Variegated Elm from club auction

[leatherback]

Not having an elm in my collection, I decided to get this somewhat more special version. Variagated foliage. But nothing exciting besides that.

Wondering what you think woul dbe the best approach.

I was thinking
- Planting deeper & laering a new naberi
- removing all but one branch as a new leader and rebuild canopy.

So.. 5-10 year project.

Would love to see / hear your thoughts..

 

[GrimLore]

In my area Ulmus minor subsp. minor 'Variegata' we call Silver Elm. They are strong but still can get Dutch Elm disease like an American Elm. Both are normally looked at as the top of the tree for Elm lovers.
Myself I would love to work that one -
Step 1: Remove and kill ALL of the moss at the trunk. Tweak all the longest growth back 2 nodes for ramification. Season one.
Step 2: Remove from the pot and replant in a larger container lifting it a little not lower. Work ramification. Season two.
Step 3: Decide if you want to make it a lot larger or pot and keep working it at the size you like...
I would love to have that one - Nice find!

Grimmy

 

[leatherback]

Hi Grimmy,

thx for the input.
I wanted to put it deeper in the pot, to get a nebari; It has a bulge on one site without surface roots. And the trunk dives into the grond on the other. So I am thinking groundlayering the trunk once it is strong enough to do so. But repotting will show whether there is a lot to get excited about lower down. Am not expecting it..

Overall size is probably OK.

 

[GrimLore]

Hi Grimmy,

thx for the input.
I wanted to put it deeper in the pot, to get a nebari; It has a bulge on one site without surface roots. And the trunk dives into the grond on the other. So I am thinking groundlayering the trunk once it is strong enough to do so. But repotting will show whether there is a lot to get excited about lower down. Am not expecting it..

Overall size is probably OK.

Yes but remember to do everything you can to get rid of the moss that is so happy to eat the bark at the base and make all of you root efforts take years longer - Moss is a show decoration, not a grow decoration at the base of most any tree
Again - I would love to take care of that one - Nice find!

Grimmy

 

[leatherback]

Hi Grimmy,

Thx and Of Course. Moss is a goner as soon as I have time to sit down with a brush, tweezers, and a colg beer. The last one for me. I forgot to clean a pine last fall before moving into 'winter mode', and spent a full day pulling mos out of the tree in spring; It had reached the upper canopy in one winter

 

[Kodama16]

Nice potential. Wish I could find a variegated elm.

 

[sorce]

Id love to see it with the moss gone.

If you can get roots at the current soil line, that would be nice.

Please get rid of that wire!

I like it!

Sorce

 

[leatherback]

cleaned it up last night & repotted in a bigger pot to give some room for improvements. There were surface roots hiding under the moss . Removed one root that sprouted about 2cm above the soil line. And I removed a bunch of branches with knots at the end. It is not all that bad. Wil take pics in the weekend.

 

[M. Frary]

Did you happen to take cuttings?

 

[leatherback]

Did you happen to take cuttings?

Always. But I think elms do not strike cuttings of old wood very well. I took 12 old-stem cuttings; They are in the bright shade, in a small greenhousebox (like one of these: http://moestuinbeginnen.nl/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/paprika-zaaien-22-e1361118471557.jpg) Time will tell whether they root.

 

[Kodama16]

Elms cutting grow easy from any wood. You'll be surprise.

 

[leatherback]

You'll be surprise

Oeh, I DO hope so!
Any idea of the time required for rooting to start? Days? Weeks? Months? (I took some cuttings of a benjamina last year. After a week I decided I wanted to move them into a different continer, and they had rooted already, was pretty surprised.)

 

[M. Frary]

It will take a while. Don't attempt to move them until next spring.

 

[Kodama16]

Yea don't move. But I normaly find roots on elms at 1 month. Keep them humid.

 

[leatherback]

It cleaned up well!