The Chinese elm tree grows wild in China, Japan, Korea and Taiwan and as a natural tree it may reach a height of 60 feet tall. The smaller leaves of the Chinese elm are ideal for bonsai. The leaves have a blunt serrated edge, and they are dark green and kind of leathery in appearance. This plant's popularity is also partially because of the fact that it could be grown both outside and indoors. If grown outside it is going to follow the familiar life-cycle of a deciduous tree, but indoors it'll be an evergreen.
And don't be concerned about Dutch elm disease with your Chinese Elm bonsai - they're not at risk of the disease. For all of these factors the Chinese elm is really a excellent tree for the inexperienced bonsai grower.
How to Water Your Chinese Elm
Your bonsai plants will likely dry out quicker than other potted plants because they are potted with somewhat coarse soil in shallow pots. In certain cases, you might need to water the tree daily.The easiest method to tell if your Chinese elm bonsai needs water is to feel the soil. Put your finger a half inch or so into the dirt; if the top half inch feels dry then it is time to water your bonsai. The best way to water your Chinese elm bonsai is to fill your sink with just enough water to come up to just beneath the pot's rim. Allow it to sit in the water for a few minutes soaking up water from the drain holes in the bottom of the pot. Remove your bonsai from the sink or container when it has been soaking for 5-10 minutes and then let it completely drain all excess water.
The rule of thumb with many bonsai plants would be to never let the soil dry up entirely, but don't keep it soaking wet all the time. Decide your watering schedule on how the soil feels. It's not hard to check the moisture level every day. You shouldn't have to water yet if the top half inch of soil still feels moist. However, in case your bonsai is in a very small pot and/or it's a hot or breezy day, or if your bonsai is pot-bound, then you may have to water. Don't merely check in one spot for moisture. One area might be dry and another moist. If the area is dry then just water that area.
Getting the Best Levels of Sunlight
The Chinese elm tree is a really adaptable tree. The Chinese Elm can be grown successfully indoors if it is adapted carefully. If hardened off to the cold little by little, they will drop their leaves in the autumn and be regarded as deciduous trees, so you have a couple of choices. If you have grown your Chinese elm inside, and now want to grow it outdoors, you need to slowly adapt it to full sun. Once acclimated it's going to thrive in full sunlight. In case your tree isn't accustomed to all day full sun you can get it accustomed to it by placing it in the sun for a short time initially, after which steadily increasing the amount of time you expose it to full sunlight. When you expose it to too much sun too quickly you run the risk of sun burning the leaves. Your Chinese elm bonsai will profit by very good air circulation too. Be sure to keep your Chinese elm bonsai in a well ventilated location if you will be growing it indoors.
Some Elms come from warm climates, and have never encountered cold conditions. It can be dangerous to keep these Elms too cold the first year or two. Even if grown indoors your Chinese elm may drop leaves during the winter months which is because of the decrease in natural sunlight because the days are shorter. This is to be expected. Even though your Chinese elm bonsai is a hardy plant it could still be damaged by harsh winter conditions of intense cold and wind so take actions to protect it from damage.
How to Get Started in the Hobby of Bonsai
If this fascinating hobby sounds interesting you can get a free 7-day introductory email mini-course on how to grow all different types of miniature bonsai trees by signing up a www.MyJapaneseBonsai.com.
Another favorite resource in the bonsai community is Ruth Morgan's e-book, "Beautiful Bonsai Secrets". As Ruth explains in her book, getting started in the hobby of bonsai is quite easy and very affordable.This e-book is, dollar for dollar, the best, most practical, easiest to follow, step-by-step how-to book on growing miniature bonsai trees and is a "must have" guide for every beginner bonsai grower. It will increase your enjoyment of the hobby and will increase the likelihood of success with your first tree.
