Leggy pads on Chinese elm.

[Ralphy438]

Hi
I’ve had this Chinese elm for a few years now. The pads are starting to get leggy.
My question is whether I should cut each pad right back and await new growth in spring? Will this harm the tree? If not, should I do all pads or just a couple at a time?
Any help would be appreciated.

 

[BrianBay9]

First, let us know your general location. It will help people give you better advice. You can put it in your profile.

Your "pads" are kind of chaotic right now. From the look of it you probably want to cut most back to the secondary branches and start over with the pad structure. No this won't hurt your tree. When is the right time to do this? Depends on where you live.

You should consider finding someone locally to help you with the process if possible. Another reason to add you general location. People here can steer you toward a local club or experienced member.

 

[Ralphy438]

Thanks Brian.
Based in Hampshire. Just outside Portsmouth.
Would you suggest doing the entire tree at the same time or one pad at a time.

 

[BrianBay9]

Thanks Brian.
Based in Hampshire. Just outside Portsmouth.
Would you suggest doing the entire tree at the same time or one pad at a time.

I would do them all at once. Your winters are mild, as I understand it. I would probably do the pruning late winter.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

If youre in UK, maybe try setting up a session with a local professional to assist.

 

[Kievnstavick]

As general advice (as I don't have a Chinese elm myself), you would want to do even pruning as much as practical.

This helps make sure the buds you cut back to will begin pushing. If you prune only a few pads here and there, you risk having the tree deciding to just drop the cut branches in favor of the uncut healthy ones. This can lead to unwanted explosion of growth in the uncut pads, while the cut ones either weaken or die off.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Why dont you show a full photo of the tree front the proper front.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

@Eric Schrader has a number of good elm videos on his YouTube channel “bonsaify” like this one:

 

[shohin_branches]

I often get assigned work on Chinese elms at the garden I volunteer at. We typically let the elms extend their spring foliage until the leaves start to harden off. Then we trim the new growth back to two leaves across the entire plant. Then you balance and shape your foliage pads.

This is my favorite elm to work on. Not my tree though.

 

[Jorgens86]

First of all.elm like all deciduos trees need to look like decidous not like pine trees with pads.

 

[Davidlpf]

Maybe you like to see it

Cheers!

 

[Gabler]

First of all.elm like all deciduos trees need to look like decidous not like pine trees with pads.

Moyogi trees aren't trying to be realistic. Pine trees don't look like that either. It's an abstract style.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

We typically let the elms extend their spring foliage until the leaves start to harden off. Then we trim the new growth back to two leaves across the entire plant.

^ This is the proper care - once the foliage has been set and refined. In the case of this tree, because he is in zone 9a (very mild winters) I would definitely clean up all the foliage now, while the tree is as dormant as it is going to get. It is important to remove any of the extraneous growth (outside of the margins of the foliage outline, perpendicular upward growing, perpendicular downward growing, crossing, parallel, more than two branches at a fork, etc) so that when the tree pushes new growth in the spring, it is pushing growth where you want it - and not where you don't. Then you can wait for the new foliage to extend, start to harden, and then cut back to two leaves. At this point the tree (being an elm) will push a lot of interior/dormant buds and your growth for the rest of the year will be much refined and compact.

Note also - when you think of elm foliage "pads" - you obviously style deciduous trees differently than conifers. The natural growth pattern for deciduous is up and then out. You don't style elms like junipers. That said, you also don't want your elms to look like a topiary ball. You use pads to create breaks in the foliage to create interest and character. However you don't want your elm to look like a poodle. If elm tree branches sweep down, they do so at the end of their branches. Almost universally, branch unions at the trunk should be forks that point upwards (versus perpendicularly outwards).