I collected this Cedar elm, Ulmus crassifolia, in April of 2017. As you can see from this photo, taken in October of 2017, its post-collecting recovery was weak. You will likely encounter this sort of situation from time to time. The key is to recognize it and treat the specimen accordingly. In the case of this tree, I just left it alone.
Fast-forward to May 6, 2018. The tree has obviously recovered a lot of strength, so much so that the initial styling can be done. In only 15 minutes, we now have a direction for this specimen.
Hey Zach, I recently collected some cedar elm trees that seems to be doing well post-collection. The new shoots emerging from the trunk seem to be a bit fragile (esp at the base). When do you think is the best time to do an initial styling? I want to put some movement in the branches before the thicken too much but also dont want to break the shoot of at the base.
Thanks in advance!
Jacob from Texas
Jacob, the new branches will remain flexible for a good while, so if don’t feel you’re skilled enough to wire them now just let them grow for a while longer. You can test them as they continue to grow, that way you’ll have a better idea of how long to wait.