New Chinese Elm

Aaron_K

Hi all,

Today I took receipt of my new Chinese Elm that I got as a gift for toiling in my sisters bathroom redecorating it. There are a lot of imperfections on it, but it has a lot of character too and so thought I'd take the time to point out the flaws and problems for newer members to see.

The first picture shows the tree from the front. It stands 52cm tall, and is quite a chunky fellow, with the root flare/base being wider than my hand. Its quite gnarly and the bark looks quite old against the green lichen that's grown on it.

Now the first thing to note is the soil. You can see its got a lot of fine organic matter in it that has compacted over time. This doesn't allow for fast drainage. The soil stays too wet for too long. As roots need water AND air, they start to suffocate and eventually die and rot. Subsequently, I pulled a few big roots out that were completely rotten.

Another thing to point out here is that the tree is sitting on a few big clumps of clay. This is done by the exporter/grower so that the tree does not dry out during transportation from the far east, as trees like this are grown on mass in places like Korea, China, Taiwan etc, etc. The problem with this, is again keeping the roots too wet for too long. I will need to repot this tree in the Spring and completely wash all the clay and poor quality soil off the root mass, replacing it with a fast draining soil.

The tree also has some reverse taper which will need correcting through either carving or encouraging the lower portion of the tree to fatten. There is also a big chop scar on the top, near to the new leader. This will need to be carved down about 5mm from its present location, and the bark cut open to encourage it to heal over. In the Spring this tree will be repotted and placed into a much bigger growing container to quickly develop some new heavy branches. Until then its being kept out of the rain, purely to allow the soil to dry out more and control the watering.

Any comments or questions welcomed.

All the best,

Aaron

Attached Images

	Front.jpg (39.0 KB, 331 views)
	Rear.jpg (53.5 KB, 166 views)
	hand.jpg (35.7 KB, 165 views)
	Clay-1.jpg (58.7 KB, 154 views)
	Clay-2.jpg (61.1 KB, 162 views)
	Root-Rot.jpg (47.4 KB, 151 views)

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Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Muriel Strode

Vulpes pilum mutat, non mores!

"A fox may change its skin but never its character"

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Aaron_K

more pics.

Attached Images

	reverse taper.jpg (57.2 KB, 108 views)
	Reverse taper back.jpg (29.7 KB, 102 views)
	Top Scar.jpg (43.9 KB, 97 views)

__________________
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Muriel Strode

Vulpes pilum mutat, non mores!

"A fox may change its skin but never its character"

Ashbarns9999

Hi AK I agree the clay must go why don't you get rid of it bit by bit over the short term and of course spring will see it all gone. The reverse taper is a worry because you would really need a pocket branch at the point you wish to thicken. Carving would disguise it but can that be justified at that point on the trunk? A mid trunk layer could be the best way to go (i use sec. door mesh for a cage) other details of my process are av. Free draining soil mix is a must for all trees and i add a high percentage of 1/4 minus granite to my mix. If you do layer i would leave the branch to the right on, it will encourage the new root system. These are only my thoughts your call my friend. Kind Regards Ash

P.S...I did read your palm and see a long and fruitful life ahead. Put the cheque in the mail.

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Aaron_K

Hi Ash,

I'm still in two minds as whether to air layer or carve/thicken the trunk in the appropriate areas. Ideally, I would like to avoid a chop and have a tall, powerful trunk, but I will see how it goes.

I had a good look today in the daylight at the soil. I found 4 more rotten woody roots of about 4-5mm that pulled straight out of the soil. I was a bit concerned by this, as they were located at various points around the tree and so decided to pop it out of its pot to take a look at the root mass and the extent to which rot has set in.

There were a lot of healthy white feeder roots around the root ball, but as I could immediately see more thick rotten roots, directly underneath the centre. I gently took a root fork and agitated the soil, which thankfully just fell away with little or no effort by tapping it. This revealed yet more dead roots, some over 1cm thick, all decaying further and further up the root system, all caked with thick wet clay and compacted, unscreened soil, which was exacerbating the problem.

Although the tree looks healthy enough at the moment, It would be 5 months or so before I would perform the planned repot. I didn't want to leave the roots there in wet clay to carry on rotting over winter, as it would easily have started to eat the bottom of the trunk away and spread to other parts of the root mass. By then I could be in real trouble. I decided on the strength of what I saw to do an emergency repot.

