Bonsaify | How to Propagate Elms for Bonsai: Eric's Three Favorite Elms!

Eric shares his tips for successful propagation of Elms, focusing on his three favorite types and what size bonsai they are each best suited for, from mame and shohin to large trees.
00:00:44 Seiju Elms are a variety of Chinese Corkbark Elms whose leaves are significantly smaller than the regular variety. They're not common outside the United States. The leaves do get a bit bigger but still really tiny. This variety makes good shohin and mame. We are selling these as starters: www.bonsaify.com/products/sei...
00:01:49 Regular Chinese Corkbark Elms are a little more vigorous and can grow larger, making medium and large-sized bonsai. We're also selling starters of this variety: www.bonsaify.com/products/chi...
00:02:26 The third variety of Elms Eric likes to work with are Texas Cedar Elms (Ulmus Crassifolia). These actually have nothing to do with Cedar! The foliage/leaves are thicker and tougher feeling.
00:03:17 Eric finds these so interesting because the twigs are vigorous and having little wings. They produce nice rugged bark and fast growth characteristics.
00:03:50 When it comes to Elm propagation, to get the best results Eric recommends taking cuttings from the exact tree whose characteristics you already like.
00:04:17 One standard propagation technique is to cut vigorous shoots into sections between 5-8" in length. Then strip off bottom leaves and tender tips (to reduce water stress).
00:05:20 The health of the parent plan is important for cuttings.
00:06:01 A second propagation technique is to use slightly larger wood and create a heel cutting. Select a side branch with a larger branch below. Less reliable technique but does speed up growth.
00:06:52 Eric explains a third propagation technique: root cutting process. It has interesting advantages, you can use a big root to make a tree rather quickly but a disadvantage is that you can introduce a reverse taper into the composition.
00:08:58 Sticking the cuttings using rooting hormone. Eric demonstrates with Hormex 8. Origin of rooting hormone is actually willow branch cuttings soaked in water!
00:09:56 Dip & Stick!
00:11:23 This method leads to quick rooting and take off growing almost immediately.
00:11:48 Eric advises the next step is to put processed cuttings somewhere relatively moist, or a cool shaded environment out of any direct sun. He demonstrates covering in plastic.
00:13:01 Creating a "tiny little greenhouse".
00:14:05 Eric shares the process at a larger scale at the greenhouse.
00:14:54 Once cuttings have rooted, wait for dormancy before transplanting them.
00:15:38 Why Eric loves propagating: You get complete control over both the genetic material and the shape you're propagating!
What experiences have you had propagating Elms? Which variety do you prefer? Let us know in the comments below. Thank you for watching! Please like this video and share it with bonsai friends. If you haven't already subscribed to our channel, what are you waiting for? 😉
Setup for an Electronic Leaf misting system (note this is for reference - please make sure all parts you use are compatible!)
Electronic Leaf:www.berryhilldrip.com/Electro...
3/4" Plumbing: (all 3/4" Iron Pipe thread, beware of hose thread!)
35PSI pressure limiter: (inline-3/4")www.berryhilldrip.com/PRLG-Pr...
Back flow preventer: (check valve)
www.amazon.com/American-Valve...
140 Mesh inline filter:www.berryhilldrip.com/Netafim...
Valve: www.berryhilldrip.com/61ET.75...
Beyond the valve:
3/4" to 1/2" adaptor (make sure your adaptor matches the 1/2" pipe exactly since there is some variation. - .600 is the most common)www.dripworks.com/1-2-easy-lo...
More EZ loc fittings:
www.dripworks.com/drip-irriga...
1/2" flex-tubing:www.berryhilldrip.com/POL005-...
Fogger stems:
www.dripdepot.com/item/netafi...
Fogger Nozzle:
www.dripdepot.com/item/netafi...
You can hang the tubing any way you want, I used a 10' piece of 1/2" electrical conduit to keep it straight.The emitters are placed at 2' intervals alternating 45 degree angles. But you can get better coverage with multiple lines of them.

[@Candice.BonsaiScience]

Interestingly enough the Seiju Elm was literally stumbled upon in 1975- Carl and Shin Young were weeding a two-year-old group of their dwarfed-leaf 'Hime' or Hokkaido elms, a branch was noted on one plant that had slightly larger leaves, about 3/8" long with 1/4" internodes. Carl took that branch off and potted it as a cutting to see what would happen as it didn’t ‘fit the tree’. The cutting rooted. The following May 1976 Carl then took 24 tip growth cuttings and rooted them. And that is how this Seiju variety came to be. This is also why they are really only found in the US - While Carl did study in Japan for 20 years after WW2 he and his wife returned to California and opened a vineyard and small nursery.

[@Bonsaify]

Thanks for the details! That's a cool story. Do you know of any resources or photos of Carl and Shin?

[@Candice.BonsaiScience]

@@Bonsaify I don’t know if any pictures off hand but his bonsai nursery was in Lodi California and he did some development of the Kusamura Bonsai Club- His favorite tree is also on display at Lake Merritt Bonsai Garden

[@0action847]

I have a Seiju elm and can find them pretty easy in Australia at most bonsai nurseries.

