Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Trim Lacebark Elm
How to Trim Lacebark Elm. Noted for its peeling, decorative bark, the lacebark elm tree (Ulmus parvifolia), also called Chinese elm, is a fast-growing shade tree suitable for urban sites. Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 4 through 9, lacebark elm is resistent to Dutch Elm Disease, which decimated the American elm population in the 20th...
Noted for its peeling, decorative bark, the lacebark elm tree (Ulmus parvifolia), also called Chinese elm, is a fast-growing shade tree suitable for urban sites. Hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture zones 4 through 9, lacebark elm is resistent to Dutch Elm Disease, which decimated the American elm population in the 20th century. Prune Chinese elm in late summer. If pruned in late winter or early spring, elm trees exude a sticky sap.
Things You'll Need
Pruning clippers
Pruning saw
Remove any branches that are dead, diseased or broken. Cut them back just above the branch collar next to the branch from which they grow.
Prune low-hanging branches off of Chinese elm trees to facilitate people and cars passing beneath them.
Remove any subordinate leaders in the canopy, leaving one strong, central leader that is a continuation of the trunk.
Thin the scaffold branches so the remaining ones are evenly spaced around the central leader and measure 18 to 24 inches apart vertically.
Head back the lateral branches by about one-third their length.
Remove water spouts, which are vigorous, upright growths originating from the scaffold or lateral branches. Water spouts should be removed any time of the year they appear.
Cut off suckers emerging from the base of the tree, making the cut at ground level. Remove these energy-sapping branches any time of the year you notice them.
