Broom Style Hope to Be

[rjj]

Norm is to blame for this. Never really thought about trying one until I saw his plant.

This Cedar Elm, Ulmus crassifolia, is native to areas in Oklahoma. It got a little too dry over the winter and I lost the top part of the tree. Took it out of the 3 gallon Rootmaker and pruned it back to a few inches above the soil line.

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[url=https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/bonsai%20stuff/a.jpg][img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/bonsai%20stuff/th_a.jpg[/img][/url]
This is a fairly conservative root prune for me.
[url=https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/bonsai%20stuff/b.jpg][img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/bonsai%20stuff/th_b.jpg[/img][/url]
Then cleaned the trunk of small feeder roots down a ways and lowered the soil line and put it in a 12 inch bulb pan. Plant is now 5 inches tall.
[url=https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/bonsai%20stuff/c.jpg][img]https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v517/rjj/bonsai%20stuff/th_c.jpg[/img][/url]
randy

[Gnome]

Randy,

That's a nice straight trunk and should make a good broom. I've read good things about that species but don't have them in my area. Not sure where your headed with this one but if you want buds to form from the cambium as mine did, you will probably have to seal it. I touched mine up with an X-acto knife before sealing it with a pliable sealer.

Perhaps you have already done so or perhaps you are shooting for a more informal style in which the branches emerge from the trunk rather from the extreme apex. I have an unidentified Elm in the garden now that I chopped back to a new leader, with a few branches emerging pretty high on the trunk but not from the cambium.

I believe that this style is known as the informal broom whereas the other is the formal broom. You may have already seen this but if you follow [url=https://www.bonsai4me.com/Basics/Basics_StylingForms.html]this link[/url] and scroll down about 1/4 of the page there are two drawings that illustrate this. Please keep us updated with this one.

Norm

[constantstaticx3]

Randy,

That looks great! It has a nice straight trunk and should do nicely as a broom. I also read that you should rap the top part with raffia or floral tape, right below where the shoots come out, this will keep them from swelling out and creating a reverse taper.

I plan on doing one in the coming years, thanks to gnome, and I will also post pictures of its progress.

Gnome, maybe we should make a new forum section on brooms, seems like its catching on around here .

Tom

[rjj]

Thanks for the input guys. I did put some wood glue on the top to seal it.

randy