Rare Grafted Elms

[PinkFloydEffect]

Keep us posted. Probably won't comment any more, but I will be watching with interest.
Thanks. It's a good story to follow. Oh, and I might be passing through on my way to Vermont next month. Where is this exactly?

I will, check out the video links. It is located on lower Parker Street Gardner MA 01440 between Shell/Dunkin Donuts & Tedeshi/Dominos Pizza I promote people coming over to see the tree it truly is amazing. If I remember I will mark its GPS points on Google or something.

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Update

Today I started the root collar correction and oh god is this a freakn mess compared to any other tree I have done. Roots grafted over roots and I mean some big ones real close to the surface, not that much that I can do I am going to leave them be. The only ones I might touch are directly under the rotting area (the bark fell right off up and down that stripe with a finger pull). I need to hit that side with the hose more to find out what is hiding a little deeper it can't be just a graft rejection causing the rot it has got to be the other way around something causing the rot which is causing the rejection.

Aside from that I assisted the suckers (pruned back dead leaves and dead ended twigs) I am using this yellow milk crate to prop up the suckers off the ground so they can get established, I really hope they are native wych and not mutant wych. In a few weeks I should have some nice healthy cultivars to clone from for my future Camperdown rootstock.

 

[yooper]

Not sure if you have found out the source of the leaf browning yet but maby it could be this

http://bugs.osu.edu/~bugdoc/Shetlar/factsheet/ornamental/FSelmcasebearer.htm

I found it on this page here.

http://www.corm.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102&Itemid=125

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Not sure if you have found out the source of the leaf browning yet but maby it could be this

http://bugs.osu.edu/~bugdoc/Shetlar/factsheet/ornamental/FSelmcasebearer.htm

I found it on this page here.

http://www.corm.us/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=102&Itemid=125

I did see that but I am leaning toward elm leaf miner, also they told me before this problem occurred the leaves used to turn yellow and fall off, this tree might have elm yellows, along with the one right down the street you can see in the first pictures there are some yellow areas.

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Clones

So this is all I was able to pull for clones so far:

I am going to be using a few different methods here, soil with extra perlite and rock-wool cubes.

I have both rooting powder and gel:

One is powder and the other is gel:

This one in the rock-wool has both gel with some sprinkled powder but the leaves are turning purple already:

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

The small clone in the rockwool did not take and the small one in soil is now dieing off but the larger clipping is hanging on:

So I put the bag back over the top to retain moisture but realize it closes it off to Co2:

So I made a Co2 generator out of a vitamin water bottle a piece of hose, some warm water, sugar & yeast. The byproduct is lots of Co2 which rises up the tube and falls into the bag:

So basically I think I need to take larger clippings with at least 1 or 2 large leafs to gather light and create energy to sustain the rooting.


This is the tree in June 2010

And this is the tree we think between 1890-1905 I scanned it in off a thin photo glued to a piece of black cardboard I removed from the frame, no date however but if I can get a 1900 confirmation that makes this tree 110 years old! It was a perfect tree when it was young completely round to the ground.

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

~Mon~

So the clones all died, I am going to try some new methods I will post them.

Here is the full size unknown date photo from above (100years give or take old):

Then I toyed around with remastering it:

...Then it turned into a rainy outside so...

Basically this is what I have as an end result for this trees youth so far:

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Great News

So, here is the final cut of part 1 for this tree: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIXwkyLLbbM


Here are a few updated shots of the tree, work in progress:

Did not exactly find the girdling root I was hoping to find, is it possible the stripe on the bark could be caused from the oozing slime flux running down it? In that case I'm done digging just need to find out why it is oozing slime flux at the graft meet (dead removed limb there?)

Out of the 8-10 Camperdowns in my town this is the only one not grafted onto a Wych Elm. It appears that the rootstock is the same as the top grafted camperdown bark?! Someone grafted a camperdown onto a camperdown? I know they throw off seeds and not sure how stable the mutant seedlings grow to be but it appears that might be what they did here:

But this one appears to have the same type of graft rejection rot as my project tree so I am definitely ruling out the girdling root theory:

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

More Info

So this is THE largest Camperdown in Gardner, trunk circumference of 9' 8" which is just 6" larger then my project tree however my project tree is against a house shading 40-50% of sunlight where this one is out in the open. So given the light factors and maintenance costs that 6" difference might still mean these two trees where planted around the same time. Gardner was the furniture capital of the world in the early 1900s so there was a few very wealthy people living in the area, both these trees are on the same original road between two towns. There was another one planted to the left of this one but it died, the tree is on the property of the old Heywood Mansion. The owner came outside and told me he believed it was planted in 1878, my project tree is still taller though.

