With a hanging elm you conjure up a cozy seat or a natural arbor in your garden. Thanks to their frugal tolerance to cutting, you can give the decorative noble variety from the elm family the desired shape. These instructions explain in a practical way what to look out for when making the cut.
In order for the hanging elm to keep its beautiful shape, it needs to be pruned from time to time
The best time to cut is in late winter
A weeping elm easily gets over the pruning of its long branches if it does not have any foliage. Since the sap flow tends towards zero at this time, the measure does not put the ornamental tree under stress. Ideally choose a frost-free day with overcast weather between the end of January and the beginning of March.
How to guide the pruning shears like a pro
A lovingly cared for weeping elm sprouts large numbers of branches that form a dense arbor. With an annual increase of up to 50 cm, the vigorous Ulmus glabra quickly exceeds the dimensions, threatens to become bare from the inside and loses its decorative shape. You can effectively prevent this shortcoming with an annual trim. That is how it goes:
- Cut off dead branches at the base so that the branch ring is preserved
- If necessary, cut branches that are too long by up to two thirds of their length
- Make each cut a short distance from a leaf node
If you notice stunted or obviously frozen shoots, these will also be completely removed. When pruning, ensure that light and air reach all regions of the drooping tuft.
Also remove wild shoots during the year
A hanging elm is a refinement. Here, the decorative crown with the hanging branches is placed on a robust wild base. Vertical branches can sprout from this substrate all year round, striving to overgrow the grafted part. Please keep an eye on these nosy wild shoots in order to cut them off the trunk as soon as possible.
tips
Elms are very picky about soil conditions. To ensure that your hanging elm grows vigorously and healthily, please choose a location with nutrient-rich, calcareous, fresh and moist and at the same time well-drained soil. In these locations, the tree bravely defies the cunning elm bark beetle and does not fall victim to the widespread Dutch elm disease caused by this pest.