As the soil around the feeder roots had fall away with great ease, they escaped virtually untouched. I placed the tree in a bucket of tepid water for 10 minutes to allow the surface clay to get mushy, then using a root hook, I gently worked it out of the nebari and base of the tree. A couple of squirts with the hose and it was all gone. With all soil and clay removed, I could easily see the rotten material and cut it away back to healthy parts.

I reused the same pot, placing a layer of fired clay pellets at the bottom, then screened compost - like my other two elms live happily in. As none of the feeder roots were pruned, and only dead material was removed, the impact on the tree has been kept to an absolute minimum. The new soil drains very well, and retains moisture, but allows for a good mix of air too. We've got about 6 weeks before Autumn really arrives here in S.E. England, and roots will still continue to grow all the while the temperature is above 10c/50f.

Although Chinese elms are tough as old boots, I'll be paying particular care to this tree come the Winter, as the roots have been disturbed this late in the year. Repotting a deciduous tree in Autumn is not something I would recommend in general, only under certain circumstances as the lesser of two evils. However, normal repotting is mostly accompanied by a root prune too, something that hasn't been performed here.

Any effects of this repot should be visible within the next week to 10 days. I'm confident that the tree will sale through without any problems.

All the best,

Aaron

__________________
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Muriel Strode

Vulpes pilum mutat, non mores!

"A fox may change its skin but never its character"

007

Now I'm concerned about the elm I just got . . . insepction of some of the surface roots definitely showed a few roots that end just under the soil line and rotting. I pruned those off.

However there is one large root coming off one side that I don't know how far it goes under the soil, but when I push on it, water comes out like a sponge.

I just got this tree last week and slip-potted it into some free draining soil, but I left the original soil (which was not bonsai soil) there and undisturbed. I don't want to lose this tree! What are some opinions on a re-pot right? This tree is going to be kept in cold room where i have been told it will be right around 45F all winter.

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Aaron_K

Hi 007

Yup I remember your thread on the seiju. Nice stock.

With regard to re-repotting, that's quite a tough call to make without knowing exactly what the situation is. Obviously, you don't want to keep disturbing the roots of a tree. On the other hand, you don't want rot spreading unabated for another 5-6 months before a scheduled Spring repot. The action I took above was based on the observations I'd made on the root system and I made a reasoned judgement call. As it was only dead material being pruned off, I essentially performed a soil transplant. Chinese elms being tough little SOB's, my equivalent USDA zone and the abundance of healthy root mass I'm not expecting any problems with the tree but, only time will tell.

The "Sponge" root does not sound good. Many of mine were like that. A couple were complete mush and I am glad that I decided to inspect the roots and remove the dead material and soil responsible (mainly the clay).

Essentially, without an inspection, you are going to be unable to say which is the best course of action to take. The rot may be isolated to a small area, in which case it would probably be ok to leave it as is until Spring 2006. By moderating the watering, the rot could be dramatically slowed down.

It could also be fairly widespread, with a ball of clay or equally compressed, soaked soil in the heart of the root mass providing the ideal conditions for the fungus to to thrive.

If it were mine, I would do a thorough inspection on the root system and then make a decision as to what course of action is best. If you are a member of a club, it might be an idea to take it along to get the advice of some experienced mentors. It might also be an idea to start a thread on your tree specifically, with some detailed photos and information, to see what other people think.

All the best,

Aaron

__________________
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Muriel Strode

Vulpes pilum mutat, non mores!

"A fox may change its skin but never its character"

007

Thanks Aaron . . . . I have actually enlisted the help of a local club member (and forum member) to decide if a repot is necessary. I think we are going to tackle the task tomorrow. First inspect the roots, and then decide if a repot is necessary.

I highly doubt there is any clay in the soil . . . but I am quite sure that it is a mass of organic material that may or may not have been refreshed in the past few years even. I don't really know.

I'll keep you posted on how things go!

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Aaron_K

Ah that's good to hear. Always best to find out what the state of play is. I'd be very interested to hear how it goes. Remember to take pics as you go!! I completely forgot to take pics today.

All the best,

Aaron

__________________
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Muriel Strode

Vulpes pilum mutat, non mores!

"A fox may change its skin but never its character"

007

How's the elm these days Aaron?

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