Chinese elm carving

I have a elm that has a swell ed ball almost at the base of the tree..I need to carve a hollow there to make the trunk more uniform..when can i do this anddo you use knob cutters then a dremel??? i have never done this so i need pointers please ..thank you john

A picture is worth a few words -- at least. There may be some other way than carving -- infrequently done on elms.

John,
Is this the tree you are thinking about carving? If so this may help you get some feed back

Original


After change of front


Todd

Thank you Jim and Todd,,,,The picture is one of them...i have 2 with a swell almost in the same place..when i turn them around and try to use the back as a front they just do not look right..the branches are not in the right position and are too stiff to move..i did not know about the carved hollow on elms...i am just not happy with the bulge any more thank you for your time...john

be careful John. chinese elm wounds are very prone to rotting, wounds doesnt heal quickly specially deep carving.

regards,
Jun

It looks pregnant.

I would not carve. I'd suggest an air layer (in the spring) as marked. You might get a nice little shohin and an OK larger tree out of it.

I feel I must ask, though . . . why would you buy a tree like this one in the first place?

JUN AND JIM,,,I guess i will live with it....Jim the tree came from mississippi,,you know the nursery,,you don,t always get the one in the picture...almost never as you know..ther is no where here to buy trees..thank you guys john

Hi John,
If you can find a deeper training pot for it,i will plant it till where Jim has but the BLUE mark graft that area with root hormones,once you have develope radial roots around that area,repot and cut off the lower portion,rather than carving it.only a suggestion.
Regards,
Alex/Ogie

You can make use of the 'bulge in the trunk. Just plant the treea bit to the left. By doing so, the 'bulge becmes a curve. Play with the planting angle. Form a point on, the tree is very straight and tubular. You might consider cutting the top portion and making a smaller tree.

jrodriguez's idea is a good one.

tree came from Mississippi,,you know the nursery. You don,t always getthe one in the picture...almost never as you know..there is no wherehere to buy trees.

Then you would do better simply buying a tree from a nursery and making your own bonsai. Failing that, there are bound to be some street tree Chinese elms in your town. Take some clippers to them, and make cuttings from it. They grow fast.

The other option is to go to www.musserforsts.com and use their online catalog or get them to send you a paper catalog. They sell bare root and potted (small pots) seedlings of hundreds of species, including Chinese elms. Again they grow fast enough that you could have a nice tree in 3-4 years and it would be YOUR tree without these ugly artificial S-bends in them.

Thanks very much to ALL of you for your suggestions,,I will look at all of them while the trees are taking their rest soon.it is good to know you have people that will help you... thanks again,,,john