Chinese Elm thriving outdoors at 7,000 ft elev in Colorado!

CharlieBear59 · Mon Jun 13, 2011 9:37 pm

#1 Had my Elm under T5's in my hotel room for over a year in Arkansas...it survived and appeared healthy all the while. I believe the Elm could survive long-term inside.

#2 I moved to La Veta, Colorado elev 7,013 put it outdoors right away, in FEB, and it got a seasonal dormancy period and about 3 ft of snow dumped on it...and -20F (minus twenty degrees F) weather at times. It has really great foilage..never this good indoors..ever.

#3 So one can transition a so-called "indoor Elm' to outdoors. This transition happened in Febuary. Others scolded me on a different less-friendly Bonsai forum, the indoor-to-outdoor transition would surely kill it off. Instead it is better than ever. Elms are hardy!!

#4 I also have chosen to temporarily use native soil to supplement any potted soil losses till I repot in the next year or so. I think this helps it adapt to the outdoors mountainous locale. It has never ever looked this good! Now that summer is here the leaves are a rich dark green, tiny, and uniformly sized. Much more foilage than ever under T5's in my hotel room where I had it 14 months.

#5 It is so very dry and windy here..10%-20% humidity typically and 40-60 mph gusts I water twice daily..checking each time for cool, moist soil conditions It's always dry to the touch. I water sparingly though still. But usually twice a day am and pm.

#6 FYI in La Veta there are herds of mule deer roaming the town and neighborhoods. They feast on my garden flowers..BUT they DO NOT like or bother my Chinese Elm. Good to know!

#7 mountain weather and winters over 7,000 ft seems to be agreeable to this Elm.

I wanted to get this posted so others mighht benefit from this successful indoor - outdoor transition and the high altitude scenario...TY PICS later!

linlaoboo · Mon Jun 13, 2011 9:51 pm

it b great to see a photo. I nearly killed mine this past winter by leaving it outdoors.

CharlieBear59 · Mon Jun 13, 2011 10:37 pm

linlaoboo wrote:it b great to see a photo. I nearly killed mine this past winter by leaving it outdoors.

I have a few from 2-3 weeks ago..let me snap some tomorrow in the morning sun and I'll send them along..it is so much hassle trying to post pics to these froums ..no 2 forums are the same way on pics. I have a mediafire account..but it's too much bother. sorry to hear about your recent experience and saw your Elm post and pics earlier and it prompted me to post. TY for the reply ...

BTW I have many pics when it was indoors all last year..might make a good indoor - outdoor comparison.

TomM · Tue Jun 14, 2011 5:31 am

CharlieBear59,

Welcome aboard. We like to get opposing views, new insights, even interesting experiments from well experienced growers. What you have done may be shocking to some

but it seems to be working for you.

These elms are mystifying for sure but they are obviously grown outdoors in many different locales.

Thank you much for your thought provoking post.

Tom

CharlieBear59 · Tue Jun 14, 2011 7:02 am

TomM wrote:CharlieBear59,

Welcome aboard. We like to get opposing views, new insights, even interesting experiments from well experienced growers. What you have done may be shocking to some but it seems to be working for you.

These elms are mystifying for sure but they are obviously grown outdoors in many different locales.

Thank you much for your thought provoking post.

Tom

Thank you Tom..it's nearly 5am in Colorado now and right on que the birds have begun singing..I will snap some pics this AM and try to upload them. I wonder what the native Chinese Elm topography and weather is like...I know!! Google is my friend!! I like Bing better but I digress. I am also very anxious to do a Blue Spruice Bonsai cascade from native stock and maybe Aspen but the Aspen Bonsai pics and posts I've seen and read so far, don't show me much promise. Nice to have my Bonsai hobby outdoors! TYVM again for the welcome. Charlie in La Veta, CO.

kdodds · Tue Jun 14, 2011 7:08 am

Oh, CB, do I feel your pain on the "less-friendly" forum thing. It's amazing to me how many people will insist a thing can not be done even in the face of evidence to the contrary. I think I know the forum you're talking about if it's rife with the rabid fanatics who insist trees should never, ever be kept indoors since it's "not what nature/god intended" as well as those (usually the same people) who insist that a bonsai MUST be kept in "real" bonsai soil such as lava/pumice, calcined clay or something similar with the only possible, but "unnecessary" "additive" being pine bark or similar organic. Keep doing whatever it is you're doing if it's working for you and try not to let the hard-core, "if it's not ultra-traditional, ultra-conservative Japanese bonsai, it's not bonsai" set get you down, or perturbed.

CharlieBear59 · Tue Jun 14, 2011 8:14 am

kdodds wrote:Oh, CB, do I feel your pain on the "less-friendly" forum thing. It's amazing to me how many people will insist a thing can not be done even in the face of evidence to the contrary. I think I know the forum you're talking about if it's rife with the rabid fanatics who insist trees should never, ever be kept indoors since it's "not what nature/god intended" as well as those (usually the same people) who insist that a bonsai MUST be kept in "real" bonsai soil such as lava/pumice, calcined clay or something similar with the only possible, but "unnecessary" "additive" being pine bark or similar organic. Keep doing whatever it is you're doing if it's working for you and try not to let the hard-core, "if it's not ultra-traditional, ultra-conservative Japanese bonsai, it's not bonsai" set get you down, or perturbed.

Oh yeah..I'm pretty certain you may know of that forum. I tried to argue indoor Elms were possible long term and even gave sources and a couple dozen 'indoor Bonsai' books on Amazon. Incidentally my friend from Van Buren, AR. who owns American Bonsai Nursery down there told me repeaetedly that his 'window sill Chinese Elms' were doing fine after 6 years on the sill..The other forum 'experts' chided.."He just wants to sell you a tree"..the epitome of myopia.. Nuff said. TY for your comments.

froggy · Sun Jun 19, 2011 2:55 pm

Ok, so I have no experience with elms, but I am wondering if the flush of new growth etc could have been caused by the shock treatment it got through the transition. I am not saying it was the wrong or a bad thing to do, but it would be interesting to see if the trend continues, or if you'll see a difference next year with the elm having more steady conditions...
I definitely wouldn't attempt the same hing with a tree that is doing poorly...

Anyways, keep us posted

CharlieBear59 · Mon Jun 20, 2011 2:02 pm

froggy wrote:Ok, so I have no experience with elms, but I am wondering if the flush of new growth etc could have been caused by the shock treatment it got through the transition. I am not saying it was the wrong or a bad thing to do, but it would be interesting to see if the trend continues, or if you'll see a difference next year with the elm having more steady conditions...
I definitely wouldn't attempt the same hing with a tree that is doing poorly...

Anyways, keep us posted

The flush of new growth comes from emerging out of a naturally occuring dormancy and a return to spring growth season -and- the careful, and timely, feeding by the Bonsai artist. As you say.."you have no experience with elms"