A friend of mine gave me a corkbark elm and if this was given to you what would you do with it.....

[Benny w]

Id chop here too and regrow the rest. You can try growing the top as a cutting. If it strikes, cool. If it doesnt, no big deal.

I think I like this plan the best. Thank u

 

[Cable]

... having 2 crap trees is twice as bad as having one crap tree.

Ok, that cracked me up! Sometimes at work one of the growers will say "that plant is too ugly to sell so we'll shift it to a larger size" and I'm always like "why turn a small ugly plant into a big ugly plant?"

 

[M. Frary]

I would simply chop it off

Real low.

 

[Benny w]

I trunk chopped this elm late winter early spring of this year and I had a plan and that was to let the top branch grow long and become the trunk extension and in the next year or two I was going to cut back to two branches where the bottom branch would be the second branch and the top would be the new trunk extension and basically was going to make another pine style tree. Earlier this year when I trunk chopped it I feel like I made a mistake because I dont want another pine styled tree I want to go with something new to me and I've never tried to my hand at the oak/broom style ( or a even a broom). There isnt much i can do to the tree right now but I'm thinking if i want a oak style broom I dont want the branch I was going to let run get to long to shade out where I want growth which is at the chop so I can get some more growth in that area. Since I live in fresno ca I'm not worried about the small shoots currently growing out of the chopped trunk because I will still get a good amount of growth before winter. It looks as though I chopped it not to long ago because of the weak shoots at the chop and that's because most of the growth was focused on that leader which was 3 feet but today I cut part of it off so I can get the two shoots at the chop to grow stronger before winter. I invite criticism and understand cutting anything off during a heat wave is not good but considering the genus I'm not worried and more good will come out of it. Thanks in advance to any comments from those of you that know how to best make use of this material. I know the bottom branch will need to go but probably not wise in 112 degree weather. I've already cut one branch shorter and dont need to remove another ( that's what my thought is anyway)

 

[Benny w]

Here are the pics.

 

[Benny w]

I also understand brooms look better when the trunk is straighter and the movement you see in the pics is not as noticeable in real life especially when I angle the tree during the next repot

 

[leatherback]

I think if you want lots of branches at the cutsite, you should remove all lower growth. Ideally you had done that at the moment you chopped

 

[PeaceLoveBonsai]

I would stick with plan A, “pine style”, or maybe “informal upright”. That trunk is not straight enough and shoot selection would have been needed from the start to begin a good broom. You could chop again (next year), but there doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of trunk left! Find another elm, with a straight trunk, to try your hand at a broom.

 

[Benny w]

I think if you want lots of branches at the cutsite, you should remove all lower growth. Ideally you had done that at the moment you chopped

Normally I would have. Thanks for the comment and help

 

[Benny w]

I would stick with plan A, “pine style”, or maybe “informal upright”. That trunk is not straight enough and shoot selection would have been needed from the start to begin a good broom. You could chop again (next year), but there doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of trunk left! Find another elm, with a straight trunk, to try your hand at a broom.

Thanks

 

[Forsoothe!]

This is worse than a dirt fight. This is a discussion about how to jam a square peg into a round hole. Just growing the canopy to accentuate the trunk as it exists is a solution that only takes clip & grow. That's is a solution that a greenhorn can make happen and have a tree worth having in 5 years. All other solutions will produce a potato with leaves for the next 15 years, if come.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Oops! Too late. Now begins a 15 year post going from chop to chop to chop to dead.

 

[Benny w]

Oops! Too late. Now begins a 15 year post going from chop to chop to chop to dead.

I dont follow can you explain. Maybe I'm having one of those days but are you saying my project is screwed already?

 

[leatherback]

Some people do not like trees that have had a major part cut of. Most people start bonsai by cutting a larger tree down. Don't worry.

 

[coh]

This tree is basically a blank slate that you can build almost anything out of. You could develop a "standard" informal upright using that larger branch as the next trunk segment and the lowest branch as...the lowest branch. You'd need to cut the stub at an angle to make the transition to the new trunk segment look good. Or you can just let a bunch of branches grow out around the stump top and see what you get, maybe some kind of informal broom (look at Walter Pall's stuff).

