need help with cedar elm

lagunamadre

I have 5 cedar elm trees, all yamadori, and am having trouble getting ramification. I let a branch grow to 8 or 10 leaves and cut it back to 2 or 3 and instead of back budding, only one leader grows to extend the branch, exactly what I didn't want. Any ideas?

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irene_b

Hi Larry,

When were they collected?
Cedar Elms need to left alone for a year or two.
Irene

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lagunamadre

The oldest was 4 years ago.

irene_b

Are they in sun or shade?
Irene

__________________
Student of Life & Nature

"From bonsai we receive peace of mind, health and a life’s pursuit. We can also learn generosity, patience and even philosophy about life. We can also have the good fortune to make friends of all nationalities and races with whom we share a mutual trust and respect. This is all thanks to bonsai." "Saburo Kato"


Kindness is the sign of a loving heart, one of the greatest of all virtues.

lagunamadre

They get about 5 hours of direct sun in there present location. If I give them more than that, the leaves get brown around the edges. My oldest one, collected Dec. of '03, I'm thinking of cutting off all the leaves and cutting back the branches, as I would while dormant. I've never done this to them in the summer. I'm not sure though about the timming, weather to do it now or wait until just before there next growth period, at the end of October, or November. I do let them grow unchecked the first year after collection. Thanks for your help, larry. By the way, the cedar elms don't go dormant down here 'til maybe January, depending on the weather.

irene_b

Larry,
Cedar Elm are in ways not much different than the Chinese Elms in that they can stand up to hard pruning and cutting back. What kind of ferts are you using on them?
Irene

__________________
Student of Life & Nature

"From bonsai we receive peace of mind, health and a life’s pursuit. We can also learn generosity, patience and even philosophy about life. We can also have the good fortune to make friends of all nationalities and races with whom we share a mutual trust and respect. This is all thanks to bonsai." "Saburo Kato"


Kindness is the sign of a loving heart, one of the greatest of all virtues.

lagunamadre

I fertilize once a week and alternate between fish emulsion and a chemical root promoting fert like 4-12-4, and no matter what I use, I add liquid sea weed. The oldest one has a ton of leaves, about 1/4 original size and it may be back budding more than the others, so like you said, I might need to be more patient.The 2 & 3 year ( in training ) trees don't back bud at all.

irene_b

Collected cedar elms can be just a tad fussy and may wait a year to put on leaves after collecting (Most think they have died). Sometimes it is best to let them grow unchecked for a few years.
Let them lead and they are happy.
Irene

__________________
Student of Life & Nature

"From bonsai we receive peace of mind, health and a life’s pursuit. We can also learn generosity, patience and even philosophy about life. We can also have the good fortune to make friends of all nationalities and races with whom we share a mutual trust and respect. This is all thanks to bonsai." "Saburo Kato"


Kindness is the sign of a loving heart, one of the greatest of all virtues.

watzone69

Where do you live? Austin?

My cedar elms are getting a little defoliation from the derned caterpillars, despite my picking and spraying! Nasty looking black ones with spikey horns. It doesn't worry me too much though. The leaves grow right back.

Yes, they act much like chinese elm, like Irene said. I keep getting that "one sprout" deal on mine too. I just let it grow a bit and then cut it back again to 2 or 3 more leaves. Eventually I get more twiggy growth.

Cheers,
Mike