My supermarket Chinese elm was indoors and didn’t really show signs of the prolific growth people talk about. Last April put it outside. A hard frost came and within days all the leaves fell. About a month later when things warmed up tree was covered in leaves again with plenty new branches forming. The definitely prefer outside 😂
They definitely thrive better with a dormancy period throughout winter months in the UK these shouldn't be labled as indoor bonsai really only tree for success long life and growth would be the Ficus
I waited for this one Xavier! 😍 Bought a Chinese elm, half price in a supermarket because it looked really sad with yellow leaves. Needed just water and fertilizer. Meanwhile in a bigger pot and restyled from Broom to an upright form letting it grow. No success with cuttings, up to now. 😅 But I didn’t do a lot. So good to have all these information to help with further care. ❤🙏 Enjoy your day 😘 Cheers 🙋♀️ Martina
Nice advice. I love them. Root cuttings are so very easy. When severed you just plant them in some medium with severed part above the soil. About 2cm. New buds will form from the cut roots. It takes anything from 6 -8 weeks to sprout. High success rate. Match thickness to finger size works well and you get mad natural madmovement out of them. Zelkova do the same.
Came back from Morrisons last week with one. They're labeled up as Zelkova. £8.50 I couldn't resist. Obviously it'll stay inside this winter then out late spring. It's dropping leaves like a good'n' but it's not my first. Great comprehensive advice Xavier.
Hi Xav interesting entertaining video on Chinese Elms, I have never kept any I have ever had indoors they se3m to be fine some lose most of there leaves some don’t . As we both know nearly all Chinese Elms sold in garden centres or supermarkets and on line are grown in China by the millions, not a lot of care is taken with them shipped over the world in large containers In soil that almost sets as hard as concrete, the buyer is at a great disadvantage from the start just keeping it alive, it’s probably the main reason that people are put off bonsai from the start the comment ( I had a tree but it died ) springs to mind, few years ago my grandson bought me one for Christmas which was very nice of him, it was actually 3 trees in the pot, fortunately I could work on it and keep it alive, it is thriving now but I bet most that were sold by that market trader have died a long time ago. That tree group has never been kept indoors which is the advice on the label that came with it always out side all year round and now keeps all its leaves, another one I have much bigger grown from a cutting has lost most of its leaves. I remember in the old days when tv’s were big bulky things, I saw people watching the tv with the tree on top, needless to say it didn’t last long. Enjoy your rest from working on trees it won’t be long now when it will be manic getting all the trees repotted or whatever else they need.
Exactly right Joe. I remember talking about this very point in one of my really early videos. Most of these shop purchased elms are already dead. Enjoy the rest of the wweekend. I am now busy dismantling all the rotted benches for the rebuild :)
Wow thank you so much for this! My Chinese elm was in a very shady outdoor greenhouse when I bought it. I want it to be an indoor plant and I’ve done lots of research on it but unfortunately the leaves are starting to turn yellow and crispy brown. It’s good to know that it’s probably just upset about the move. I was about to prune it so thank goodness I watched your video!
Half the issue is not knowing in what state the roots were before you purchased it. Send a few pictures if you want - it would be nice to see what you are dealing with. expressionsbonsai@gmail.com :)
Nice video on the Chinese elm! 😀 My elm still as its leaves at this time of the year too! Had to do an emergency repot there as it blew over in the storms and smashed the last pot
Absolutely love these. I have many plans for the Chinese elm cuttings you sent me last year. The forest will be disassembled and one cutting will go in the ground to experiment on ground growing techniques. One will be used in a root over rock planting using your Stronzay rock 😎
You and me both Raymond. Even though I am pretty happy with how I manage my trees, that doesnt mean I dont stop trying new techniques and approaches. All the best :)
Great info Xav. I find that my regular Chinese Elm keep their leaves, but adopt a more bronzed hue, over winter whereas my cork bark Chinese elm lose all their leaves. In all other respects they grow and behave very similarly, except for the lovely corky fissured bark. The leaves are indistinguishable and the branching dense and twiggy.
Always love your videos. I have a new Chinese Elm coming in the mail to me today. At least I have a new one to work with while I am waiting to see how the other one goes. plus, I want to look into doing cuttings when I can.
