Bonsainut

Adam,
you did get right to the bottom line didn't you. Elms are easy.
First off remember that the leaves are alternate. Where ever you make a cut you are going to have a branchlet come out the direction the last leaf is pointing. It if easy to fill up an area that is void in your broom by selective cutting.

Three ways all work.

1. Continuous pinching. That means when a branch grows out of bounds of your intended canopy, you snip it immediately. The draw back is that a twiggy canopy develops to the detriment of the interior of the tree.

2. Grow and clip. This is where you let the branches grow out a ways then cut back to one or two nodes (leaves). The drawback is the strong get stronger the weak get, well you know.

3. Grow and defoliate. This is where you let the new growth elongate until mid summer. Then you totally defoliate (remove leaves) on all branches. You can then decide where the most vigorous branches are and cut them shorter (back to a side branchlet). You can also find and remove twigs that aren't going in directions you like because you can SEE into the tree! Drawback is this is a ton of work on an established tree. But...

You get,


-Smaller leaves
-More orderly growth
-Better looking tree, because of the fresh leaves.

Part two, Yearly root trimming on shohin(small trees) and Easy on the nitrogen after tree is well established.

Go get em!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
__________________
good growing!

__________________
Keep growing,---'Nut



Lethal Use of Farce