New Chinese Elm

007

Good to hear!

I just updated the seiju repot thread . . . it should be up near the top somewhere.

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Aaron_K

Hi all,

Just a quick update on this tree. I'd been pondering what to do on this tree for a while now. Last year I carved back the reverse taper somewhat, but I still didn't like what I saw and so I left it in a pot to do its own thing. There were still a lot of taper problems which needed to be addressed.

I decided to go an alternate route and try something I've never done before. I hollowed out the previously carved area and then removed the old apex. I bent a side branch upwards to for the new leader.

This tree will now be left alone to recover, the scar heal over and the leader to thicken until it will be cut back for the development of the primary branches. The hollow will be refined over time and most likely I will add some inks/dyes to add to the depth and character.

The result is attached below.

Any comments or suggestions are welcomed as always.

Kindest regards,

Aaron

Attached Images

	Big-elm-apex.jpg (54.2 KB, 80 views)
	Big-elm.jpg (60.5 KB, 90 views)
	Big-Elm-hollow.jpg (52.0 KB, 72 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"

bonsaikc

Aaron,
I wish you had air layered this tree and kept most of its height. How do you plan to fix the difference in trunk girth above the chop? And how are the roots now? If they are still as they were, I would probably go ahead and air layer which will improve nebari and taper down there. Let the top grow all out of proportion (6 feet tall if you can) and chop back again once it's 3/4 the size of the lower part.

Oh, and what did you do with the upper part of the trunk? Did you try to root it?

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Chris Johnston
"She was a critic, and lots fo critics who aren't called to do what they write about grow jealous and mean and small in their disappointment." - Stephen King, Duma Key
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Aaron_K

Hi Chris,

Yup, the new leader will be left to grow pretty much unhindered to develop the required girth to restore the taper. The old apex was just cut off. There wasn't actually all that much there, as I'd already removed some of the apex back in spring 2006 if I remember. Unfortunately there were so many bumps and lumps up the trunk that gave bad taper from various angles, I opted for this trunk chop to start again from scratch and remove all those problems once and for all.

I tried, unsuccessfully, to airlayer the tree last year too and to date, the roots remain in the same butt ugly state that they were in, in the inital pictures. Airlayering has been the plan all along but, I will probably now postpone airlayering the tree until the new leader has attained its desired thickness, otherwise I'll only be slowing this process down waiting for the roots to develop again.

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"

Treebeard

hi Aaron,

Knobbly, uneven taper is good sometimes

...but can be an acquired taste.

A lumpy top with skinny pollard growth is obviously unnatural but does not look out of place in the English countryside.

But I quite understand you wanting to grow it on to achieve a smoother transition

Regards,

Chris.

Attached Images

	knobblyisgood.jpg (64.4 KB, 69 views)
	knobblyisgood2.jpg (60.1 KB, 68 views)

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"Do not be hasty, that is my motto"
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Aaron_K

Hi Beardy,

I agree with you, sometimes reverse taper isn't necessarily a negative thing and can add to the charachter of a tree. If the bark is gnarled and branches contorted, it conjures a haunting image reminiscent of an ancient English oak in the depths of a forest. Unfortunately the bark of the elm was smooth and there was nothing, for me anyway, that really added to the tree with the taper being the way it was.

It's not something I've rushed into. I'm always wary about taking the saw out and even lopping off branches, as in the early days, a second look at a tree from another angle and the removed limb in right hand would shortly be followed by my left hand slapping my forehead and an expletive being muttered under my breath lol

Every side of the tree had its negatives and very few plus points. The mid section, although wide in some shots, was also very flat, which confounded matters too.

I know its going to take a good few years for the new scar to heal and the taper to be restored, but I think the end result will be worth the wait.

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"

anttal63

what would happen if with a dremel you put a neat channel either side of the trunk at the point of reverse taper, then let them heal back an swell. it is an idea im entertaing for a few of my tress "still in developement".

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Treebeard

Hi Aaron, you know I've got a folder full of smooth-barked knobbly-trunked tree photos... but I take your point

Regards,

Chris.

__________________
"Do not be hasty, that is my motto"
-JRR Tolkien, The Two Towers.
-----------------------------------
christopherguise.co.uk

jeremy_norbury

Have you considered planting it out in the garden for a few years? I keep Chinese Elm outside and/or planted out in the garden all year round - they really thrive...

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