[Boom 64] Ulmus parvifolia.

[boom64]

Species. Ulmus parvifolia root cutting.
Cost. Nothing.
Height. 110mm.
I was going to enter a Chinese elm but instead i have decided to try a root over rock using a root cutting.I have been inspired by pictures of the Chinese style.
Hopefuly it will come together.
Cheers John (Boom 64 )

[kcpoole]

Jeez thats ambitious?
from root cutting to Shohin in 14 months!

Ken

[bodhidharma]

Jeez thats ambitious?
from root cutting to Shohin in 14 months!

Ken

With you on that one KC. I have a root over rock that has kept me busy for the LAST NINE YEARS and still not ready.

[boom64]

Hi All;
Well there has been some big changes in this effort. After posting my first pictures ,I looked over my last post of Root overRock and was worried were this was going.
I decided to change my stratergy. The root cutting was two long thick roots that joined at a nice bend then tapered off. Originally i was going to grow from this point. However i thought it would look like a flagpole on a rock.
I cut the small top off the cutting and used the bend facing down the face of the rock. I am aiming for a cascade style. I was lucky enough to get another branch 60mm back from the end. I have left 3 branches growing from the end. I will cut back to my one original wired branch when it thickens up enough. Have wired it roughly to get some basic shape.
I have planted the creation in a very sunny exposed location ,with the angle helping the lower cascading branch. Have been feeding very heavily.
Regards John.

[Jamie]

gday John

man, as it has been said gettting a root cutting, and going over a ROR is gonna be tough. couple of reccomendations if ya dont mind me saying so -

1. get it in a much larger pot, but make sure it has lots of roots( nearly root bound) in the pot it is now, but make sure it has plenty of roots. as soon as there is a heap of roots and some space to grow, look out. chinese elm can grow very slowly and thicken slowly when they dont have the space to strech their legs. I had a heap of C. elm seeds that I germinated and they were in a seedling tray. once I removed them from the seedling tray and induvidually got them into some larger pots thickening doubled/tripled in a very short time. they were potted up again recently and have been growing hard.
I also had this confirmed by Rod (the master up in bundy) who really knows how to grow trees.

2. I dont think you will get a ROR shohin in 14 months. but what you might want to do as the time comes along, you could keep the rock and roots covered but only just expose the rock enough for the final pic entry. you will atleast get a little bit of the rock which should help with the impression of taper.

3. once those roots take of, you will know straight away as it ends up shooting extremely hard and can get going well. ( I know this sounds contradictory to my first point but this is what will happen once those roots establish.

good luck and I look forward to seeing how ya go

[MattA]

I have planted the creation in a very sunny exposed location ,with the angle helping the lower cascading branch. Have been feeding very heavily.
Regards John.

Hey John,

That is thumping already. When you say planted, it looks like the pot is still on it, did you cut the bottom out or just going to let the roots run thru the holes?

Having seen how well these guys can grow in ground, I think this could work out really good by the time your done.

Matt

[boom64]

Hi Jamie
Thanks for the input.I am realy hopeful for this one.Grew some nice roots over a space of one growing season last year, will just have to work the top . :fc
Hi Matt,
The smaller pot is holding a mix of sand with the top 100mm Sphagnum Moss. It has the bottom cut out. Once the roots break threw the bottom of the large pot, I will place the whole lot in a large saucer and only feed it from there. I will use the "draw method", that is once i see the roots growing in the saucer i will increase the fertilizer till i get to the point were i have heavy growth on top but the roots in the saucer stay a managable size.
Well thats the plan.
Regards John.

[Jamie]

no probs matey

I do look forward to seeing how you go over the year. have you tied any of the roots to the rock or have you just placed the cutting over the rock then packed in the medium?
with ROR I have found that tying them to the rock gets a better finish as they can grow to the crevices of the rock, I had done some where I didnt tie them to the rock and the roots didnt really clasp the rock. ( you may have already stated this but I didnt re-read the post, sorry).

I have found once the old C elms (even younger seedlings or root cuttings) get going they can really take off, I pruned a couple back a couple weeks ago and the growth was so tight and compact that I couldnt look at them from above just so I wouldnt lose an eye. one that I have going is a few seedlings I have tied together, cut back to nothing, it shot out within the week and over the past 3-4 weeks I have had well over a foot of extension growth.

once again, good luck! I dont want to ramble to much as I dont want to clutter up your entry thread.

jamie

[MattA]

Hi Matt,
The smaller pot is holding a mix of sand with the top 100mm Sphagnum Moss. It has the bottom cut out. Once the roots break threw the bottom of the large pot, I will place the whole lot in a large saucer and only feed it from there. I will use the "draw method", that is once i see the roots growing in the saucer i will increase the fertilizer till i get to the point were i have heavy growth on top but the roots in the saucer stay a managable size.
Well thats the plan.
Regards John.

Very interesting, I havent heard of the "draw method", I know growers who stack pots as the roots extend but thats a whole different kettle. I will be watching this thread as the tree progresses. I think your on a winner

Matt

[Jamie]

gday John,

what your describing sounds a lot like the collander method of growing, similar anyways but where the roots escape they arent exposed to sunlight to get them to "die back" and regrow a fibrous root system (aka air pruning). but grow through and feed from the larger pot, am interested in this, look forward to it.

sounds similar to the way I grow swampies aswell, kept in a certain size pot, that has holes drilled in the sides, which sits in a container that has DL a couple of inches deep at the bottom and filled with water to the top of the grow pots soil level. also do weekly feeds with this, it makes them power on big time!

[boom64]

Hi Jamie,
Yes the roots are already tied to the rock. I use grafting tape ,the clear one . Sounds like you are getting some good growth from yours.I think i might try tyeing some together as you have. It seems that there is plenty of different systems out there. The roots on the elm when in the saucer are exposed to light but not directly.They harden off and usualy turn dark except the tips which are white.
Regards John.
Hi Matt,
Thanks for the kind words.I hope my skills match my ambition. Time will tell.
Regards John.

[boom64]

Hi All,
Progress has been O.K. a little less rain and more sun would help. Have started work on the very top branch .The branch cascading down is starting to get some thickness and placement on the first foilage pad has started as well.I might set up a little green house and heat pad to extend the growing season because i still have a long ,long way to go .
Regards John.

[boom64]

Hi,
Here is the latest update of my ROR.The tree is still moving in the right direction. I have cut the cascading branch, as well as the top and first branch. Hope to get taper and ramification. Have been putting it under a greenhouse every night as well as a heat pad underneath. During the day it lives in the warmest spot possible. Hopefuly it will keep on keeping on.
Cheers John.

[boom64]

Hi ,
Here is my latest update on my ROR.Things are going OK. Needs a bit of wire work and a pot soon. I have got my fingers crossed the roots are doing the right thing. Cheers John.

[Andrew F]

Flabbergasted, I am. Great work so far.