Thanks Carol. I took cuttings from elm every time I pruned. I poked them into a pileof soil in a pot and left them. They were more succesful than when i try to do them 'properly' now :)
Great video it's one tree I love along with the Zelcova yet cannot find any here just now in Scotland! I'm without elms this time coming back into the hobby unfortunately! The root over rock elm is something I've wanted to do for a while now!
If you ever find yourself near Grantham then I have loads of developing chinese elm. many of my cuttings have now reached the 'bonsai' stage and look ok.
I have two of Candace's elms, and I sort of feel pressure to keep them alive. I will admit that the first one that I bought, when I took it into the house for our cold snowy winter, and then all the leaves fell off, I thought that I had killed it, so I thru it out. Now I realize it most likely wasn't dead!!
I am working with a Chinese Elm that has no leaves for a while (it is summer), , looks dead, but when I did the scratch test it is green under. So, I am in the process of doing what you did on yours. I hope to get it going again. The weather outside is so hot and humid and hard to be in. Right now I have it indoors, trying to revive it first.
The best advice I would give based on what you said is just keep an eye on the soil but definitely do not over water. Try to keep the environment stable. When those new shoots start to pop just let them go wild and make sure they don't get crisped by any sun through windows. If you had a nice shady place outside i would be tempted to leave it there. Let me know how you get on :)
Great information and some lovely specimens! Haven't been able to find any where I live, but will keep looking. Not fair to let you have all that fun and enjoyment! Your trees are really lovely!
Great information as always Xavier, watching a recent video of Greenwood’s they calm that they are indorse plants and keep them in a heated greenhouse over winter. I have just purchased one and will be going out side once the temperature starts to warm and that’s where it will stay.
I'm not going to say anything. If you have the heated greenhouse and can afford to run it, like them, then they are fine BUT most of us don't have that luxury. For me, it remains an outdoor tree...like all trees really :)
I like your style Xav!. I have one question about humidity… I live in a very dry climate with high temps in the mid summer nearing 38°C. What are the thoughts on letting leaving the elm outdoors in this climate? (I would likely bring inside for winter) Appreciate you.
These are pretty tough trees and all i would suggest is you may wish to try it in a shaded aspect for the full heat. The key may well be watering? Unless your winters are really cold I would keep it outside where it should be happiest.
I leave mine outside on the ground grouped together. Our outside overnight temps rarely drop below -5c in winter. Overall - I lost more chinese elm trying to keep them alive inside than I ever have when left alone outside.
Funny thing about us humans, we can't actually feel "wet" or "dry". What we sense is hot, neutral, or cold. So the main thing to determine when poking your finger into the substrate to find out whether the soil is "wet" or "dry" is to sense whether it is cold or neutral or warm. If cold, the evaporation is occurring close to the surface - don't water. If neutral, it probably could use some water. If warm, time to panic and get out that water container.
My first year overwintering Chinese Elm. Bringing inside was a huge care mistake with all manner of issues including hard to destroy bugs. From now on, if they survive, they stay outside all year.
If it has been kept indoors then I would wait until the weather has warmed a little bit and certainly by mid spring I would have it outside. I would then keep it outside. BUT I also know of people who seem to happily keep their chinese elms inside all year round.
