Time Wizard
Yamadori
I think it is about time I start a progression thread for this Siberian elm.
A few years ago I noticed two shoots growing from the ground by my fence. Having no idea what they were at the time, I dug them both up and potted them separately thinking maybe they would be something worthwhile to grow. This one in particular ended up in a terra cotta pot where it grew until the roots filled the pot. I then double potted it into a larger pot so its roots could escape and have more room to grow. Here it is in September 2023:
For whatever reason, I decided to take it out of the larger bottom pot and prune the roots back:
I think I cut the roots flush to the smaller pot it was in, then I stuck the pot in the ground. Here it is right as it was leafing out in February 2024. Note the size of the trunk:
The roots escaped into the ground and eventually clogged the one single drainage hole in the pot to the point where the pot would not drain. I drove an awl into the pot to break it up, removing as many pieces of the pot as I could without upsetting the tree too much. Here it is with a big ole tarantula hawk crawling all over it in August 2024:
In May 2025, I air layered the largest of the three branches all coming out of the same spot in the picture above. That branch was perfectly straight and pretty thick so I thought it would make a good broom style tree. Here is what the tree looks like today:
The tree has a circumference of 5 3/8 inches at the base, so an average diameter of about 1.7 inches. My plan currently is to dig it up early spring next year, work on the roots, chop the trunk back to the red line, then put it back in the ground to keep growing, using the green as the new trunk line:
The final goal is an informal upright tree about 18 inches tall and about 3 inches thick.
A few years ago I noticed two shoots growing from the ground by my fence. Having no idea what they were at the time, I dug them both up and potted them separately thinking maybe they would be something worthwhile to grow. This one in particular ended up in a terra cotta pot where it grew until the roots filled the pot. I then double potted it into a larger pot so its roots could escape and have more room to grow. Here it is in September 2023:
For whatever reason, I decided to take it out of the larger bottom pot and prune the roots back:
I think I cut the roots flush to the smaller pot it was in, then I stuck the pot in the ground. Here it is right as it was leafing out in February 2024. Note the size of the trunk:
The roots escaped into the ground and eventually clogged the one single drainage hole in the pot to the point where the pot would not drain. I drove an awl into the pot to break it up, removing as many pieces of the pot as I could without upsetting the tree too much. Here it is with a big ole tarantula hawk crawling all over it in August 2024:
In May 2025, I air layered the largest of the three branches all coming out of the same spot in the picture above. That branch was perfectly straight and pretty thick so I thought it would make a good broom style tree. Here is what the tree looks like today:
The tree has a circumference of 5 3/8 inches at the base, so an average diameter of about 1.7 inches. My plan currently is to dig it up early spring next year, work on the roots, chop the trunk back to the red line, then put it back in the ground to keep growing, using the green as the new trunk line:
The final goal is an informal upright tree about 18 inches tall and about 3 inches thick.
