English Elm root cutting

[Maiden69]

Coming along great, my yatsubusa root cuttings are at the same stage as yours on the first post... I think one of them could be working into something similar.

 

[pandacular]

I'm curious why you decided to separate the layer now rather than in autumn. Was it just due to an abundance of healthy roots?

 

[BobbyLane]

I'm curious why you decided to separate the layer now rather than in autumn. Was it just due to an abundance of healthy roots?

Yes thats right, I did the same with a Beech layer yesterday. I think both will adjust fairly quickly, more so the Elm.

 

[BobbyLane]

Temps will be cooling a bit here over the next few days, with less intense sun. I use the weather forecast at times when making these types of decisions

 

[AJL]

Also here in Britain this week Ive just separated a Cork bark elm ,Mountain maple and Potentilla air layers which seem to be all happily establishing with no signs of wilting. All had strong new rooting so our current cooler weather after our recent heatwave is helping them to establish after separating from their mother plants .

 

[BobbyLane]

Did some major rootwork on this today. The roots had filled the pot and were growing through the drainage holes and into the balcony troughs.

I noticed a lot of lower branches died back last year, which I believe was mainly down to course growth in the apex, ive only just cut back a few branches today, since starting this tree. Couple of the trunks got thicker than the main one, so those were cut back.

Reduced the root ball considerably. Everything growing downwards and a few thick roots were removed, whats left is a pretty levelled out root base. There's some wood developing too

 

[BobbyLane]

May still make further reductions in one or two trunks...
Should get a lot of backbudding.

I wont get as much trunk thickening in this pot, but if I keep the others in check, the main trunk should still put on a little girth with time. The rootbase should really begin to improve now though.

 

[JeffS73]

Good to see you're still on with this project! The layer came out really well.

 

[Jrmcmich]

Cool progression you have made on this.

 

[BobbyLane]

Good to see you're still on with this project! The layer came out really well.

The layering process did indeed turn out really well, got a nice new pad of roots to play about with. Roots would of went crazy if I didn't get a re pot done this season. The root mass had conformed to the shape of the plastic tub, so vigorous.

 

[BobbyLane]

Cool progression you have made on this.

Thanks, looking back I think the two central trunks can come closer together.

 

[BobbyLane]

So this has had somewhat of a reset. Ive cut back the trunks and introduced taper.
I like this for the front, the base will be better on this side

 

[BobbyLane]

Update after the hard reset about 3 weeks ago. Ive just used a sharp scalpel to rub out numerous clusters of buds, buds in crotches etc. So whats left are keeper buds essentially.

There's a few well placed buds now at the base of the two thickest trunks, I may use these to grow out two more backround trunks, thinner for depth.