hi i'm a bit confused i have always loved bonsai but never owned one so a week ago i splashed out and brought a 28 year old Chinese elm well established specimen, thinking i would view it all year round inside the house, but after researching i find most folk say it should be outside so it gets the autumn rest like most trees and it will live longer and that does makes sense, but now i dont know where to put it, do i leave it where the rain can get to it and the sun or should it be sheltered from the rain and the sun, and then rely on manual watering and come the winter should it go in a protected area like a small greenhouse but then i think when do i get to see it only when i maintain it or potter in the garden😕regards les UK
Welcome to the club. I started out keeping mine inside. They remained alive for two or three years but steadily dropped more leaves and got weaker. I then started reading the same things as you (back in 2015). I decided to follow the advice and left mine outside in semi-shade throguhout the year. I have quite a free draining soil so lots of rain doesnt cause an issue. I water them all once daily and if it is warm I may do this twice. As for the winter, temps rarely drop below -5C, I keep them on the ground. I do have a cold frame but only use that if we are going to get an extended freeze. Rarely happens in this country. However...I do know people who are happy to keep their elms inside. In which case it needs to be draft free, not direct sunlight cooking it through a window. It will drop its leaves when moved but they the do come back. If this is your preference then I might suggest having it inside for your winter and then let it enjoy outside for the rest ofl the year. Hope this helps...a bit :)
@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat thanks its a dilemma the tree was not cheap and i want the best for it and me lol but can you tell me do i wait for the tree to shed then bring it in for the winter and will this shorten its rest period and its life expectancy i knew i should have gone plastic😆
My Chinese elm is my first just got it today it's 7 years old watered it put it in sunlight but I've just been trimming it and seen little spiders or bugs in the soil. Is this bad it's not even an hour out the box 😢
Truthfully - I would consider taking it straight back and complain. The last thing you want to be trying to manage is a sick bonsai as your first. If that is not possible then send me some pictures if you can and let me know what your weather is like right now. Keep me posted please :(
My Chinese Elms died last year. They were very well cared for, they just didn't tolerate the combination of the long hot 2022 summer, and the prolonged snowy / frozen winter. Put me off Chinese Elms sadly. I now gravitate much more to our native trees that should be naturally better suited to the UK climate.
I definitely understand your decision. You know that i lost a few to that freak combination myself. Many collectors had the same experiences. But I must say that in 20 years i have only had the one bad year for this species. thanks for commenting
@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat no worries 👍 I did have one cutting in a pot that made it. It's a baby tree now, with another pot of cuttings done last year. I'll treat them as 'delicate' trees though from now on in the winter.
We shall see - I am ok with just 2 or 3 seconds based on what other big Tubers have been doing. Promise to visit me if I get hauled off to the cells :)
My cat knocked over my chinese elm, i was hoping to keep it indoors which after this im realizing might be the main issue. But my knocked it over, and after several days i realized it was looking sad and droopy. Now pretty much all the leaves are dried up. Very new to plant care, i unfortunately already tried to give it some fertilizer or some plant food i found at lowes. Where should i go from here ?
If it passes the scratch test on the bark and is still green then I would soak it in a bucket of water for 5 or 10 minutes. Then slip pot it into a slightly bigger pot with some free draining soil...then leave it in a shady part of the garden until you see it start sending out new healthy shoots. Let them extend freely and don't be tempted to prunee it at all until the end of summer. Let me know how you get on.
I have problem with my Chinese elm...... recently i changed the soil with better one, but am concerned because the tree doesn't have any leaves for a while, its outside hot summer, i water it, the tree is not dead, i give him some fertilizer root juice just a little, because i have never fertilizer it before....now am waiting.... Any suggestions why this is happening.....
Truthfully, the best action in these cases is to leave it alone in a shaded part of the garden. Don't fertilise or anything else. Just keep an eye on the soil dampness. It will need time to recover but if the roots were healthy should push out new buds of growth in the next 3-4 weeks. Beware of killing it with kindness. Good luck
Great breakdown. Off topic but i picked up blue skys favorite book which is modern bonsai practice by larry morton. Its a great horticultural book but i feel like it breaks down soo many myths that have been going around and i almost cant believe what im reading. A very interesting book if u dont have u may wanna grab it . I think ull be shocked at how much bad info there is out there about trees and what alot of bonsai people say that even i thought was right i guess but this book says elsewise. Its really my first horticulutural book on bonsai but i didnt think it would be this deep 🦴👁🔛! Let me kno if u give it a read
Thanks for the update - i shall have a look for it. This whole hobby is full of mixed information and is often anecdotal. I am the first to admit I have been heavily influenced by Ryan Neil because of the approach he takes to plant physiology. I have 'flip flopped' and tried most things but feel confident that I am now doing bonsai that suits my climate and means. I thinkm it is important we are all able to recognise that there are so many diffferent approaches to theis wonderful artform. Cheers :)
@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat very true xav! I rewatch all ryan neils lectures that are free all the time and they are always helpfull. The book is really based on science i guess and its a part of bonsai that i guess i needed more info on. I havnt read another book like it. Every other book i have breaks down everything else, but its a solid read.