[@wabisabi3619]

I’ve had success rooting cuttings up to ~2cm thick. Use a round pot and then cut the bottom off a suitably sized bottle. Keep the lid on. You just jam it into the soil and the lid can easily be removed for misting. Much easier than a bag 😊

[@Planted.Aesthetics]

Another really nice Elm, is the English Field Elms. They have small leaves like the Chinese Elm and reduce in size easily

[@r.evanmiller1030]

Thanks for the encouragement! I have done a couple of the ems from my trimmings and I always give it a go.

[@kaushik_b]

I feel so calm and relaxed after watching your videos ☺

[@robertjones7023]

My first Bonsai trees were Chinese Elms from seeds taken from the Syracuse University campus. I also planted several of these in a friend's yard. That was the start of my Bonsai adventure!

[@clarkw9881]

I've propagated winged, slippery, and Chinese elms from small branch cuttings. I plan on trying root cuttings next spring.

[@BenBSeattle]

love that misting system its exactly what i've been looking for

[@sbragaglia]

There we go! Looking forward to acquire more knowledge on elms! 😃

[@sbragaglia]

Seiju Elms look very cute! If we weren’t that far aside, I’d buy some from you!

[@frenchfries2148]

Just ordered one of each, super excited for the future of these beautiful plants

[@robertscarborough68]

🙏🏼 thank you Eric, Another very informative video.

[@TonysBonsai]

Another brilliant video. Thanks for sharing your knowledge. much appreciated!

[@TheBonsaiGarden]

Always amazing and packed full of info and beautiful, tiny trees. 🙏

[@austinjk24]

Texas cedar elm gowns everywhere in my area, I work with it a lot. You can walk the private ranches and find old specimens that are twisted and gnarly , This is due to the cattle and deer browsing and trampling. Great video , Thanks for the information !

[@Bonsaify]

Yes! I've seen some folks in Texas who have absolutely gorgeous wild and naturally stunted specimens that have been turned into bonsai. A delight for sure!

[@wardm4]

Wow. So much knowledge dropped casually throughout. I have an Eastern red cedar in my backyard (not bonsai), and it never occurred to me that it isn't a cedar. Haha.

[@liquidxskin19]

Great video I love elms

[@hyperionhelios190]

Thanks Eric. I just planted a root cutting of an elm this past weekend. We will see what happens.

[@annas7892]

I admit I really like these videos as they are done with wit and always an element of a joke which makes them memorable and fun, as opposed to just purely educational dry videos. Also, really appreciate the educational content for it is the unspoken rules of bonsai that are being shared. I had a lot of trouble starting bonsai many years ago as even though there were videos available none of them mentioned some of the very key aspects of growing bonsai that could lead to their certain death. Yes there wasn't much mention of even the need to fertilise and that the soil that we get from a supermarket when buying bonsai is really not suitable for longer than several months. etc etc As i watch these videos i'm growing really impatient since currently my area is snowed in and i just want to go to the local nursery and spend a day looking at plants and identifying good potentials for a bonsai.

[@shauno812]

Thanks for sharing!

[@henzobonsai]

Nice sharing videos

[@Viatoris_Notas]

Very usefull. Thank you.

[@potreliefbonsaibatu5035]

Wew❗I see the texture of the bark very very unique🤔Brokens,there are red dots,,green,blue,yellow..

[@snager80]

The winged elm is v. popular in the dallas bonsai society. People here mainly collect them from the wild, so most of the specimens ive seen are pushing 3 foot tall, so I'm interested to see how they miniaturize as shohin.

[@iPheek]

I tried rooting a 4” cutting and it worked! Then I took it outside and the heat killed it. I had it growing indoors with indirect light and room temp and also getting enough light. I’m hoping to try it again next spring!

[@DarthMasiah]

I've been experimenting with Winged Elm, Ulmus Alata. it develops really corky bark, too.

[@lene.642]

I've been doing several tree propagation for years using old aquariums to control the moisture environment with really good success. I might have missed it but I didn't get the type of medium you used for putting the cuttings in to start after dipping in rooting hormone. I use Perlite with good success. Yours looked a bit coarser than the Perlite. Thanks, Len

[@Bonsaify]

Yeah, perlite and coco coir and/or bark. Usually 60-70% perlite.

[@matshagstrom9839]

Hi Eric, Thank you for another good video. Ulmus Parvifolia are certainly beginner friendly yet leave something for all bonsai growers to work with. They are easy to grow from seed, grow fast and are forgiving trees. They generally tolerate complete defoliation early in the season and doing so can easily demonstrate how doing so can within weeks- a month double ramification. Esp if followed by obsessive bud pinching . They tolerate a bit of abuse like forgetting to water or over watering for a while. I have grown them from seed, cuttings and root cuttings but have yet to do one as air layer. I tried grafting seju to regular chinese elm without success. Seems like it takes time for the cork bark to show signs of maturity. Unfortunately being in a three month fog belt in coastal San Francisco most of mine have developed nthracnose+----. It's not bad and improves in the warmer months. I'm very careful cleaning instruments but I'm afraid it's like the common cold (a corona virus) very contagious. Still somedays I feel like burning all elm bc it will never go away. I have not tried air layering elms but that seems appealing for anyone with a phat trunk and nice top. Seju seem to do leaving all the little branches until they get to the size you want. Trying to steer them into growing less but thicker branches while young is not what the plant likes. be well, MH

[@annas7892]

so i keep seeing that zelkova serrata is referred to as chinese elm and when i wanted to look up the Ulmus Parvifolia it also was referred to as a chinese elm. Are they the same? I suppose not?

