What would you do?

ohiogrown

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I got this last year and didn’t do anything with it yet. What would you do? I’m thinking about either air layering it up high to make a tree out of the right branch. Or I’m thinking of just taking the left side off and keeping it as is with the trunk and the right branch.
 

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What kind of elm is it?

Seems one of them right small ones...

If so...

I'd layer off all those bulges as clumps, anything else with interest, and keep the bottom section too!

Bloody Hell!

Sorce
 
Using the first picture I would get rid of the right branch completely. Whether you air layer it off is up to you.
I would also cut the left one down to the first bulge from the
crotch. It gives you the best movement and some taper.
Let it grow out some then choose the leader you want to keep for the continuation of the trunk.
Do all of this to it as the buds swell.
Me personally,I would forgo the layer thing and just cut it down. Maybe taking a few cuttings. Elms grow fairly fast.
 
What kind of elm is it?

Seems one of them right small ones...

If so...

I'd layer off all those bulges as clumps, anything else with interest, and keep the bottom section too!


Bloody Hell!

Sorce
I think it’s a cork bark elm? That’s what I was told at least.
Using the first picture I would get rid of the right branch completely. Whether you air layer it off is up to you.
I would also cut the left one down to the first bulge from the
crotch. It gives you the best movement and some taper.
Let it grow out some then choose the leader you want to keep for the continuation of the trunk.
Do all of this to it as the buds swell.
Me personally,I would forgo the layer thing and just cut it down. Maybe taking a few cuttings. Elms grow fairly fast.

Would it be possible in spring if I cut off that branch and put rooting hormone on it that I could use it as a large cutting? Would it root?
Thank you guys for the advise. Just one of many trees I’ll be asking for some advise on.
 
I think it’s a cork bark elm? That’s what I was told at least.

I know that's what you were told on another thread, but personally I think it might be a Seiju. Seiju is a little corky (as is the closely related Hokkaido), but not as much as the true cork-bark. The tell-tale sign is the size of the leaves. Seiju has the second smallest leaves of any Chinese elm cultivar.

Would it be possible in spring if I cut off that branch and put rooting hormone on it that I could use it as a large cutting? Would it root?
Thank you guys for the advise. Just one of many trees I’ll be asking for some advise on.

If it were my tree, I would chose one trunk as the "keeper" and air-layer off the second trunk in the spring as soon as buds pop. Almost 100% guarantee not to fail, and then you end up with two healthy trees (versus trying to do a large hardwood cutting).

Quick add... don't forget when you air-layer you don't have to execute your air-layer at a right angle to the trunk line. Cut your girdle at a 60 degree angle and voila! suddenly you have a nice nebari with trunk movement right at the soil line.
 
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I know that's what you were told on another thread, but personally I think it might be a Seiju. Seiju is a little corky (as is the closely related Hokkaido), but not as much as the true cork-bark. The tell-tale sign is the size of the leaves. Seiju has the second smallest leaves of any Chinese elm cultivar.



If it were my tree, I would chose one trunk as the "keeper" and air-layer off the second trunk in the spring as soon as buds pop. Almost 100% guarantee not to fail, and then you end up with two healthy trees (versus trying to do a large hardwood cutting).

Quick add... don't forget when you air-layer you don't have to execute your air-layer at a right angle to the trunk line. Cut your girdle at a 60 degree angle and voila! suddenly you have a nice nebari with trunk movement right at the soil line.
I’m almost 100% it’s a cork bark elm. I actually do have a Seiju elm too. I’ll post a pic later. But I do agree with your idea of the air layer and that’s what I plan to do. Thanks for the info on the air layering too! I’m going to give it a try this spring! Two trees sounds better then one!
 
Not a cork bark elm. That you can take to the bank.

Same thing happens with Catlin elm, usually a sport off a Chinese elm with small leaves but not Catlin.

And it also happens with kingsville boxwood. Almost always Morris midget.

Enjoy your cork bark elm
 
Not a cork bark elm. That you can take to the bank.

Same thing happens with Catlin elm, usually a sport off a Chinese elm with small leaves but not Catlin.

And it also happens with kingsville boxwood. Almost always Morris midget.

Enjoy your cork bark elm
So it’s what then? I was told by a bonsai vender when I bought it that it’s a cork bark elm. I honestly don’t care if it is or it is not. Just would be nice to know what it really is.
 
Got this at the same time. Is this not seiju?
 

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The other with leaves.
 

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The other with leaves.

The thing about Seiju, Hokkaido and Yatsubusa is that they all show "nubs" on the trunk with somewhat regular spacing. The trunks and bark look very different from that of a cork-bark. They get rough bark but it is a very different character.

Now that I see your photo with leaves on it... I'm not sure what it is :) It just isn't a cork bark. A cork bark at that size would already show substantial corking.

corkelm2017.jpg
 
The thing about Seiju, Hokkaido and Yatsubusa is that they all show "nubs" on the trunk with somewhat regular spacing. The trunks and bark look very different from that of a cork-bark. They get rough bark but it is a very different character.

Now that I see your photo with leaves on it... I'm not sure what it is :) It just isn't a cork bark. A cork bark at that size would already show substantial corking.

View attachment 168722
Thank you guys! I don’t know what I have lol. I only know what they guy said selling it. I’m no expert in elms. They were cheep so I got them. But I still would like to know what it is. I guess you care for elms mostly the same no matter what it is.
 
Got this at the same time. Is this not seiju?
This one is almost certainly a seiju.

The leaves on the other one look a bit more like standard chinese elm leaves, but the bark looks like seiju bark. Maybe some odd variant.

But like you said, the care for them is practically identical regardless of exactly which variety it is.
 
The other thing to remember is that Hokkaido is a sport (or a mutated branch) from a regular Chinese Elm. Seiju is a sport from Hokkaido. It's not that far of a stretch to believe that whatever tree the cuttings were taken from for that first tree had sported yet again but with larger size leaves. That's what I'm guessing. It's not cork though as Al's pics show.
 
I love your elm Bonsai Nut!

I just picked two tiny potted Hokkaido elm today at a local nursery, from Iseli. Obviously, I intend to create bonsai, one a mame or shohin and the other a medium sized tree.

On Wiki, it mentions that Hokkaido is typically considered too small for common sized bonsai. The leaves are certainly lilliputian, but I don't necessarily think out of proportion (on the small side). Perhaps, in reality, they are in better proportion than basically any other material available out there.

If you imagine a full sized tree of, say, 50 feet in height with leaves 3" in length, the ratio of leaf length to tree height is 1/200.

A Hokkaido elm Bonsai that is 20" tall with 1/10" in length leaves would have a ratio of leaf length to tree height of 1/200.

Consider the above Hokkaido versus the typical 20" trident maple with well reduced 1/2" leaves. 1/40.

I have read though that Hokkaido drops branches and cultivation can be tricky, so these may be along the lines of why it is not as commonly used for bonsai as many other species. It also seems like styling and pruning will be a challenge.
 
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