My supermarket Chinese elm was indoors and didn’t really show signs of the prolific growth people talk about. Last April put it outside. A hard frost came and within days all the leaves fell. About a month later when things warmed up tree was covered in leaves again with plenty new branches forming. The definitely prefer outside 😂
Great to hear the story ends well - they can be lept inside...it is just so much more problematic (in my opinion)
They definitely thrive better with a dormancy period throughout winter months in the UK these shouldn't be labled as indoor bonsai really only tree for success long life and growth would be the Ficus
how to make bonsai,, I am very happy to be able to learn how to make bonsai from you sir.
thank you for the information 🙏
I am sure you have more skills and ability than me my friend :)
I waited for this one Xavier! 😍 Bought a Chinese elm, half price in a supermarket because it looked really sad with yellow leaves. Needed just water and fertilizer. Meanwhile in a bigger pot and restyled from Broom to an upright form letting it grow. No success with cuttings, up to now. 😅 But I didn’t do a lot. So good to have all these information to help with further care. ❤🙏 Enjoy your day 😘 Cheers 🙋♀️ Martina
I have 2 ex garden centre elm bonsai i bought years ago. Two of my best trees now ❤
Nice video nice shape tree s thanks xavier keep it up mate thanks
Thanks martina - I look forward to hearing about its development :)
Thanks Phillip - I am lucky that I have so many grown from cuttings. i am looking forward to checking all my root over rock projects this year :)
Nice advice. I love them. Root cuttings are so very easy. When severed you just plant them in some medium with severed part above the soil. About 2cm. New buds will form from the cut roots. It takes anything from 6 -8 weeks to sprout. High success rate. Match thickness to finger size works well and you get mad natural madmovement out of them.
Zelkova do the same.
Cheers for that Tim. I tried this last year and they all failed. So i will try again this year :)
That's weird. I have prob more than 80% success. Sometimes they can take about 8 weeks.
Came back from Morrisons last week with one. They're labeled up as Zelkova. £8.50 I couldn't resist.
Obviously it'll stay inside this winter then out late spring. It's dropping leaves like a good'n' but it's not my first.
Great comprehensive advice Xavier.
Cheers Nick - keep me updated how it gets on and whether please :)
Hi Xav interesting entertaining video on Chinese Elms, I have never kept any I have ever had indoors they se3m to be fine some lose most of there leaves some don’t . As we both know nearly all Chinese Elms sold in garden centres or supermarkets and on line are grown in China by the millions, not a lot of care is taken with them shipped over the world in large containers In soil that almost sets as hard as concrete, the buyer is at a great disadvantage from the start just keeping it alive, it’s probably the main reason that people are put off bonsai from the start the comment ( I had a tree but it died ) springs to mind, few years ago my grandson bought me one for Christmas which was very nice of him, it was actually 3 trees in the pot, fortunately I could work on it and keep it alive, it is thriving now but I bet most that were sold by that market trader have died a long time ago. That tree group has never been kept indoors which is the advice on the label that came with it always out side all year round and now keeps all its leaves, another one I have much bigger grown from a cutting has lost most of its leaves. I remember in the old days when tv’s were big bulky things, I saw people watching the tv with the tree on top, needless to say it didn’t last long. Enjoy your rest from working on trees it won’t be long now when it will be manic getting all the trees repotted or whatever else they need.
Exactly right Joe. I remember talking about this very point in one of my really early videos. Most of these shop purchased elms are already dead. Enjoy the rest of the wweekend. I am now busy dismantling all the rotted benches for the rebuild :)
Wow thank you so much for this! My Chinese elm was in a very shady outdoor greenhouse when I bought it. I want it to be an indoor plant and I’ve done lots of research on it but unfortunately the leaves are starting to turn yellow and crispy brown. It’s good to know that it’s probably just upset about the move. I was about to prune it so thank goodness I watched your video!
Half the issue is not knowing in what state the roots were before you purchased it. Send a few pictures if you want - it would be nice to see what you are dealing with.
expressionsbonsai@gmail.com :)
Another great video Xav. It is important to get it out there that chinese elms are not indoor trees.
Great to hear from you Magnus and thanks for that important point.
Love a chelm,my 2 are still pushing new growth.
