Out of season elm collection

[Robert E Holt]

Those roots are going to be fun to work on

I agree, my first thought was to see if it would survive. If it does I figured I would put it back in the ground for awhile and try to work on the trunk and roots. I thought maybe put some wire around the base and try to promote new surface roots.

 

[rockm]

I agree, my first thought was to see if it would survive. If it does I figured I would put it back in the ground for awhile and try to work on the trunk and roots. I thought maybe put some wire around the base and try to promote new surface roots.

Uh, no...That treatment probably won't promote anything but death at this point.

 

[Robert E Holt]

Uh, no...That treatment probably won't promote anything but death at this point.

OK, I am new to Bonsai. Just started three months ago. So enlighten me, why will this promote death?

 

[rockm]

Sure I'll enlighten you, if you're willing to slow down and listen.

You are attempting too much too soon with these at this point. You have already removed 95 percent of the plant's roots. The roots are the plant's "engine" for new growth. You also have top growth left for those roots to supply (and vice versa) at this point and into the coming autumn. Strangling the root system with wire will make recovery of the already compromised root system next to impossible.

First, you need to back off a bit and suppress your impulse to "do something" to the plant. Beginners kill most of their first plants by OVER caring for them. You've already done enough this year. The goal now should be to get these recovered enough for them to make it through the winter and into next spring. The growing season is getting shorter already. Once past summer solstice, with the days getting shorter, trees are beginning their shift from active growth over towards storing resources in their roots (Which you have mostly removed). That means you have to work on getting a new system in place before autumn. That's best done by letting them be in bonsai soil and keeping them adequately (not over, not under) watered.

 

[Robert E Holt]

Sure I'll enlighten you, if you're willing to slow down and listen.

You are attempting too much too soon with these at this point. You have already removed 95 percent of the plant's roots. The roots are the plant's "engine" for new growth. You also have top growth left for those roots to supply (and vice versa) at this point and into the coming autumn. Strangling the root system with wire will make recovery of the already compromised root system next to impossible.

First, you need to back off a bit and suppress your impulse to "do something" to the plant. Beginners kill most of their first plants by OVER caring for them. You've already done enough this year. The goal now should be to get these recovered enough for them to make it through the winter and into next spring. The growing season is getting shorter already. Once past summer solstice, with the days getting shorter, trees are beginning their shift from active growth over towards storing resources in their roots (Which you have mostly removed). That means you have to work on getting a new system in place before autumn. That's best done by letting them be in bonsai soil and keeping them adequately (not over, not under) watered.

I am willing to slow-down and listen. That's why I joined the forum, so I could listen and learn from more experienced Bonsai practitioners.

I do understand what you are suggesting. I never intended on wiring the trunk today. When I said I was going to wait to see if the tree survivede I was thinking about at least next spring. I didn't really want to dig the tree up in the middle of summer. It just happened to be in the way of some work I needed to complete. I certainly don't want to re-pot/plant it again this year. I do tend to get in a bit of a hurry though. Starting a new hobby, one kind of likes to see some results. Reading the beginners Bonsai books leads one to the impression that you can go out buy a nursery plant and make a bonsai tree in a few hours of cutting and potting. Now that I have read some more advanced books and seen some of the threads on Bonsai forums, I understand it takes years to see real results.

The main purpose of the post was as an illustration to the OP of what elms can survive (not that I recommend making a practice of it).

Thanks for responding to my post, and I do appreciate the helpfully suggestions. I hope to use Bonsai nut forum as a resource and in the future maybe I can even post something helpful to others.

 

[rockm]

FWIW, collecting and working containerized nursery trees are vastly different things. Containerized plants can, and are, routinely "converted" to bonsai in a pot in a few hours. Those plants have already had their root masses adapted to a container and tend to have more useful feeder roots near their trunks, which means you can be more aggressive in your work.
Also FWIW, collected deciduous trees often kick off the spring AFTER they've been dug. I never count on a tree's survival until it's lived for two years. I don't start working them for three. Even for vigorous stuff like elms.

Once of the first things you learn when you've done some collecting, the books are NEVER right. All manner of things go wrong, are different, etc. than what's shown in the books. Every collection is different. I've NEVER collected a rootball with dirt in it. The soil in my part of the world is sandy and anything I "dig" (and you don't really dig trees on the east coast and south, so much as saw) bare roots itself when lifted. That's not a problem with most deciduous species, though.

As for seeing results and impatience, if you push collected stuff too hard, the results are soon seen in the form of tree carcasses in your burn pile.

 

[Robert E Holt]

Thanks for the advice/information. I figure if I could get it through to spring with a good flush of growth it would survive. I didn't know it would still be at risk. I will try not to push things to far.

 

[sorce]

@rockm @Robert E Holt

I just want to say I like how this interaction went.

Gentleman conduct.

Sorce

 

[aml1014]

What are you using a hammer for dude? Saws man saws for cutting wood.
You weren't beating the root were you?

I was using the hammer to wedge the shovel under the tap. Also my original size guess was way off upon digging deeper the trunk is about 5 inches and that's exactly how thick the tap about that thick too.