Chinese Elm - Root Pruning and Limb Pruning For Style??

[JohnFranklin - Zone 7b]

I am hoping someone can provide some direction. I root pruned (first root prune ever) four Chinese Elms today (03/04/2023) see the attached photo. Each tree is five years old this month, grown from seed and are 2.5 to 3 ft in height. I have two questions, can I prune back the limbs and the trunk later this season or is it best to wait for the roots to really heal, like next season? Upon root pruning, I placed them in a very bonsai 'ish soil mixture (yeah, dumb description) but I do know it drains much better than potting soil. Historically they have been in a potting soil\bonsai soil mixture, maybe 60\40. So my second question is, can I anticipate watering more frequently this summer given the change in drainage? I haven't envisioned the style for the trees as I should have, however I am thinking the broom style (Hokidachi). Thanks, any input will be appreciated.

 

[Shibui]

Without knowing how much root you chopped it is hard to be definitive about what else you can do.
As this is your first root prune I'm guessing you were, as most beginners, conservative and only did a light root trim.
Chinese elms are pretty resilient so you should be able to trim the tops or even do a hard trunk chop in a few months. I frequently do a very hard root chop and chop the trunks at the same time when transplanting Chinese elms from the grow beds to pots and they still grow well.

Generally the more open draining the mix the more often you'll need to water but some components retain more water than others so every mix is different. You'll still need to monitor how fast it dries out in your pots in your back yard and adjust water accordingly.

 

[JohnFranklin - Zone 7b]

Thanks for your response. This was my second effort at root pruning as I did two Maples one year ago and very likely, as you point out, did not root prune as much as I could have. Each of the four elms had a root ball which averaged, probably, 10 inches in length and 7 to 8 inches width, however I removed on each, at least 65 to maybe...70 percent of the roots, still probably could have done more? In any event, I was more comfortable with root pruning the Elms than the Maples but I digress. So based on your response in a could of months I should be able to trim the tops and trunks. This is great to know as the Elms are currently in standard small pots and given their height are "kinda" top heavy. Thanks again.

 

[JohnFranklin - Zone 7b]

Moved to correct OP.