Great to hear it :)
Nice video on the Chinese elm! 😀 My elm still as its leaves at this time of the year too! Had to do an emergency repot there as it blew over in the storms and smashed the last pot
That's gutting Adam - I am sure it will be fine :)
Nice Chinese Elm guide my friend. Wish I still had my first one. Having Candice's wind swept tree though has helped me cope with that first one.
You really have a beautiful elm to play with Dave. Just get loads of cuttings this year and you will reap the rewards :)
Absolutely love these. I have many plans for the Chinese elm cuttings you sent me last year. The forest will be disassembled and one cutting will go in the ground to experiment on ground growing techniques. One will be used in a root over rock planting using your Stronzay rock 😎
Look forwards to seeing that Jonas
Loving your plant specific videos. Just bought a Chinese elm last year. I am always searching for information on my trees.
You and me both Raymond. Even though I am pretty happy with how I manage my trees, that doesnt mean I dont stop trying new techniques and approaches. All the best :)
I agree, they are survivors. Great video Xav!
Cheers Steve
Great timing Xavier :-) Will be repotting my Elms very soon, so will put your helpful tips to good use. :-)
Thanks Jules :)
Great info Xav.
I find that my regular Chinese Elm keep their leaves, but adopt a more bronzed hue, over winter whereas my cork bark Chinese elm lose all their leaves.
In all other respects they grow and behave very similarly, except for the lovely corky fissured bark. The leaves are indistinguishable and the branching dense and twiggy.
That's the only difference I have seen as well. Most of mine still have their leaves on this year. Cheers Jason
Always love your videos. I have a new Chinese Elm coming in the mail to me today. At least I have a new one to work with while I am waiting to see how the other one goes. plus, I want to look into doing cuttings when I can.
Thanks Carol. I took cuttings from elm every time I pruned. I poked them into a pileof soil in a pot and left them. They were more succesful than when i try to do them 'properly' now :)
Great video it's one tree I love along with the Zelcova yet cannot find any here just now in Scotland! I'm without elms this time coming back into the hobby unfortunately! The root over rock elm is something I've wanted to do for a while now!
If you ever find yourself near Grantham then I have loads of developing chinese elm. many of my cuttings have now reached the 'bonsai' stage and look ok.
Great job..mr. thanks👍🏽
Thanks for your support and kind words :)
I have two of Candace's elms, and I sort of feel pressure to keep them alive. I will admit that the first one that I bought, when I took it into the house for our cold snowy winter, and then all the leaves fell off, I thought that I had killed it, so I thru it out. Now I realize it most likely wasn't dead!!
Oh no.... I've done the same too :(
I am working with a Chinese Elm that has no leaves for a while (it is summer), , looks dead, but when I did the scratch test it is green under. So, I am in the process of doing what you did on yours. I hope to get it going again. The weather outside is so hot and humid and hard to be in. Right now I have it indoors, trying to revive it first.
The best advice I would give based on what you said is just keep an eye on the soil but definitely do not over water. Try to keep the environment stable. When those new shoots start to pop just let them go wild and make sure they don't get crisped by any sun through windows. If you had a nice shady place outside i would be tempted to leave it there. Let me know how you get on :)
Great information and some lovely specimens! Haven't been able to find any where I live, but will keep looking. Not fair to let you have all that fun and enjoyment! Your trees are really lovely!
Thanks you so much Sue. It is the one species I have so many cuttings from - they will keep me going for life :)
Well done Xav. You made me buy one last year due to your enthousiasm...😅
Grts
Kennet
But how is it doing now Kennet?
Also great information! These videos are well put together Xavier! Very nice!
Thank you for saying that Marysol :)
Great video. I'm a sucker for the Chinese elm. Even bought some wench Elm to try 😊
I look forward to seeing them develop then :)
@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat there only whips at the moment. Few years to go 🤣
Very nice Elm‘s ! Thx for your Good Information‘s ! 👍👍
Cheers Tom - I am lucky to have a few good examples and some of my cuttings are starting to develop nicely as well :)
Oh i do love chinese elms. Great video xav 👍
Cheers for the support Callan.
Great information as always Xavier, watching a recent video of Greenwood’s they calm that they are indorse plants and keep them in a heated greenhouse over winter. I have just purchased one and will be going out side once the temperature starts to warm and that’s where it will stay.
