Only the lower branches woke up on European Elm after ground layering

[proninyaroslav]

Hi. I have several elms, and on one of them last year I made ground layering, as it has problems with nebari. I gave it free growth all the season. This spring I repotted it when the buds began to break. The elm has a lot of new roots in the layering. Even before the repot, I noticed that the buds of the lower branches were most swollen, compared with the upper branches. Now on the lower branches there are already small leaves, while on the upper branches the buds don't swell. Some branches are dry and dead, but most of them are alive and have green cambium, if I scratch the bark. What can I do in this situation? It may make sense to cover the top of the tree with a bag to keep moisture in the upper branches and trunk? Perhaps this will stimulate the buds opening on the upper branches? Also, maybe they should just be cut to stimulate back budding?

 

[Gustavo Martins]

Assuming you need or want the upper part of the tree, I would just wait.

 

[proninyaroslav]

@Gustavo Martins Ok, just It bothers me. This is an atypical growth for elm this year, since usually the buds opened evenly throughout the tree, especially since the upper part of the tree is usually stronger than the lower. Now on the lower branches there are small leaves, while the upper branches has a winter buds

 

[Shibui]

I don't think the layer or repotting would have caused this.
If the buds are not opening I do not think anything you do will help. There has been some problem with the tree and it has already occurred. I think the only thing you can do is cross fingers and hope for some growth.
Pruning the dead parts will not help with back budding. Back buds are activated when there are no live buds above so pruning live branches will do it but bead branches will also activate dormant buds below as there are no live buds now. You can prune off dead parts if you wish to make it look better but that's all it will do.
Sometimes it is hard to put a finger on just what has caused something like this. Possibilities include: too wet; too dry; too hot; too cold; borers in the trunk; chemical damage and probably many other things. The problem is that the cause may have been several months ago and we tend to forget what has happened previously so putting cause and effect together can be difficult.

Do you think you can restyle the tree to make something good out of the living part?

 

[proninyaroslav]

@Shibui It's difficult to say what led to this. This year we had an abnormally warm winter and already in mid-February the buds began to swell. Last year, the elm gave strong growth on the lower branches, since the tree is in the process of being developed and requires thicker branches at the bottom. I also have a sacrificial branch at the top, which has had strong growth all season. And it's also in a sleeping state, which is a bit strange. Only the lower branches began to actively wake up.

 

[Oleg]

I have seen my Chinese Elm bud out like that, made me nervous but it did bud everywhere in the end. Wait.

 

[AaronThomas]

I would leave the tree alone. Not sure where your from but spring spring from us in early February. I did a ground layer with my Elm last season as well and did my repot this season. My tree was super slow to open it’s buds that just started to pop as I reported... in fact it’s just now just leafing out strong. All my other Elms complete leafed out weeks ago.
I agree with the above statements that if you had major die back there was a health issue to start with. However it’s a good sign you still see green on the uppers.... give it time.

 

[BrianBay9]

The only practical thing you can do while you wait is to start planning a major restyle should the worst occur.

 

[proninyaroslav]

The only practical thing you can do while you wait is to start planning a major restyle should the worst occur.

Yeah, I will have to greatly reduce its height and improve the taper (or make big jin). But I hope it has enough energy to break its buds.

 

[proninyaroslav]

Today I decided to cover its top with a black partially transparent plastic bag, I will maintain moderate humidity in it so that mold doesn't form. Although it may be worth using high humidity, as in the original "sweating techniques"...

 

[B.uneasy]

By any chance, are there any pictures?

 

[proninyaroslav]

By any chance, are there any pictures?

Here some photos that I took a week ago.

 

[Oleg]

Still no budding, doesn't look good, it's been a week since I posted.

 

[proninyaroslav]

@Oleg Let's see if sweating techniques help break new buds out of the trunk or branches.

 

[Oleg]

I'll be very interested in your results, good luck

 

[sorce]

@Oleg Let's see if sweating techniques help break new buds out of the trunk or branches.

That's more likely to kill it.

"Sweating" is only to keep humidity up to keep new growth from dessicating when a tree has no roots.
While it isn't dessicating hopefully it grows new roots.

Your situation is not this, so this action is detrimental.

Let it be!

Sorce

 

[Oleg]

Thank you.

 

[proninyaroslav]

Your situation is not this, so this action is detrimental.

Hmm. Can you explain in more detail? Logical reasoning led me to this, because a plastic bag should reduce transpiration of moisture from the still living branches and the upper part of the trunk.
I only covered the top of the tree, leaving the lower branches without a plastic bag. They already have leaves; they don’t need a plastic bag.
I also heard the experience of an Italian master who says that the reaction to the darkness in a black plastic bag is the buds breaking.
It is possible that the accumulated heat in the black plastic bag also affects this.

 

[sorce]

Hmm. Can you explain in more detail? Logical reasoning led me to this, because a plastic bag should reduce transpiration of moisture from the still living branches and the upper part of the trunk.
I only covered the top of the tree, leaving the lower branches without a plastic bag. They already have leaves; they don’t need a plastic bag.
I also heard the experience of an Italian master who says that the reaction to the darkness in a black plastic bag is the buds breaking.
It is possible that the accumulated heat in the black plastic bag also affects this.

This may all be true.

But for me, it's only because something that took place before this was wrong.

Look at trees in nature, well, I have a black plastic bag in mine here but it's from the liquor store, trash. Regularly, to grow, they don't need bags.

This is a proper beginning.

Sorce

 

[proninyaroslav]

But for me, it's only because something that took place before this was wrong.

These are probably weak new roots that can't pump water higher.
In autumn, it was a completely ordinary tree, the only thing that the leaves on the sacrificial branch and on the lower branches became yellow later,
since they actively grew until the beginning of autumn. Winter was mild, unlike in previous years. Spring has come earlier.