Chinese Elm Recovery question

mushashi

Hi,

I have a Chinese Elm that is about 24" high and about 20 years old that I acquired from someone. It has been somewhat neglected but had been trained into a very nice form.

Unfortunately, there is some growth down on the bottom branches and at the very top but between these two areas are several very nice but apparently dead branches. My questions are the following:

1. Is there any way to re-stimulate growth from the trunk of new branches since there is growth on top and the bottom, there must be life in the trunk up to the top.

If so, what is the best way?

2. There are several dead branches that were really nicely trained. If I cut all these, I will have a big gap between the top growth and bottom growth. Should I just leave the dead branches for now? At least it looks kinda cool.

3.Should I fertilize or wait till and if things start bouncing back. I suspect the tree has been this way for quite a while, and not sure of it's long term success.

What I did was trim the leggy growth at the top and bottom to 2-3 leaf pairs hoping to stimulate something. It looks like it was not getting enough light, too....


Any suggestions and predictions would be greatly appreciated. The tree has a really nice trained shape. I hope that I can help it return.

Thanks......

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Aaron_K

Hi Mushashi,

The first thing I'd recommend is posting a picture of the tree if you have one, so that people can have a good look at it in order to help you more effectively.

Are you absolutely sure the branches in the middle are dead? Have you scratched the bark on them to see if the cambium layer underneath is green or not?

If the tree has been neglected and the branches are indeed dead, it could suggest that there is some root damage too, so I wouldn't recommend fertilizing the tree until it shows some good signs of making a come back on its own. Is the soil mix good? Allowing for a good hydration and aeration of the roots?

I'd suggest keeping it in a well lit area, so that it catches the morning sun but out of stronger afternoon rays for the time being. Protect from cold winds and watch out for any late frosts. Other than that, water when required and see what happens.

Try the cambium test first and let us know.

All the best,

Aaron

mushashi

Thanks Aaron,


Well have not tried the scratch test yet, but they seem pretty brittle. I have already put it in a location that gets exactly the light exposure you suggest.n The soil mix looks good from what I can see. Looks like a good draining bonsai mix of some sort.

Unfortunately, my digital camera s not working right noe, or I would post a pix.

Anyway for the time being I will keep it in trim and let it get some good sun and care and see what can happen.

Thanks.....

P.S. Probably could use a repotting, but not the time to do it with all the stress....

malhomme

Mushashi,

How exactly has the tree been neglected and how has it been "stress[ed]"? I ask, becuse in certain circumstances repotting is exactly what you want to do (though I admit that so far this doesn't sound like one of those times).

Cheers,
Jim

mushashi

Interesting point there Jim....Well, I suspect that it has been quite a while since it has been repotted. It is currently in a very deep cascade type container and while I do not see any of the roots peeking through the hole at the bottom, it doesn't mean it is not overdue.


The stress I refer to is, the dead branches lack of much foliage except at the very top and towards the bottom there are several branches with new growth that became very leggy, so I trimmed it back hoping to get some new growth and put it back in shape.
The person I got it from has been unable to really care for it for quite some time other than water I suspect, due to family problems.

So, you might be right about the repotting but not sure if it is too much of a risk. Do you think it is possible to re-stimulate growth down along the trunk where it has mostly dead brsanches now? If I cut these the tree will look very bare in the middle right noiw..

Thanks...

malhomme

Bart Thomas(deceased)

Jim wrote:



I just worked on an overgrown elm (not mine) which had a big hole in the design and two scars that seem to indicate that two branches had been lost. It was in soil which was so full of fine roots that an emergency repot was necessary. It was our speculation that the branches had been lost due to failing to get enough light due to being shaded by the unruly top branches.

Your suggestion that it may have been due to a root problem is interesting. If that is the case, the repot may cure it or kill it. Time will tell.

I returned the tree to the owner, restyled to attempt to "hide" the hole, along with instructions to keep it under the bench for two weeks. (The tree lives in a greenhouse - that's the nature of the garden that owns it.)

In the case of the two elms I worked on, they had "gotten away" from the owner, so it is very much a recovery effort.

mushashi

Thanks for all the great input, guys. Well, one thing I did learn from the previous owner was that although it has been kept outside, it has been unfortunately in a position that did not receive enough sunlight. I have acclimated to a much higher light area now.


That might explain the leggy growth at the top and bottom that I trimmed back. He also told me he cannot remember the last time it was repotted. I suspect that it can survive in the current condition until dormancy when a proper repot can be done, but I will have to live with a somewhat weird looking tree.

By the way, if/when I repot it can I trim the roots back and repot in the same container, since it really fits it's character, or should I change container types and move up in size?

Bart Thomas(deceased)

Fwiw, under Chase Rosade's supervision, we repotted a whole bunch of Chinese Elms last Sunday in Eastern Pennsylvania. it may be okay in your area, if you keep them out of the wind and in the shade for a couple of weeks.

It should be okay in the same pot.