I'm not going to say anything. If you have the heated greenhouse and can afford to run it, like them, then they are fine BUT most of us don't have that luxury. For me, it remains an outdoor tree...like all trees really :)
@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat It was going out side all along once the warmer wether comes along.
Nice video, Xavier. I like how you inserted those movie clips in. 👍
Cheers - I am having loads of fun trying to find just the right ones. Better than my bonsai knowledge :)
Thanks! Great video!
Cheers - thanks for taking the time to watch and comment
Good information
Thanks for the support John.
I have a couple of young chinese elms coming in next week online, so would like to know the soil to use.
have replied
Come sempre ottimo video e pollice su👍
Grazie per aver dedicato del tempo per guardarmi e supportarmi. Che Dio vi benedica :)
Nice video Xavier, have looking for one with no luck yet
Are they that hard to find in Australia?
Great video xav! They definitely don't like to be inside
It's probably the biggest Bonsai Myth calling them Indoor Trees :)
@XaviersBonsaiRetreat I found it vierd , Colin say on one if videos to have them inside. He probably want to sell more trees
I like your style Xav!.
I have one question about humidity… I live in a very dry climate with high temps in the mid summer nearing 38°C. What are the thoughts on letting leaving the elm outdoors in this climate? (I would likely bring inside for winter)
Appreciate you.
These are pretty tough trees and all i would suggest is you may wish to try it in a shaded aspect for the full heat. The key may well be watering? Unless your winters are really cold I would keep it outside where it should be happiest.
What’s the best way to look after these during the winter indoors
I leave mine outside on the ground grouped together. Our outside overnight temps rarely drop below -5c in winter. Overall - I lost more chinese elm trying to keep them alive inside than I ever have when left alone outside.
Funny thing about us humans, we can't actually feel "wet" or "dry". What we sense is hot, neutral, or cold. So the main thing to determine when poking your finger into the substrate to find out whether the soil is "wet" or "dry" is to sense whether it is cold or neutral or warm. If cold, the evaporation is occurring close to the surface - don't water. If neutral, it probably could use some water. If warm, time to panic and get out that water container.
What a brilliant technically correct description. Does the same apply for our sense of taste :)
My first year overwintering Chinese Elm. Bringing inside was a huge care mistake with all manner of issues including hard to destroy bugs. From now on, if they survive, they stay outside all year.
I know that pain - I couldn't keep any of them alive for longer than 3 years when they came inside.
New subscriber from Sikkim
Thanks for dropping in :)
👍👌🙂
Thanks bruce
What kind of soil do the young chinese elm use?
I think I have definitely replied on another video.
Just received my grand Chinese elm and was wondering should I put it outside or is it okay to bring it indoors
If it has been kept indoors then I would wait until the weather has warmed a little bit and certainly by mid spring I would have it outside. I would then keep it outside. BUT I also know of people who seem to happily keep their chinese elms inside all year round.
hi i'm a bit confused i have always loved bonsai but never owned one so a week ago i splashed out and brought a 28 year old Chinese elm well established specimen, thinking i would view it all year round inside the house, but after researching i find most folk say it should be outside so it gets the autumn rest like most trees and it will live longer and that does makes sense, but now i dont know where to put it, do i leave it where the rain can get to it and the sun or should it be sheltered from the rain and the sun, and then rely on manual watering and come the winter should it go in a protected area like a small greenhouse but then i think when do i get to see it only when i maintain it or potter in the garden😕regards les UK
Welcome to the club. I started out keeping mine inside. They remained alive for two or three years but steadily dropped more leaves and got weaker. I then started reading the same things as you (back in 2015). I decided to follow the advice and left mine outside in semi-shade throguhout the year. I have quite a free draining soil so lots of rain doesnt cause an issue.
I water them all once daily and if it is warm I may do this twice. As for the winter, temps rarely drop below -5C, I keep them on the ground. I do have a cold frame but only use that if we are going to get an extended freeze. Rarely happens in this country.
However...I do know people who are happy to keep their elms inside. In which case it needs to be draft free, not direct sunlight cooking it through a window. It will drop its leaves when moved but they the do come back. If this is your preference then I might suggest having it inside for your winter and then let it enjoy outside for the rest ofl the year.
