Oh noo, did I cut too much?

[Kodama]

Greetings! I did a repot on this Jacqueline Hillier Elm about 3 weeks ago when buds were swelling. I cut alot of roots because it is an aggressive grower. I wonder if I cut too many? The leaves are opening up really slow and seems to be stalling. Should I be worried?

Before

After

Now

 

[Paradox]

Yea elms are tpugh but you did take off like 90% of the roots. Too much IMO
Dont do anything else to this tree except water when it needs it and hopefully it pulls through

 

[rockm]

Um. Yeah. Thats too much. Not a death warrant but the tree will be slow for a while. Elms are tough and strong but that much root removal will set it back a bit. Hope it can be wired in tight or it’s gonna fall over in a strong wind or birds perching on it

Safer more effective way would be to saw off the bottom third of the root mass then comb out and sort to the remaining root mass then remove a third or half all the way around.

You have to have plan (or plann-is) before starting. Or stuff like this happens

 

[Kodama]

Thank you for the advice. I shall meditate on this deeply. I'll never do that again. I had to go back and apologize to the tree. Painful lesson.

 

[dbonsaiw]

Safer more effective way would be to saw off the bottom third of the root mass then comb out and sort to the remaining root mass then remove a third or half all the way around.

This. Root pruning is about sorting the roots as well as cutting them back. I typically get the tree out the pot and comb out the bottom sides and top. All roots growing from the bottom are cut off. As these come off you can get more of the soil off by combing until you basically have a flattish bottom and roots only coming out radially. The radial roots can be pruned back so they fit in the pot. Also, fatter roots can be cut back harder so they ramify. Tree will topple over if not secured because the roots haven’t anchored the tree into the soil yet.

 

[Shibui]

I would estimate that root reduction closer to 75% which is no problem for an elm IMHO. Especially for a younger tree with less ramified branching.
Please do not worry unduly yet. Maintain care. Maybe shelter the tree from any strong wind or really hot sun until it gets going again but I'm confident the 'stalled growth' is just the tree adjusting growth to the reduced root system. It will go back to normal growth as the new roots develop in a week or 2.

 

[leatherback]

Don't worry. It should be fine. I regularly go heavy on the roots for trees in early development.
Just do NOT overwater. Allow it to settle in and once roottips have started to grow, the rest of the tree will be quick to pick up. I would not be surprised to see a massive push in a few weeks.