]

Well, here is the tree today. First shot is directly out of the winter hideaway, second is after trimming, third is root growth and fourth us back in pot. I have not addressed the raised roots as of yet. After six years the look has grown on me. I'm looking for comments and any suggestions. Thanks.View attachment 189539View attachment 189540View attachment 189541View attachment 189542

I thought you had it here.

 

[j evans]

Well it has been 2 years since I have had this tree out to really look at it due to other things going on. Yes the tree still is planted a bit too high in the pot, I have a "L" root which I'm still mulling over and I am growing out two lower branches in order to thicken them. I'm looking for constructive criticism. The apex doesn't look right and I don't know how to correct it.
Or do I cut everything back to where it was years ago and start over.
Comments?

 

[j evans]

Any ideas on how to make this apex a bit more attractive? Thanks for your input.

 

[j evans]

One more

 

[Paradox]

I'd carve out where the chop was and try to get it to callus over better. I think I'd also cut the straight branches above back to a couple of inches above the last cut mentioned above and rebuild your apex from those. Or maybe chop it again at the big branch under those top ones, cut that branch back an rebuild from there.

Hard to say from the pictures

 

[j evans]

Are you talking about chopping where I have marked?
I don't know where you are talking about carving.
Can you show me?
Thanks

 

[Darth Masiah]

that seems a little drastic. maybe more like this to keep taper going into the apex.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

1st off, I love this thread. I think the tree looks better and has more potential now than in the beginning when everyone was giving you crap for the initial chop.

Good job being patient with it and having the vision required long term to turn thus elm into something great.

As for the apex, Id agree with darth about his cut point, then chop back that new leader to a small new right leader and then maintain.

 

[Tieball]

I think that eventually you’ll need to deal with some of the lower branches that appear, from the photo view anyway, to be growing from nearly the same plane or location that are creating a large diameter swelling in the trunk.

I recently had an American Elm that grew out of control to branch thicknesses I did not like or want….it’s an Elm…so I could remove all the branches and it would begin new growth all over the trunk. I removed all the branches on the entire tree. This left just a trunk afterwards….only the trunk and one thickened branch cut back at the top to serve a position of tapering and it was chopped back to a small stub also. In just over three weeks it started to regrow all new buds that developed into branching all over the trunk. This is giving me a fresh restart on the tree. I’ve now pruned back that new branch growth as the branches rapidly grow.

 

[j evans]

That's an interesting idea. So you have removed all of your branches at the trunk and waited for new buds all over the tree.
That seems like quite a gamble.
Makes some sense as they say to grow the trunk first.
Don't know if I am up to that.
What are you projecting for a time line to have a decent tree once again?
Do the rest of you have an opinion as to which method might lead to a better tree in the end?
I'm getting older so I don't know & yes I know that these trees are a never ending project.
Thanks for the help.