Chinese Elm Big Box Discount Purchase

[RobGA]

Was at a Lowes and saw a sick Chinese Elm in their clearance bin. The tree was dry and suffering badly. For $15, what the heck. The tree looks recoverable to me. Did a 10 minute soak. The growth is a mess. Should I trim the branches now or wait for recovery? Will it recover? The green you see in the pic are leaves that have yet to fall off. I thought the shape was fairly decent.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

It appears that it is suffering from drying out - and who knows what other abuses. First, get it out of that white ceramic pot which will probably not have any drainage. I assume it is in a black nursery pot on the inside(?) Remove and toss that fake moss on top of the soil so that you can observe the soil surface. Was the tree inside the store (in the area where they hold their tropicals)? Or was it outside? I can normally tell how watered my trees are just by lifting them. At this point you want to water the tree, and leave it alone until it almost dries out again, and then water once more. Do not keep the soil saturated like a swamp. Do not trim, or do anything to the tree, including pulling off any of the old leaves. If you have a bright window, leave it in the window and hope for some sign of life.

 

[RobGA]

It was inside with the tropicals and it is in a black plastic pot in the white ceramic. After submerging for 10 minutes, I pulled it out of the ceramic pot and let all the water drain out as the ceramic does not have drain holes. When I filled the pot with water, it floated up as it was so dry. It is nicely watered now. I’ll lose the moss. Fingers crossed. Thanks for the quick response.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I just wanted to make sure it wasn't being kept outside - in which case it might have gone dormant AND dried out. Chinese elms are really strong. They can put up with a high degree of abuse. Right now you just want to let it rest - and keep the roots moist but not saturated. It can truly look completely barren for three months - and then pop back. Whatever you do, don't do any lame "scratch tests" of the bark. They tell you nothing and just annoy the tree.

Because it doesn't have any foliage, you don't need to worry about keeping the air moist, or whether you are giving it too much sun. Keep it warm, keep the soil moist, and give it a lot of light... until you see your first bud. Then if it is budding, come back and we'll talk about step 2.

 

[RobGA]

The tree is recovering and budding/leafing out. Some areas are stronger than others. Making good progress in a short time.

 

[RobGA]

The slant on this tree is a bit much to me.

I am thinking of making it a bit more upright when I repot.


What do you think?

 

[Michael P]

Purely personal opinion for what it's worth:

This is a mass produced S-curve tree. The more upright position is probably what the grower intended because it "looks more like a bonsai". I like the slanted position better if only because the tree looks more unique. As long as the soil drains properly I would just let it recover for a year and then look at it again. At that point the slanted position may suggest a more original design. What bothers you now may be the unattractive top, but that can be changed drastically. And you can always change the planting angle at the first repot early next spring.

 

[RobGA]

Purely personal opinion for what it's worth:

This is a mass produced S-curve tree. The more upright position is probably what the grower intended because it "looks more like a bonsai". I like the slanted position better if only because the tree looks more unique. As long as the soil drains properly I would just let it recover for a year and then look at it again. At that point the slanted position may suggest a more original design. What bothers you now may be the unattractive top, but that can be changed drastically. And you can always change the planting angle at the first repot early next spring.

You are right, that top has a lot going on. Need to ponder and read more.