What kind of tree do you want this to be?

Maybe look at Al's (@Smoke 's) old threads or his blog, he's in your climate and has worked a lot with elms. That might give you some ideas.

 

[Smoke]

Maybe look at Al's (@Smoke 's) old threads or his blog, he's in your climate and has worked a lot with elms. That might give you some ideas.

He's been to my house before....

 

[Benny w]

He's been to my house before....

Definitely an inspiring day! I'll get in touch with you

This tree is basically a blank slate that you can build almost anything out of. You could develop a "standard" informal upright using that larger branch as the next trunk segment and the lowest branch as...the lowest branch. You'd need to cut the stub at an angle to make the transition to the new trunk segment look good. Or you can just let a bunch of branches grow out around the stump top and see what you get, maybe some kind of informal broom (look at Walter Pall's stuff).

What kind of tree do you want this to be?

Maybe look at Al's (@Smoke 's) old threads or his blog, he's in your climate and has worked a lot with elms. That might give you some ideas.

When I chopped it I was going for the standard formal upright. But like I stated i have changed my mind. I have been inspired by smokes oak style tridents and elms. Some have posted that this elm could not make a good oak broom style because the trunk is not straight enough. I think this is not true and it can be. Maybe they see the word "broom" which if I was going for a wine glass shaped broom I would agree. I am excited for the weather ( which lately has been scorching but today is a little better) to change and for it to be fall so I can do a little work because here in the central valley we get a mini spring in the fall and I feel then I can take off the bottom branch which thereafter will push more energy to the growth coming out of the chop. Also need to shorten the long branch right below the chop.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I dont follow can you explain. Maybe I'm having one of those days but are you saying my project is screwed already?

Speaking as a Treebler, I have watched 'Taters chop trunks on many threads here. The expectation is that the tree will grow the branches it needs in some years and be styled into something with a proportionally large trunk & nebari because you chopped it. It rarely works that way. It is soon evident that the twigs that pass for branches will take a long, long time to grow to any shadow of a decent branch in proportion to the rest of the tree and that is achieved by thickening the twigs by growing long and chopping a few cycles. All of that takes years, and sounds nice, but the nature of our business is surviving winter and drought and winds and disease and pests and bad luck, and is commonly interrupted by the death of a strategic branch here or there requiring a shift in strategy to produce a replacement. It's you against the years in the end, and the years have a better batting average. I have seen here many, many started and damned few finished. Go figure.

 

[leatherback]

Speaking as a Treebler, I have watched 'Taters chop trunks on many threads here. The expectation is that the tree will grow the branches it needs in some years and be styled into something with a proportionally large trunk & nebari because you chopped it. It rarely works that way. It is soon evident that the twigs that pass for branches will take a long, long time to grow to any shadow of a decent branch in proportion to the rest of the tree and that is achieved by thickening the twigs by growing long and chopping a few cycles. All of that takes years, and sounds nice, but the nature of our business is surviving winter and drought and winds and disease and pests and bad luck, and is commonly interrupted by the death of a strategic branch here or there requiring a shift in strategy to produce a replacement. It's you against the years in the end, and the years have a better batting average. I have seen here many, many started and damned few finished. Go figure.

Such a depressing loon on growing bonsai. A battle against winter, drought, winds, diseases, pest and ad luck? Are you sure you are doing things right? I hardly have any trouble keeping my trees happy and healthy.

TO be honest, growing good branches takes time. Growing a new top takes time. But is not something unique to have work.

I would not be discouraged by the negativity, and just go ahead and work your tree. Grow out the trunk further, build upon what you have.

 

[BobbyLane]

I would stick with plan A, “pine style”, or maybe “informal upright”. That trunk is not straight enough and shoot selection would have been needed from the start to begin a good broom. You could chop again (next year), but there doesn’t seem like there’s a lot of trunk left! Find another elm, with a straight trunk, to try your hand at a broom.

he said he didnt want a pine style tree.
it can be developed into an infomal broom

if you just stick to 2 or 3 leaders and develop a crown from those and swiftly rub off adventitious buds, all the root energy will focus on your 2 or 3 keepers and they will thicken rather quickly, wire them up n out towards the light for faster development.