Seiju Cork elm trim

[jdutton24]

1st pic is a broad over view. 2nd is what I think will be the front. To me it feels like a mess so I'm expecting some severe pruning ahead. Just need some advice which way to go

 

[raffaelbaer]

Personally I would let it grow out a tad more, to at some point cut back to the 3/4 bigger subtrunks you got going on. Meanwhile make shure to work the nebari, maybe try the Ebihara Method, It leeds to great results in short time. Maybe plant it in a flat wooden grow box or anderson flat then. Once youre happy with the trunk size, cut back to the bigger subtrunks in early spring, wait for it to bud back out, let it grow a few months, hack everything back, repeat 2 times in the season, while fertilizing heavy. In Fall wire the branches some nice movement.

Trunk thickening will take 3-5 years, if you fertilize heavily.
The ramification building with the process I described will take another 3-5 years.

Then you will get something like this:



Or of course you choose a different style, but I like the more tree like / naturalistic form on elms...

Cheers
Raffael

 

[BrianBay9]

I would consider ground layering at least half way up that straight trunk.

 

[jdutton24]

Personally I would let it grow out a tad more, to at some point cut back to the 3/4 bigger subtrunks you got going on. Meanwhile make shure to work the nebari, maybe try the Ebihara Method, It leeds to great results in short time. Maybe plant it in a flat wooden grow box or anderson flat then. Once youre happy with the trunk size, cut back to the bigger subtrunks in early spring, wait for it to bud back out, let it grow a few months, hack everything back, repeat 2 times in the season, while fertilizing heavy. In Fall wire the branches some nice movement.

Trunk thickening will take 3-5 years, if you fertilize heavily.
The ramification building with the process I described will take another 3-5 years.

Then you will get something like this:

View attachment 563091View attachment 563092

Or of course you choose a different style, but I like the more tree like / naturalistic form on elms...

Cheers
Raffael

What substrate do you use to grow it out

 

[raffaelbaer]

What substrate do you use to grow it out

For trees in development I use:

Peat free soil
pumice
lava
perlite

roughly in 1:1:1:1 ratio, however most of the times, I just eye ball it and the mixture has more soil in it.... At then end its just important that your soil has a bit components to it, that give the roots better airration, nothing to fancy.

For trees in refinement I use:

Peat free soil
pumice
lava
akadama

this time in a perferct 1:1:1:1 ratio. For smaller trees I like to put a top dressing of sifted akadama, pumice and lava, it just looks a tad nicer.

Hope this helps clear things out.

Please share the progress with your tree here, and feel free too ask further questions, since thats the only way (if you dont understand something, to really flourish and progress in this beautiful hobby).

 

[raffaelbaer]

I would consider ground layering at least half way up that straight trunk.

Totally depends on what style of three it should be. But with air layering it, it would definitely add a lot more dynamic for maybe a shorter tree. Or even a sort of clump style elm, if the layering is done at the point where the branches fork out!