AusBonsai

I collected a smallish elm today. Everytime I see yamadori on this site it is bare trunks, is it a requirement to cut it back to nearly nothing when collecting trees like elms?

Cheers

when collecting it may help to do this as u have taken out alot of the root structure so reducing the top of the tree may be paramount to its overall health ,balance is the way to go mate good luck.any pics to see where its at

cheers mick

I will post some soon, its a little embarrassing as the Yamadori photos I see on here are monster trunks and this one is probably just under an inch thick

Sn00pi wrote:I will post some soon, its a little embarrassing as the Yamadori photos I see on here are monster trunks and this one is probably just under an inch thick

You have to start somewhere Snoopi. If it is a English it should survive no problem

Hi , I collected one a little while back , not too many roots unfortunately , but it's kicking along now . Trunk probably 50mm,and yes it is a good idea to equalise top and bottom of tree

I trimmed off alot of material, hopefully get some pics up tonight

And here is the photo, should I prune the trunk down some more?

I'm thinking I will use the branch moving off to the right as the new trunk.

Hi SnOOpi,
I agree with you about the branch to the right. This will help to get a lot more movement in the tree. If you are going to go this way I would suggest you cut the trunk at the bend of the branch going to the right. The branch is still to long and you will need to shorten it as new growth appears. This will help with the overall taper.
Regards Ray

so should I do this now, before the new buds start to appear? Will it be beneficial to do so now, perhaps less trunk means less area for reduced roots to support?
Thanks All!

Also,

Would it be ok to saw the other trunk off, I don't have anything to cut a trunk that big

The best time to collect elms is when they are bare and the buds are beginning to swell, at the moment you should leave it alone as the tree needs to survive on newly dug roots.
Wait for the tree to gain strength and leave the design (and cutting back) until winter.

Thanks everyone,

I'll leave it alone until next year,