[2015-] Chinese Elm - from cutting to broom

[akhater]

Inspired by Greg's terrific thread I'm gonna make brooms I am trying to develop my own broom starting from a small Chinese Elm cutting.

The cutting was taken on April 1st 2015, and on the 10th of May it was looking like this

What I did first was cut the small branch down

I then used a small zip-tie to accentuate the Y angle

this morning (31st of May 2015) it was looking like

I brushed the new buds on the trunk and remove the zip tie to see how it looks and the angle seems just fine to me

Here it is as it is looking now with the zip-tie back in place

One thing I don't really like is that the cutting is not in the center of the pot but close to the border, however I thing that I will probably have to layer it anyway in a few years so there is no need to slip-pot it into another pot or anything like this at this time.

Thanks Greg for the inspiration

 

[klosi]

Great project!
I would maybe suggest planting it in the ground. It would maybe grow faster and get thicker. I assume that is what you are trying to achieve.
Now let it grow! I hope I get back to this thread in 7 years and seeing a real decent bonsai

 

[KennedyMarx]

In the ground or a colander would make it thicken up faster, like Klosi suggested. I don't understand the point of the zip tie? It's a good start just gonna take a while.

 

[cmeg1]

Hi,akhater.Best of luck to you!I wonder if these elms will be so easy as the zelkova's to start from seed/cuttings.
I do not have real experience growing different species other than my zelkovas.
I wish I could offer some assistance,but this is a totally different species for me.
I guess if you could get the many slender branches to form in the first year then wrap up for the winter you stand a chance to follow the seedling technique as I show in my thread.You would definitely have to get to that stage in first season if they are to form in this manor.
Thanks for reading my thread.I cannot believe it has been three years!


Curtis

 

[Eric Group]

I think you want to cut the branches back to two leaves each, once those shoots both grow, Extend, harden off... Then repeat by cutting back to two leaves on those... And on and on...

 

[akhater]

Great project!
I would maybe suggest planting it in the ground. It would maybe grow faster and get thicker. I assume that is what you are trying to achieve.
Now let it grow! I hope I get back to this thread in 7 years and seeing a real decent bonsai

Thanks Klosi,

I really hope I will be able to do something decent with it over the next couple of years too.

In the ground or a colander would make it thicken up faster, like Klosi suggested. I don't understand the point of the zip tie? It's a good start just gonna take a while.

I have bad experience with "ground planting" I think it is due to the bad soil I have available, it is going into a colander next spring for sure.

The zip-tie is to accentuate the slingshot angle, if you look at the Y angle between the first and the last picture you will see what I am trying to accomplish

Hi,akhater.Best of luck to you!I wonder if these elms will be so easy as the zelkova's to start from seed/cuttings.
I do not have real experience growing different species other than my zelkovas.
I wish I could offer some assistance,but this is a totally different species for me.
I guess if you could get the many slender branches to form in the first year then wrap up for the winter you stand a chance to follow the seedling technique as I show in my thread.You would definitely have to get to that stage in first season if they are to form in this manor.
Thanks for reading my thread.I cannot believe it has been three years!


Curtis

For some reason I though your name was Gred, sorry about that

I am planning to follow your path step by step and I don't think it will be much different than Zelkovas. I have some Zelkova seeds in the fridge but until they sprout I am sticking with this one .

I think you want to cut the branches back to two leaves each, once those shoots both grow, Extend, harden off... Then repeat by cutting back to two leaves on those... And on and on...

Thank you Eric, next update in a few weeks/months will certainly wait for a confirmation before I cut. I'm kind of happy to have that one root from cutting


Cheers to all

 

[sorce]

For some reason I though your name was Gred, sorry about that

Curtis

I thought it was Megan!

Sorce

Ps. nice trees

 

[M. Frary]

My approach to a broom style is way different. I would just let it grow until the trunk is as thick as you want for the final tree. Then chop that bad devil at the proper height and then grow the branches. It's an elm. You will get there faster in the long run. Doing it this way you keep slowing the growth down by plucking at it all of the time.

 

[akhater]

My approach to a broom style is way different. I would just let it grow until the trunk is as thick as you want for the final tree. Then chop that bad devil at the proper height and then grow the branches. It's an elm. You will get there faster in the long run. Doing it this way you keep slowing the growth down by plucking at it all of the time.

Yeah I'm aware of this method and I have some root / cuttings I am hoping to develop like that.

This one will be done Curtis way

 

[akhater]

This little one is growing pretty good, it is in full sun 10 hours a day and it seems to enjoy it

Is it time to cut back already ?

 

[Eric Group]

This little one is growing pretty good, it is in full sun 10 hours a day and it seems to enjoy it

Is it time to cut back already ?

It looks like it is planted right up against the side of the pot? That won't create a very even nebari... When you repot it, give it more room on all sides for roots to grow radially. I think you need to let it grow a little bit to start thickening up some and gain some vigor.

 

[akhater]

Yea I know this is what I said in the first post I had multiple cuttings in the same pot and this one took.

I don't dare repot it this year, I will do as you said next spring hopefully

 

[cmeg1]

Well,as the shoots get longer the buds closest to the bottom of the shoot have a chance to develope.I would at least let them get 12" long before cutting back.

 

[discusmike]

You have a good start,but years before this tree will trunk up enough for bonsai,putting it in the ground and letting it grow will get you there much much faster.

 

[erb.75]

it depends on the size you want for your bonsai...most bonsai enthusiasts on this site would want to let that thing grow wild for the next 5 or even 10 years before doing much of anything at all...good bonsai's look good because the trunk is bigger than the branches (just like a real tree...it's tapered). Your tree is a nice start but the trunk is the same size as the branches, which takes a long time to change

 

[akhater]

Mid summer update, this one grew like wow I didn't expect so much trunk growth in just 2 months, I gave it its first haircut, I hope I did well

Before

After

 

[M. Frary]

If you want it thicken fast just let it grow. And grow.

 

[cmeg1]

If you going for the small broom image,I would get the branches all into a -v- pointing upward before they get too thick.Tight -v-form.