Corkbark Chinese Elm styling advice

[MountainFrost]

I recently purchased this elm last week, I need advice on how to style it. Thanks in advance.

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[KIRKY]

Very nice stock.
Remove any bar branching or crossing branches. Shorten branches to start ramification. If it were mine I would look at styling as per this second prize twin trunk Corky Bark Elm. Check out this site no.16 2nd prize.
http://www.scottishbonsai.org/page.cfm?page=10
Cheers
Kirky

[treeman]

You need to decide which trunk will be the main one and shorten the other drastically to a new leader if it has one. If it doesn't it will soon grow one. Cut all other branches very short and style mainly by clip and grow for the best result. It looks like your tree needs a good feed and keep it coming the entire season. (don't just use liquid. Best results come from solid slow release and liquid supplement) They develop very quickly if fed well and you will struggle unless you really pump it with food...and water...and sun.

[MountainFrost]

Very nice stock.
Remove any bar branching or crossing branches. Shorten branches to start ramification. If it were mine I would look at styling as per this second prize twin trunk Corky Bark Elm. Check out this site no.16 2nd prize.
http://www.scottishbonsai.org/page.cfm?page=10
Cheers
Kirky

I had a look and that style looks great, i'll most likely go with that style. Thank you!

[MountainFrost]

You need to decide which trunk will be the main one and shorten the other drastically to a new leader if it has one. If it doesn't it will soon grow one. Cut all other branches very short and style mainly by clip and grow for the best result. It looks like your tree needs a good feed and keep it coming the entire season. (don't just use liquid. Best results come from solid slow release and liquid supplement) They develop very quickly if fed well and you will struggle unless you really pump it with food...and water...and sun.

I have shortened one of the trunks. I did a terrible job at cutting it, my saw broke recently so I used branch cutters.... it didn't go very well. But I might cut it shorter properly later, I selected a leader, it's not the best. I'll wait and see if anything better grows. I found a bit of swelling under the foliage, what should I do about it? The branch structure isn't very good either.

[shibui]

A picture is very helpful when asking further advice. We can't see what you have already done so it is hard to decide what else would be appropriate.
I've looked at the earlier pictures. I think if you have found swelling under the foliage then you have not cut it short enough. I also think if you have selected a new leader for the shorter trunk you have not cut it short enough either but I'll wait for the updated pics to give final judgement.

[MountainFrost]

A picture is very helpful when asking further advice. We can't see what you have already done so it is hard to decide what else would be appropriate.
I've looked at the earlier pictures. I think if you have found swelling under the foliage then you have not cut it short enough. I also think if you have selected a new leader for the shorter trunk you have not cut it short enough either but I'll wait for the updated pics to give final judgement.

The swelling is close to the top of the longer trunk

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[treeman]

Swelling is from branches coming from one spot. Cut them all off but one. Make a new leader with that. Wire all the branches you keep slightly upwards so they all match. remove everything else. That's how you make your ''frame'' and from there it's easy.....You will hardly have to wire much at all from there. (Use a bud close to the big cut on the secondary trunk as the new leader).

corky.JPG

[MountainFrost]

Swelling is from branches coming from one spot. Cut them all off but one. Make a new leader with that. Wire all the branches you keep slightly upwards so they all match. remove everything else. That's how you make your ''frame'' and from there it's easy.....You will hardly have to wire much at all from there. (Use a bud close to the big cut on the secondary trunk as the new leader).

corky.JPG

Thanks, this is very helpful. theres a large branch on the back of the tree, you put a question mark there, should I remove it?

[shibui]

It looks like there is another swelling area on the main trunk - the first one treeman has wired up, just above the ? back branch. It has the same problem as the upper one - too many branches growing in the same area so they need to be cut out as well.
I'm not sure that just cutting off some of the branches at the top and wiring a replacement will solve the reverse taper at the top. Maybe with Treeman's extensive experience and knowledge he could pull that off but I find they usually just heal over and get larger. I'd be cutting that trunk below the swelling to another branch just under it, maybe even lower, depending where the smaller trunk is pruned to.
I also don't think the shorter trunk is short enough yet. I'd go nearly halfway down to the fork from the present cut. Chinese elms are very responsive and will sprout new shoots all around the top of any cut, even on older wood with no visible buds. Cutting it this short will be drastic but it will yield a very short, powerful small elm bonsai.

[treeman]

Swelling is from branches coming from one spot. Cut them all off but one. Make a new leader with that. Wire all the branches you keep slightly upwards so they all match. remove everything else. That's how you make your ''frame'' and from there it's easy.....You will hardly have to wire much at all from there. (Use a bud close to the big cut on the secondary trunk as the new leader).

corky.JPG

Thanks, this is very helpful. theres a large branch on the back of the tree, you put a question mark there, should I remove it?

It looks a bit heavy and straight to me but can't really see. If in doubt, cut it off. there will be several replacements there within a week. Just choose one of them (if you think you need one there) and remove the rest.
With the swelling that shibui was talking about, the trick here is to remove all the large leaders except one as illustrated. You might need to carve/gouge out the area so the transition is smoother (remove as much of the swelling as possible) Let the new leader grow freely (I year) before cutting back to 2 or 3 buds. The more the new apex grows the less the swelling at the cut and it will begin to heal over.
Most of all, remember to feed!

[MountainFrost]

Update, there are lots of new buds everywhere, I have began feeding, I removed two branches and tried to remove some of the swelling at the top of the tree, i'm really worried about scarring. More advice would be helpful.

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[treeman]

Looking ok. Just feed well and forget everything else for the rest of the season. (watch the wire). Thin the branches out on the short trunk if too many grow.

[MountainFrost]

I found some bark that had peeled off, when I pulled it back I found this.

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What should I do about it?

[Jarad]

Is that mealy bug? Confidor spray should do the trick, just make sure it says mealy bug on the bottle.