AusBonsai

Species Name: Corky Bark Elm.

Height: 275mm.

Source: BNW March meeting.

Cost $5.

Photos






I attended the BSV sale day today in the hope of picking up something better than this one for the comp. I picked up a nice little juniper, then remembered it's a $50 cap so will not be able to enter it

If this one turns out the best of my entry's after I wasn't going to enter it, I'll be kicking myself haha.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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This one received a major root reduction and haircut last night. I had never seen under the soil so I had no idea what it was going to look like.

I'm starting a stint of nightshift at the moment so chose to have a play with a couple of trees at 1am. Unfortunately my camera didn't have enough battery left for flash photography so apologies for the poor photo of the roots. They aren't the greatest, with a few too thick for my liking but what can you do. Also due to the trunk being hidden under the soil line the bark on the lower portion of trunk was extremely soggy :/



After a repot it has been raised up to hopefully let the trunk dry, but I'm now thinking I should have maybe just scraped away all the soggy bark? Most the corked bark fell away at the slightest touch anyway.









The flow of the tree now points toward possibly a slanting style or informal upright (I'm not sure if windswept works well for elms?) but time will tell.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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Hi Pearcy,

Nice movement and taper. You're spoilt for choice now!

Matt.

The part below the soil has really lifted (pun intended) this tree. The trunk is now much better.

This one received a major root reduction

That's only a standard root reduction Pearcy.

They aren't the greatest,

You obviosly have not dealt with many elms. I think that is a very good root spread for a Chinese elm.

with a few too thick for my liking but what can you do.

You could cut those thick ones back hard - ie a proper MAJOR root reduction. That would cause them to ramify closer to the trunk and give a much better nebari eventually.

shibui wrote:You could cut those thick ones back hard - ie a proper MAJOR root reduction. That would cause them to ramify closer to the trunk and give a much better nebari eventually.

Repotting is still something I am not at all experienced with Neil haha. I wanted to cut the roots shorter but all the fine feeder roots started at where I had chopped and didn't want to rove them all to none. Would you go as far on Chinese elms to remove all feeder when you repot? My understandingining was they are not as forgiving as TM's and can't handle it as well, needing some feeders to be left. Maybe I'll pluck it out of its pot and cut them back more tomorrow.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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Matt S wrote:Hi Pearcy,

Nice movement and taper. You're spoilt for choice now!

Matt.

Cheers Matt.

Once the bark hardens off again on the lower portion of trunk I'll be able to get some wire around it, putting some more movement into the upper section of trunk.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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Your tree is very young and quite small. I think it could cope with far more off than you have done.
I can take pieces of Chinese elm this size with no roots and grow them as cuttings. If they'll survive without any roots then they have a far better chance with even just short sections of root.

[quote][/Would you go as far on Chinese elms to remove all feeder when you repot?quote] Yes I would if I thought it necessary. I don't think there will be any problem with young, vigorous trees and when the cut roots are so small. When cutting roots that are thicker than a finger it is still possible but chances of problems get larger.

Shoots began extending about 3 weeks ago now at the start of November.



Nothing done to it as yet. I may carry my hangover out into the sunlight later today and remove some unwanted shoots, then again I can always do it tomorrow

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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Its growing quite well but a bit tall I think?

Yeah I will be removing all the top section Watto. May just leave it to its own devices for now to try and add some girth to the upper section of trunk before I chop it.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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Hi pearcy . With nice movement like that I wouldn't bother trying to thicken it up ,time to start on those branches . I'm jealous of your material . Look forward to its progression
Cheers Sno

Sno wrote:Hi pearcy . With nice movement like that I wouldn't bother trying to thicken it up ,time to start on those branches . I'm jealous of your material . Look forward to its progression
Cheers Sno

Hey Sno,

I really did get lucky with the movement, majority of it was under the soil line when I pick it up for a crisp fiver.

Re the thickening. I do not mean I wish to thicken the whole trunk, merely the new selected leader. As you can see from the close up photo from now and when I repotted it the taper drop is a little too sharp for my liking.





Additionally I am going away next week until the end of January so I won't be able to watch the branches anyway haha.

Cheers anyway for the advice! I'll probably give it the snip and get into the branches once I'm back in Aus at the end of January, after I've finished looking at some inspiration overseas.

First step will be to see if it's still alive when I return!

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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Quarterly update.

Bit of a trim and selected a new leader.





Now to feed heavy and try get that growth going!

Cheers,
Pearcy.

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I really like what youve done so far on this guy, keep up the good work mate!

Jarad wrote:I really like what youve done so far on this guy, keep up the good work mate!

Thanks Jarad. Have a feeling I'm developing it too slowly to have a chance in the comp, but the tree will hopefully come out the other side for the better.

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