AusBonsai

This entry was purchased from a discount nursery in Essendon which had a closing down sale last year (I think October?). I got this and my other "create" entry for $12... I guess $6 each. They were very pot bound, very thirsty and very much on the way out. I repotted them both and they have come back to life somewhat since. I had no plans for them other than to let them grow but the position I have them in is too shady, and so all the new growth has been very leggy and the leaf size is huge. In order to move them to a sunnier position I need to cut them down, so I figure why not cut them all the way down for this comp!!
Basically I want to see what I can produce from a trunk chop in 18 months. We'll see how it pans out ...

crikey!!!

melbrackstone wrote:crikey!!!

Clearly I'm in it to win it...
Just pushing my envelope. Sorry to see your Elm is out but hope it pulls through and you find a tree to take its's place.
Good luck!

GO FOR IT! !!!!

Clearly I'm in it to win it...
Just pushing my envelope. Sorry to see your Elm is out but hope it pulls through and you find a tree to take its's place.
Good luck!

LOL! Thanks!

Good for you giving it a go! You inspired me to buy a clearance table plant today.... so I'll have a go at dropping its height from around 900 down to 250 while I'm nursing the corky bark.

I reckon it's all part of the learning curve.

Another day, another trunk chop ... and the same result as the last...!

Don't know what is going on but when I washed off the roots after doing the trunk chop I discovered it had two very distinct layers of roots about 100mm or so apart!!??? Weird
This is exactly the same as my other elm in the comp so I was able to chop again right under the first layer of roots and with any luck get another tree out of it. I think I did a better job of getting a pic of what I'm talking about this time, as the roots on this one are pretty pedestrian and missing on one side, making it easier to take a photo showing the full trunk line.

In any case, here's a progress pic showing an incredibly interesting stump ...? Enjoy!

4 for the price of 2! Looks like you're doing well!

melbrackstone wrote:4 for the price of 2! Looks like you're doing well!

I know ... it's the gift that keeps on giving!! Granted they're not exactly spectacular but I'm happy to have a few more to experiment with!

Trunk chop and a big disturbance of the roots in the middle of winter,well it is one the coldest places in Australia..maybe the trees are very numb and didn't feel a thing

anthonyW wrote:Trunk chop and a big disturbance of the roots in the middle of winter,well it is one the coldest places in Australia..maybe the trees are very numb and didn't feel a thing

Hi Anthony,
Did the same process on another Chinese elm at the same time last year (almost to the day) with a good outcome so I'm hoping to repeat the success this year with these ones. Hopefully I can!

Hi Ryce
Fair enough,good luck,they are a tough tree.

Anthony

Happy with the amount of action after the trunk chop, lots of new growth and options now for this trunk - probably just about time to get in and figure out what I'm going to do with it ??? Might be a good candidate for a broom style given the new growth is quite consistent around the entire trunk ... I'll have a proper look soon.
The bonus trunk has also begun moving with shoots appearing ...

Did a bit of shoot selection yesterday and have come up with a plan for this entry ... time to grow out now.

Look like they are(both posts) coming along well.
Watch for wind burn otherwise they all look bullet proof.
Steve.

from 2500 to 250... and what an improvement!

Looking forward to seeing them develop!