I was picking up a few trees from Josh for the display and was greeted with this Elm just lifted from the ground this Spring. It was the first time I had seen it in a pot. Impressive 🙂
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Tell me how you grow an elm in the ground — get a great trunk — and get the terrific branching. Can you share some experience? I have small Elms 1/2″ diameter trunk probably 18″ tall. Do I just ground them and really just let them grow wildly….or grow wildly but with branch trims every autumn? Trims throughout the season? Any clues helpful to me.
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Hi John, What this guy does with trees in the ground amazes me as well. This tree has been developed over many, many years. For the first years he builds up the trunk to the required thickness. The next step is developing the primary branches, even in a broom. It’s basically chop and grow, much the same as if it were in a pot but much faster. I think his secret is the amount of time he spends on each tree. It may be growing faster but the techniques are still applied. Most people field growing trees only work on them once or twice a year. Josh is giving them constant attention. Hope this helps, not an easy question to answer!
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Thanks. It’s an impressive piece of work. I’m guessing that the “chop and grow” method applies all the way up through the branches…probably beginning the same patient technique on the primary branch system once the trunk size is reached. The wildly-growing phase is probably for the first stage of the trunk size. That first phase and what happens once the trunck diameter is reached is a part I’m exploring.
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Same for the branches, I was talking about this today whist doing a tree critique at a bonsai display. An oak of Josh’s was the tree I was looking at and you could clearly see 3 different chops on a branch to gain taper.
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very impressive !!!!!!
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do you know which elm ??
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I think its a Wych Elm. Most of the Elms he collects from the school grounds are. It was hard to tell with this one as he is so meticulous which his trimming, the leaves are tiny.
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He sure knows how to grow them.
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and he is so modest about it, a true gentleman.
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