Hello everyone. I have posted about my chinese elm before so I will not include a bunch of identical pics...I have had my chinese elm for a few months now. I have inside under some fluorescents and cfl day light bulbs. It hasn't seemed to like the cfl grow light bulbs much at all and is beginning to develop many brown and yellow leaves. It is starting to look in pretty rough condition from the beauty it was. I live in MN and it is getting far too cold to have it outside and I also only get sun from the east so that did not treat it very well. I am wondering about how to put this plant into dormancy? I believe this would be the safest option for it as I cant afford a more expensive light setup right now. Can I just place it outside on my deck? It is getting down below freezing here now at night. I didn't think it would be alright to just place it on the deck in its small bonsai pot but what could I do to keep it alright through the winter out there? Would a small wooden box protecting it from the elements be sufficient?
Thanks for any help on info regarding putting this plant into dormancy or how I should deal with this situation.
Jake
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nicklangevin
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Gnome
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nohlja,
They way I handle Chinese Elms is to leave them outside all fall and into early winter. As the weather gets cooler and we get our first frosts I make sure it is on the earth, not a wall or other structure. The earth has a lot of heat and will help moderate the soil temperature. The roots of the tree are what you need to protect.
Eventually, as Nick suggested, they go into an unheated garage. This garage, while unheated, is attached to my home so I don't mean to imply that it is a small structure in the middle of a field. I am lucky enough that this space has a gravel floor which means that the pots do not sit on concrete, which I don't think is a terribly good idea.
I do have a concern that placing your tree outside so suddenly might cause problems. Dormany is a process that begins in midsummer as the days begin to shorten. Also, allowing the tree to be exposed to cool nights in the fall helps to prepare it for the coming winter. I have never done what you are suggesting, simply placing a tree outside once it is already cold.
Chinese Elms do not require an extended period of dormancy and some growers, myself included, have successfully managed them to allow only a brief dormancy. This is done much as I described above but around the first of the year you can bring them inside. We are just now getting into cold weather and my Elms still have their foliage. This leaves about six weeks until new years, enough time to induce dormancy.
Norm
They way I handle Chinese Elms is to leave them outside all fall and into early winter. As the weather gets cooler and we get our first frosts I make sure it is on the earth, not a wall or other structure. The earth has a lot of heat and will help moderate the soil temperature. The roots of the tree are what you need to protect.
Eventually, as Nick suggested, they go into an unheated garage. This garage, while unheated, is attached to my home so I don't mean to imply that it is a small structure in the middle of a field. I am lucky enough that this space has a gravel floor which means that the pots do not sit on concrete, which I don't think is a terribly good idea.
I do have a concern that placing your tree outside so suddenly might cause problems. Dormany is a process that begins in midsummer as the days begin to shorten. Also, allowing the tree to be exposed to cool nights in the fall helps to prepare it for the coming winter. I have never done what you are suggesting, simply placing a tree outside once it is already cold.
Chinese Elms do not require an extended period of dormancy and some growers, myself included, have successfully managed them to allow only a brief dormancy. This is done much as I described above but around the first of the year you can bring them inside. We are just now getting into cold weather and my Elms still have their foliage. This leaves about six weeks until new years, enough time to induce dormancy.
Norm
