American Elm field growing progression, Caleb C.

[Caleb Campbell]

Found this little American elm sapling growing in the rocks under my shed while I was mowing sometime in late May this year. It would've gotten weedeated, deer chewed, or mowed if I didn't save it so I collected it gently. As you will see, this things just skyrockets.

Here is the trunk progression. First photo is August 2, but it had grown a great deal already, but I don't have any trunk size photos. Pay attention to the dates when I get to the height progression, it will give you an idea of how much this has grown in total, trunk progression starts late.

Dates 1) - 8/2, 8/12, 9/24,


As you can see, it's nearly doubled in thickness, from approximately 1/4" to just under an inch.
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Dates 2) - Both 10/26


Chunking up
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Dates 3) - Both 11/26


Almost double my thumb! And it's still green and growing since we're having a bit of a slow winter.

Trunk probably went from <1/4" to just over an inch, despite transplanting it in the summer! It'll probably just totally take off next season. Under the soil the base is probably like 1 1/2".

 

[Caleb Campbell]

Now here is the hight progression.

So if you remember, my first trunk photo was almost 2 months after collecting it. Pay attention to how much it had already grown by 8/2 (my first trunk photo)

Dates - (6/05), (7/26), (8/17), (11/6), (11/6)


It's gone from about 1.5 feet to over 7 feet in one season

 

[HorseloverFat]

Nice! I love Ulmus...

Americans (Elms) are JUST as decent as any for bonsai.. IF you find ones with good traits. There are just FEWER American Elms with desirable personalities.

Those look like guitar/keyboard hands.. do you play?

 

[Caleb Campbell]

Nice! I love Ulmus...

Americans (Elms) are JUST as decent as any for bonsai.. IF you find ones with good traits. There are just FEWER American Elms with desirable personalities.

Those look like guitar/keyboard hands.. do you play?

Well I haven't gotten these to the training stages yet so we'll see how well the leaves reduce, but honestly I don't care. It grows so fast it's more than worth it. American elm are supposed to reduce well, to 1/2" according to Zach Smith, and the internodes are pretty tight considering it's growing in the ground with lots of fertilizing. We'll see how this one does. I have 10 more growing next to it, but they're way behind and got chewed by deer repeatedly, and this one outpaced it and was left untouched by the deer. I think it's naturally deer resistant somehow, and/or grows super well here since it was native. My other american elms were shipped from somewhere else

Funny you say that, I do play both! Well, haven't played guitar in a while, but I do play some piano here and there, and used to be big into percussion in high school, so played marimba as well

 

[Marco B]

Almost a bonsai!

 

[HorseloverFat]

Well I haven't gotten these to the training stages yet so we'll see how well the leaves reduce, but honestly I don't care. It grows so fast it's more than worth it. American elm are supposed to reduce well, to 1/2" according to Zach Smith, and the internodes are pretty tight considering it's growing in the ground with lots of fertilizing. We'll see how this one does. I have 10 more growing next to it, but they're way behind and got chewed by deer repeatedly, and this one outpaced it and was left untouched by the deer. I think it's naturally deer resistant somehow, and/or grows super well here since it was native. My other american elms were shipped from somewhere else

Funny you say that, I do play both! Well, haven't played guitar in a while, but I do play some piano here and there, and used to be big into percussion in high school, so played marimba as well

Oh yes! American Elms will reduce!

I have a handful.. in varying stages.

They also can strike well.. from big, stupid, “Oh my god, WHY would you try to root a cutting so bug” hardwood cuttings which is pretty rare for temperate species.

 

[Caleb Campbell]

Almost a bonsai!

Haha not quite! But she looks like she'll get there quick. She won't like the way I get her there

 

[Caleb Campbell]

Oh yes! American Elms will reduce!

I have a handful.. in varying stages.

They also can strike well.. from big, stupid, “Oh my god, WHY would you try to root a cutting so bug” hardwood cuttings which is pretty rare for temperate species.

Wow, cool! Sure enough, this one has rooted any cutting I've tried from it, and they immediately started growing considerably even in their tiny pots. This one exemplifies all I've hear about the species. The other American elms I ordered are a little more puny.

One of the cuttings got knocked off my bench into the weeds for several days until I noticed it was gone. Leaves were shriveled up and some were brown. Watered it the leaves swelled and the next day it was back in business, and put out buds to replace the leaves that were lost in only a couple days. Tough for a very young cutting

I will try some hardwood cuttings if I end up chopping with no time to air layer. But I will be air layering quite a lot in the coming years