[@matshagstrom9839]

Ulmus and Zelkova are both in the elm family ‘Ulmaceae’. There are many spices of both genus. There are both Chinese and Japanese zelkova and Chinese and Japanese Ulmus and many hybrids and variants. These trees have developed and evolved well all over the planet. I really enjoy learning about trees. I wish I would have studies to be an arborist when I was young but it’s never too late. Enjoy learning, growing and bonsai if you find that rewarding.

[@EuanEllery]

That third elm looks quite interesting! I have a similar tree with kinda spiky ridges on the leaves which I haven't been able to identify

[@november8039]

If it's an elm with heavily dentate leaf margins in North America my guesses are Ulmus alata, Ulmus thomasii, or possibly Ulmus serotina. Hope this helps!

[@november8039]

(or Ulmus crassifolia of course)

[@waterlover]

I think I have the seiju variety or the Hokkaido elm variety since the leaves of my trees are freaking tiny

[@elieldiaz2613]

Carl young from Lodi is the one who discovered the seiju elm

[@Bonsaify]

Nice! I found an article that said he found "Yatsabusa" Elm which is slightly different I think. There is a small-leaf variety of corkbark where the leaf is more elongated than with Seiju.

[@elieldiaz2613]

Oh really nice ! Yeah from the old international bonsai Magazine he would have listings of his seiju elm . Thank you again for the content !

[@9daywonda]

Willow tree bark contains Salicylic acid, the substance that asprin is made from.

[@Bonsaify]

Yes! And rooting hormone!

[@judymagrath3771]

Can you air layer elm? I have a Chinese elm with a terrible S curve.

[@Bonsaify]

Fo Sho! Yes, and yes, if you take a look at my ficus series you can either do a trunk chop low, or you can air layer. Now (May/June) is about the right time to do it in the northern hemisphere.

[@nickaleshin7149]

I normally overwinter trees on the ground with the pots buried in a bed of mulch (zone 7A). Between the Chinese Corkbark Elm & Seiju Elm, do you think they’d survive outside overwintered this way?

[@zeroeure]

Definitely

[@Bonsaify]

USDA hardiness is Zone 5 for Chinese elm. So seems like it would be fine in zone 7a with root protection. The only thing to keep in mind is that cold winter winds and ice can kill delicate bonsai branches more easily than full size trees. You might want to protect the top of the tree with a permeable fabric and a frame of some sort to keep snow from crushing. That would probably benefit all your trees.

[@nickaleshin7149]

@@Bonsaify thanks Eric!

[@blueridgebonsai9155]

Can these be safely shipped now during the heat of summer of do you hold them until fall?

[@Bonsaify]

We are shipping them. We water, then wrap the container in plastic to keep it contained. So far no reports of problems. We replace plants that have any issues from shipping, so no real risk to the buyers. With specimen trees we watch the national weather and time it appropriately, but with starters I tend to ship them all year.

[@blueridgebonsai9155]

Ok, I just placed an order. I have another Seju I got from Bill Valavanis that is not cork bark so happy to find this, thanks

[@jc-wx3sm]

Hey Eric, why is it good to pinch the growing tips?

[@Bonsaify]

In late development and maturity you can pinch elms to keep the branching small and increase ramification. If you don't the shoots will elongate and become coarse. But pinching is best only done on healthy trees, and after some branch structure is already in place and the trunk is all set.

[@jc-wx3sm]

Thank you, but I did mean in this video when you pinched them on the cuttings

[@Bonsaify]

In a cutting, the soft tips will often wilt and die anyway, then re-bud from a lower leaf once the cutting takes. So by removing the tip, the theory is that you are reducing the transpirational stress and creating a bit of momentary stasis. I actually think it doesn't make much difference, but everything helps a little. The other thing to think about is that any dead tissue left in the cutting environment (moist and hot) will quickly become a potential disease vector (e.g. molds)

[@mikedan297]

I would rather air layer a large branch than small cuttings.

[@nogravynopie2396]

have you had success or tried air layering chinese elms?

[@nogravynopie2396]

also, do you plan on ever releasing one gallon starter/pre bonsai online?

[@Bonsaify]

Layers - yes, actually my larger elm was layered 10+ years ago. It's not a slam dunk, but it's not hard either. Gallons - most likely yes, but the shipping weight makes the price out of proportion for lower priced items. So we'll probably confine it to gallon material that is older. Drop me an email if you're looking for something specific.