Hope this helps...a bit :)
@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat thanks its a dilemma the tree was not cheap and i want the best for it and me lol but can you tell me do i wait for the tree to shed then bring it in for the winter and will this shorten its rest period and its life expectancy i knew i should have gone plastic😆
I became worried for a moment about storing outside!! Im in zone 6, but winters anymore are mild at worse......
The best decision I made was leaving them outside. Mine are all sitting on the ground sheltered by the greenhouse or a wall. Cheers
My Chinese elm is my first just got it today it's 7 years old watered it put it in sunlight but I've just been trimming it and seen little spiders or bugs in the soil. Is this bad it's not even an hour out the box 😢
Truthfully - I would consider taking it straight back and complain. The last thing you want to be trying to manage is a sick bonsai as your first. If that is not possible then send me some pictures if you can and let me know what your weather is like right now. Keep me posted please :(
My Chinese Elms died last year. They were very well cared for, they just didn't tolerate the combination of the long hot 2022 summer, and the prolonged snowy / frozen winter. Put me off Chinese Elms sadly. I now gravitate much more to our native trees that should be naturally better suited to the UK climate.
I definitely understand your decision. You know that i lost a few to that freak combination myself. Many collectors had the same experiences. But I must say that in 20 years i have only had the one bad year for this species. thanks for commenting
@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat no worries 👍 I did have one cutting in a pot that made it. It's a baby tree now, with another pot of cuttings done last year. I'll treat them as 'delicate' trees though from now on in the winter.
I can almost hear the Disney and other lawyers writing their first letters.
We shall see - I am ok with just 2 or 3 seconds based on what other big Tubers have been doing. Promise to visit me if I get hauled off to the cells :)
My cat knocked over my chinese elm, i was hoping to keep it indoors which after this im realizing might be the main issue. But my knocked it over, and after several days i realized it was looking sad and droopy. Now pretty much all the leaves are dried up. Very new to plant care, i unfortunately already tried to give it some fertilizer or some plant food i found at lowes. Where should i go from here ?
If it passes the scratch test on the bark and is still green then I would soak it in a bucket of water for 5 or 10 minutes. Then slip pot it into a slightly bigger pot with some free draining soil...then leave it in a shady part of the garden until you see it start sending out new healthy shoots. Let them extend freely and don't be tempted to prunee it at all until the end of summer. Let me know how you get on.
Should be kept outside all year round
That's what i do :)
how about one of those meters?
You've got me guessing Carol - I will have to go back and watch the video :)
I have problem with my Chinese elm...... recently i changed the soil with better one, but am concerned because the tree doesn't have any leaves for a while, its outside hot summer, i water it, the tree is not dead, i give him some fertilizer root juice just a little, because i have never fertilizer it before....now am waiting.... Any suggestions why this is happening.....
Truthfully, the best action in these cases is to leave it alone in a shaded part of the garden. Don't fertilise or anything else. Just keep an eye on the soil dampness. It will need time to recover but if the roots were healthy should push out new buds of growth in the next 3-4 weeks. Beware of killing it with kindness. Good luck
@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat Thanks, I will wait then🙏🌹
Great breakdown. Off topic but i picked up blue skys favorite book which is modern bonsai practice by larry morton. Its a great horticultural book but i feel like it breaks down soo many myths that have been going around and i almost cant believe what im reading. A very interesting book if u dont have u may wanna grab it . I think ull be shocked at how much bad info there is out there about trees and what alot of bonsai people say that even i thought was right i guess but this book says elsewise. Its really my first horticulutural book on bonsai but i didnt think it would be this deep 🦴👁🔛! Let me kno if u give it a read
Thanks for the update - i shall have a look for it. This whole hobby is full of mixed information and is often anecdotal. I am the first to admit I have been heavily influenced by Ryan Neil because of the approach he takes to plant physiology. I have 'flip flopped' and tried most things but feel confident that I am now doing bonsai that suits my climate and means. I thinkm it is important we are all able to recognise that there are so many diffferent approaches to theis wonderful artform. Cheers :)
@@XaviersBonsaiRetreat very true xav! I rewatch all ryan neils lectures that are free all the time and they are always helpfull. The book is really based on science i guess and its a part of bonsai that i guess i needed more info on. I havnt read another book like it. Every other book i have breaks down everything else, but its a solid read.