This picture was from the early 90's

This picture is very very old I believe the original Heywood Mansion on the left. The tree hard to identify but is in the middle:

Trunk close up, you can barely see the graft meet:

The graft meet is starting to turn that same color as my project tree's rot:

Here is a view of the tree from the pool which is now where the mansion used to sit:

ONLY my project tree and this tree are throwing suckers, no more crusading to start Wych Elms from clones this guy has several within 50ft. of the tree that are 3-5ft. tall dominate Wych. I can just dig them up and plant them in buckets to transport them, try to get enough of the roots. He has dug a few up and given them away he says, but I explained to him that they will not grow into Camperdown Elms.

 

[ROOTSXROCKS]

Nice Article PFE, I like the rainy day colored B&W

 

[himiler]

I'll be in the area from Texas in about a week or so, hoping I can drop by and take a look. Looks like a grand tree to be working on. Keep up the good work, oh and the updates too!
Steve W

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

I'll be in the area from Texas in about a week or so, hoping I can drop by and take a look. Looks like a grand tree to be working on. Keep up the good work, oh and the updates too!
Steve W

PM me and I will show you them all personally if you would like.

Right down the road there is an actual full grown Wych Elm probably THE ONLY large Wych Elm in Gardner.

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Almost Done!

I finished the root work today, definitely ruled out the girdling, however there ARE some huge girdles on the other side that seem to have grafted fine though. The rotted stripe on the bark HAS to be from the slime flux running down it! So now what? I really do not want to risk drilling a hole and inserting a pipe to direct the flux away from the trunk but I need to rig up SOMETHING, any ideas? The bark ripped right off with the pull of a finger.

I applied 3 bags of manure/compost mix, and even some grass seed

 

[bsearcey]

Found this article on slime flux (you've probably already seen it). Basically covers what you've said you've done, but ultimately it says not to really try and treat it that it should go away on it's own and you could do more damage (drill and pipe).

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/notes/oldnotes/od8.html

Are you planning on leaving those roots exposed like that?

Good work PFE.

BTW - What have the home owner's had to say about your work?

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Found this article on slime flux (you've probably already seen it). Basically covers what you've said you've done, but ultimately it says not to really try and treat it that it should go away on it's own and you could do more damage (drill and pipe).

http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/pp/notes/oldnotes/od8.html

Are you planning on leaving those roots exposed like that?

Good work PFE.

BTW - What have the home owner's had to say about your work?

Yeah I have read a lot on it, the pipe method is very hit or miss so it's not worth it. I was thinking on hitting that spot with the hose every few days to keep things clear.

Yes I was planning on leaving it exposed, those are more less flares at this point and should harden up like many street trees I have dealt with. I will be adding an inch of mulch soon as well but not too much higher.

The homeowners are very happy, we have kind of become friends in a way I walk by there everyday and have worked on the tree probably 10 times so far.

 

[JeffL]

You just covered about 2% of the actual absorbing roots with manure. You're probably doing more harm than good by exposing all those fibrous roots and then burying them shallow under a skim coat of light material. They'll probably just dry out and die, especially in this weather lately. Hope you're over there watering it. 1" of mulch? Try more like 3.

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

You just covered about 2% of the actual absorbing roots with manure. You're probably doing more harm than good by exposing all those fibrous roots and then burying them shallow under a skim coat of light material. They'll probably just dry out and die, especially in this weather lately. Hope you're over there watering it. 1" of mulch? Try more like 3.

Many of those are from the hosta bulbs, I did not want to put too much compost on there it's used to fertilizer sticks. I was also told never to put too much mulch on a tree for the first time but I will put lots, just not near the trunk I am trying t get oxygen on these somewhat flares. They water it almost every day during dry hot weather because they are prone to drought.

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Update

This was all I had access to, about an inch of undied natural mulch. I may be able to get another inch worth this week, but I swear just since I added the compost in just a few days the canopy perked right up and I swear got greener.

 

[himiler]

Great Pics! Your statement of the tree health after your work reminds me of how I feel after washing & waxing my car, always seems to run better.
We're in Vermont right now, trying to see how taking a detour to go see the Camperdowns is going to work in.
The trees in the Northeast are truly incredible. Land of opportunity for an arborist.
Steve W.

 

[PinkFloydEffect]

Great Pics! Your statement of the tree health after your work reminds me of how I feel after washing & waxing my car, always seems to run better.
We're in Vermont right now, trying to see how taking a detour to go see the Camperdowns is going to work in.
The trees in the Northeast are truly incredible. Land of opportunity for an arborist.
Steve W.

Thanks gotta share Cars, Trees, Woman, their all the same. Take the detour it's well worth it! I can guide you toward 10 Camperdowns and a handful of large American elm trees. I would love to live closer to the equator but I will never leave my hilly New England and it's trees.