Slippery Elm propagation?

[RJG2]

Curious if anyone has experience propagating slippery elm (Ulmus rubra)? Tips?

Dirr only mentions from seed.

I ask, mainly because I've had very low success. I'm wondering if rooting hormone is actually hindering my attempts.

A breakdown of my failures:

90ish cuttings:

• 30ish w/Hormex #3 - One surviver
• 30ish w/Hormex #8 - Zero survivers
• 30ish w/Hormex #16 - Zero survivers

3 air layers:

• ~2" diameter w/.1% Bonide IBA - fail
• 2x 1/2" diameter w/Hormex #3 - one success; one failure.

However, this monstrosity survived and is doing great:

Post in thread 'Five Year Native Tree Challenge: RJG2's Ulmus rubra (slippery elm)'

Apr 9, 2021

Don't have high hopes for this as there were very few (literally) feeder roots that weren't part of the original tree stump, but it would be cool if it survives. Packed with sphagnum to give it a fighting chance. It is an elm at least...

• RJG2

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[The Barber]

Dunno about the propagation of winged elm, but damn that stump will make a cool raft.

 

[johng]

not sure about Ulmus rubra but all of my other elms propagate beautifully from root cuttings.

 

[The Barber]

My bad, meant slippery elm in my reply, dunno why winged elm came from my head. JohnG is right though every other elm i know of propagates well from root cuttings.

 

[RJG2]

not sure about Ulmus rubra but all of my other elms propagate beautifully from root cuttings.

I'll have to dig around the bases of my yard trees and see if I can find a couple to steal.

 

[leatherback]

This should be able to root. I do find however that potting deep initially helps survival or weaker trees.

 

[RJG2]

This should be able to root. I do find however that potting deep initially helps survival or weaker trees.

What do you mean by "this"?

 

[leatherback]

What do you mean by "this"?

were you not asking whether the raft/root you dug will root?

 

[RJG2]

were you not asking whether the raft/root you dug will root?

No, that has been doing fine since 2021, it's in the 5 year native tree/pot contest.

The inquiry was about general propagation (cuttings/air layers), and if anyone had experience with rubra specifically. My success rate has been very low for cuttings (1%), and air layers (1 for 3).

Dirr (The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation) does not have any specifics for rubra aside from seed growing.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

I air layered the trunk of my slippery elm since it had a funky side root on the soil surface. Once the layer was removed I just left the root in the pot and in a couple of months shoots began to emerge. I now have a kabudachi clump in the making as well as the original tree with a much nicer radial root system. BTW I bought the original tree from @johng and his partner Ken Duncan back in 2017 at the WNC Bonsai Expo.

 

[RJG2]

I air layered the trunk of my slippery elm since it had a funky side root on the soil surface. Once the layer was removed I just left the root in the pot and in a couple of months shoots began to emerge. I now have a kabudachi clump in the making as well as the original tree with a much nicer radial root system. BTW I bought the original tree from @johng and his partner Ken Duncan back in 2017 at the WNC Bonsai Expo.

Did you use any rooting hormone? What type/strength?

Also, did you start it at the typical, post-first-flush-harden, timing?

 

[johng]

I air layered the trunk of my slippery elm since it had a funky side root on the soil surface. Once the layer was removed I just left the root in the pot and in a couple of months shoots began to emerge. I now have a kabudachi clump in the making as well as the original tree with a much nicer radial root system. BTW I bought the original tree from @johng and his partner Ken Duncan back in 2017 at the WNC Bonsai Expo.

Ken had a couple U. rubrum so you must have gotten one of his.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Did you use any rooting hormone? What type/strength?

Also, did you start it at the typical, post-first-flush-harden, timing?

Here is a link to my post on the operation. I used the usual powder hormone (#3).

Thread 'Mid-summer air layer separation'

Jul 17, 2021

This year I decided to air layer my slippery elm to get rid of a large surface root so I made the cut about June 1st. I really had not anticipated that it would take root so fast and am now faced with a sphagnum rootball about the size of a softball. Ideally I would like to spread the roots out radially and pot it up in bonsai soil, however given the timing I am not sure how to proceed. I could just add more sphagnum, rewrap it, and let the roots grow for another month. Or I could pop it into a pot full of moist sphagnum moss like Peter Chan does and let the roots fill the pot, then repot...

• WNC Bonsai
• Replies: 15
• Forum: Elms

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[HardBall]

I am 2 for 2 on my ulmus rubra layering attempts.

 

[sorce]

What time of year were these started?

I would try summer with no hormone.

Sorce

 

[RJG2]

What time of year were these started?

I would try summer with no hormone.

Sorce

I think I did the cuttings in mid June - but yeah, I was wondering if maybe the hormone is too much. I might try some at .1%, and some at none next year. Lowest I did this year was .3%.

I didn't mention it, but substrate was probably 50% small pumice; 50% small DE (8822). In a tray under a dome, and leaving 2-4 leaves per cutting.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

I think I did the cuttings in mid June - but yeah, I was wondering if maybe the hormone is too much. I might try some at .1%, and some at none next year. Lowest I did this year was .3%.

I didn't mention it, but substrate was probably 50% small pumice; 50% small DE (8822). In a tray under a dome, and leaving 2-4 leaves per cutting.

I’ve taken cuttings from mine since air layering it. I used the 0.3% hormone and my standard bonsai soil and also sphagnum. I put the pots in a big gallon plastic bag and had great success. I did chinese elm and zelkova at the same time. Next spring I will be using perlite and 10% coco coir for the rooting medium.

 

[RJG2]

I’ve taken cuttings from mine since air layering it. I used the 0.3% hormone and my standard bonsai soil and also sphagnum. I put the pots in a big gallon plastic bag and had great success. I did chinese elm and zelkova at the same time. Next spring I will be using perlite and 10% coco coir for the rooting medium.

Thanks! I think I'll experiment again next year with .3, .1 and zero.

 

[sorce]

tray under a dome

You probably know... But......

I think it's better we make stock from something prone to grow roots without assistance.
Better stock.
Safer every repot after for 20000 years.

Plus I think they're more likely to root just jammed in the ground.

Sorce

 

[PA_Penjing]

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one getting the run around from this species. I've gotten so frustrated with rubra, I'm just moving on to American elm. I made the mistake of assuming these things could be treated like chinese elm and I definitely didn't get the responses I expected.