Collected Cedar Elm Styling Feedback April 2025

[Plastid]

Hi,

Here is my first styling on a collected cedar elm (it is probably a alata/crassifolia hybrid). I would appreciate any feedback on this tree, but my main concern is the choice to separate these trees or not. I am not totally convinced that the trees together are making a stronger composition than them separate. I would make the larger trunk a large, thin, elegant, airy tree with a solid nebari (regrowing all of the branches). I would probably cut the top off the other tree for a literatiish effect. The trunks have not yet merged, but they probably will soon. These are in central Texas 9b. Thanks all.

 

[BrightsideB]

The trunks will take along time to merge. The bark is in between them they will most likely just push away. Young saplings growing vigorously can merge more easily.

I would allow them to grow all year and separate them next spring and do a trunk chop. They are tall and slim without any lower branches. The movement is also not interesting.

You can graft them together at the base of you want I would assume. I do like how they look together. But those branches you wired need foliage closer to the trunk. Usually cut them close to the trunk in spring and start developing them.

 

[Shibui]

I can see why you are not convinced that the twin trunk is better but I really do admire multi trunk bonsai so here's a couple of things to consider.

The smaller trunk is more upright so it appears to be the original trunk but it's smaller so shouldn't be the original trunk. Larger trunk leans away from the centre so appears to be the second trunk but it's bigger so our subconscious brain wants it to be the dominant trunk. I can't see the root system. Is it possible to tilt the whole thing so the larger trunk is a little more upright and the second trunk leans out and away?
Viewing from the angle shown in the photo there's and odd shaped space between the trunks. Mostly caused by the upper branch moving back towards the larger trunk. Changing that space by moving or removing that upper branch might make a difference.

It appears that you've retained long branches just because they have leaves near the ends. To me, this makes the tree seem open and empty and the bends you've added seem a little unnatural. I'd be considering chopping the longest branches at some stage. I don't know this species but most Elms bud on bare wood and from the ends of chopped branches really easily so I don't think there's much risk by shortening the branches and growing them out with a little more density.

The tree does not appear to be really vigorous in these pictures. We always get much better response when trees are strong and healthy so before committing to any further work I'd try to give it a season of really good growing conditions and plenty of fertiliser.

 

[rockm]

Get the tree stronger for a year. Skip wiring, Cedar elm respond very well to hard pruning. Wiring long branches makes them look awkward. The long branches need to be taken back to a third of what they are now eventually or eliminated entirely in favor growing new branches--which doesn't take long with CE. I've had them for years. They're tough and respond well to chops. Below is a photo of one I started after it was collected in East Texas. The branching in the second photo was regrown in a couple of years. It's still developing and after allowing the branches to extend and thicken, I will chop them back to less than half to build in taper and ramification. Should take another couple of years to complete.

Consider hard pruning both trunks to push branching closer to the trunk. With vigorous CE, you can start with only trunks. You can probably do that next year if you get the tree stronger in this growing season. CE will push new buds from old wood with very little problem.

Avoid the mistake of using existing branching in the final design. There is no need to as backbudding is the way to develop CE.

I'd keep the trunks together. They are much better left as twin trunks, youve already got a good start with that design. The trunks won't fuse, but will grow out individually for the most part, which is not a bad thing.