Confused beginer with a Zelcova- Advice greatfully recieved!

[fatpebble]

I have been given an 8-10 year old Zelcova (not sure if it is the japanese or chinese tree)

It was sold as an indoor tree - but having looked on variouse web sites the general view seems that is best as an outdoor tree. This would be great as my house does not have a vast amount of natural light & it seems that indoor trees are more difficult to keep healthy than outdoor sited trees (the two previous "indoor" trees i tried snuffed it within a few weeks. i really would like this to be a success!

If its OK for the tree to go outside what would be the best way to introduce it to life in the great outdoors - baring in mind that winter in Yorkshire can be Wet, Cold with 2 weeks or so of Snow to look forward to at some point. Should i expect it to loose its leaves & will it go into dormant mode for what remains of the winter.

[fatpebble]

Getting worried here…!!!!

Have moved the tree from inside the house to outside on 1st floor window ledge where it will recieve lots of light - will this abrupt change in tempreture cause the tree to go into shock or stress it out… as far as i can tell this tree has been an indoor tree from birth.

I've ordered the 'Bonsai Survival Manual' book but it will be a few days before i recieve it - am a liitle concerned as to what to do with the tree in the meantime

I think i have the japanese elm, it has pale grey bark/trunk + there are not as many sarated edges to the leaves as there appear to be on the chinese variety

[opabinia51]

Do't put your tree in a window as the drast temperature changes will definately not be healthy for your tree. If you want to have in indoors, place it on a table in a well lit room.

I'm not an expert on Zelcova so unfortunately you'll have to wait for Scott to get back before he can offer you some more precise advice on caring for your tree.

[fatpebble]

Thanks very much for the reply!
As a beginner (I've had the tree for 3 days now) ive found this site very helpful just by reading other growers postings!

After putting the tree outdoors 8 hours ago I've moved the plant back indoors from the outdoors window ledge untill iknow what is best for it.
I'm pretty sure there is not enough light in my house to enable the tree to grow well (unless i put it slap-bang in front of a closed window which I understand is not advisable (not least because it would be nibbled to death by my cats!) After a day & half indoors in the brightest spot i could find it threw out long new growth with widely space big leaves

So… my problem now is:- how to acclimatize a Zelkova Elm (descibed by Marks & Spencers Store as "Indoor") to a life outdoors where it gan get the neccessary light. I hope this will be possible.

At the moment it is in full leaf & seems quite happy. Would a basement (No natural light- more stable cold temp then outdoors) be usefull for acclimatizing the tree to outdoor life.

Apologies for such long-wordy postings - its a dyslexic thing! -neddles to say, all advice graetfully recieved.

[opabinia51]

http://www.poppyware.com/pgb/care/Zelkova.html

Above is a website on Zelkova care. Give it a read and patiently await the return of the HG, he'll be back soon and knows a lot more about elms than I do.

See if there is a bonsai club in your area, there will be a lot of experts there that will be happy to offer you more free advice. Though, I would recommend leaving the tree upstairs in the light. In a basement without light, your tree will most likely just die.

[fatpebble]

Will do!
Thanks for the website address

[The Helpful Gardener]

Sorry Fatpebble, been on holiday...

If Mark's and Spencer's (there's a blast from my past; I grew up in the U.K.) lists it as indoor, they are probably grown that way, so outdoors might be a bit frigid right away. Any where like a screen porch? GArage window? Cool room? I have a glass conservatory that's about .5M x .5M that would treat your tree fine outdoors (Yorkshire's a wee bit colder than the rest of your balmy isle isn't it?). If you were above freezing I'd say your good, but the weather is a bit dicey nowadays, so some protection is necessary, but outdoors would be better. Get it through the winter best as you can, but think about outdoor conditions for next year...

Peter Adams has a marvelous book on deciduous bonsai that will give a very British slant on products and care; he has a very good system he is sharing and I recommend the book to you highly...

HG

[fatpebble]

Thanks for the advice!

The delightful Wuthering Hights climate promises snow soon i fear…

I have a wooden framed Glass Terrainium that i could put outside - its about three feet high and two & a half feet hexagonal with two little ventelation holes - its not heated but would protect from frost?

Alternatively… could could monitor the weather and put the tree on an outside window sill by day (for light) - cool lounge by night?

Will be seeking out the Peter adams book ASAP, have found "Bonsai Design: Deciduous and Coniferous trees" by Peter D. Adams on Amazon - is this the book you mentioned?

hope you had a good holiday - thanks again

Fatpebble

[The Helpful Gardener]

THAT'S the one; love that book, the man's a genius. His Art of Bonsai is just as good. DO say hi for me if you ever meet him (it's such a small island, really )

The terrarium sounds good as long as we're talking indirect light, but here's the thing. Once the leaves drop, you can keep that thing in the dark; it won't care. SO as long as it stays reasonably moist and you don't let mice chew it up (happens), a paper box would do as well; part of the beauty of deciduous trees (my maple is on a dark bench in my garage as we speak). Better steadier temps than the indoors/outdoors/indoors etc. thing.

Long new growth and spindly leaves are all we can expect wiith the light you get now; best to shut it down for the winter. Mr. Adams will tell you more than I ever could; six pages on zelkova care and then a step by step of how he developed a formal zelkova over five years and where he plans going in the next five! Can't beat that kind of advice, much as I'd like to...

HG

[fatpebble]

Thats very good news, thanks ¡ - Will do as you suggest+get the book!

Fatpebble

[The Helpful Gardener]

Tah!

[Richard Tugnett]

I have had my zelkova for a year now (reckoned to be 9 yars old) and it continually, probably on a three or four month basis, sheds all of it's leaves and then starts again. Is this normal? It looks dreadful when denuded!

[The Helpful Gardener]

Getting a sooty black mold in conjunction with dropping?

Any light (position) changes?

Scott

[Richard Tugnett]

No mould evident. The leaves just up and die off new buds forming immediately but taking about a month to populate the branches again. Been in the same place for a year, north facing window-sill plenty of light. Immersed every couple of weeks but in tap water. Is that bad? Fed with a bonsai liquid feed. Should I get it out and cut the roots etc and re-pot. I have the books but have never done this before, looks like it would kill it!

[The Helpful Gardener]

Ahhh bingo...north facing light is like total shade this time of year; no lums at all. Try a south window, east, west, anything but north...

Or there's supplemental lighting...

Scott

[The Helpful Gardener]

Ahhh bingo...north facing light is like total shade this time of year; no lums at all. Try a south window, east, west, anything but north...

Or there's supplemental lighting...

Scott

[Richard Tugnett]

Thanks. I'll try that then!

[The Helpful Gardener]

South is best...

HG