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I would, yes. If you have a nice straight trunk, leaving them to grow will cause swellings at the points they're growing from, and removing them then will cause scarring. Branches of zelkova grow and thicken surprisingly quickly and the idea of a broom is to have a nice clean trunk line with clear, unscarred bark if possible.

If you want to thicken the trunk a bit, grow a few of the top shoots as sacrifice branches for a while, but be careful, branches thicken up very fast and you want to avoid huge scars from removing them. As the top ramifies and the number of leaves there increases, the trunk will thicken anyway.

In broom style, you don't need a massive trunk nor a severe taper, although a nice flare at the base is always good.

21-Aug-2007	#2
Glider bonsaiTALK Master Join Date: Apr-2004 Location: London Country: UK USDA Zone: UK = 9a-b AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 347	I would, yes. If you have a nice straight trunk, leaving them to grow will cause swellings at the points they're growing from, and removing them then will cause scarring. Branches of zelkova grow and thicken surprisingly quickly and the idea of a broom is to have a nice clean trunk line with clear, unscarred bark if possible. If you want to thicken the trunk a bit, grow a few of the top shoots as sacrifice branches for a while, but be careful, branches thicken up very fast and you want to avoid huge scars from removing them. As the top ramifies and the number of leaves there increases, the trunk will thicken anyway. In broom style, you don't need a massive trunk nor a severe taper, although a nice flare at the base is always good. __________________ Experience is knowledge gained immediately after it was needed.