Chinese Elm, Climate Shock Concerns

[KlineCitchie]

Hello All, I have some concerns with a Chinese elm i recently acquired. Let me start by saying I’m in Zone 6 near the St. Louis area and the tree came from near Jacksonville Florida. My concern is that I won’t be able to give the tree enough time to acclimate before winter. Being that it’s never seen temps like we will get here. Usually around thanksgiving is when we get serious about putting trees to bed. So I have a little less than 2 months do you think that’s enough time to get acclimated or will the climate shock do harm? My goal is to have a healthy and happy tree come spring. Thanks in advance

 

[sorce]

I'd just leave it out.

Welcome to Crazy!

If it doesn't get it this year, I doubt it will figure it out next year!

Sorce

 

[KlineCitchie]

I'd just leave it out.

Welcome to Crazy!

If it doesn't get it this year, I doubt it will figure it out next year!

Sorce

In the garage it never gets below freezing so that’s my plan for right now!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Chinese elm are pretty adaptable. In Southern California they were mostly deciduous... but if you looked at them sideways (or pruned too late in the year) they would maintain foliage all winter even though outdoors. Now that they are all in NC, they are fully deciduous.

I think you will have plenty of time for the tree to acclimate prior to winter - as long as you don't see an unusual cold front with below freezing temps in Oct.

 

[sorce]

plan

I'd change that faster than a pair of pants with honey spilled on em in bear country!

Don't fear the freeze.

When it acclimates outdoors, you have nothing left to fear, moving causes more problems than it will save.

If it doesn't acclimate it may lose some growth you probably don't need anyway.

Sorce

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

I live north of Chicago, in zone 5b, a half zone colder than your zone 6. I bought a Chinese elm from Brussel's, near Memphis Tennessee. It came out of one of his greenhouses. I put it in my backyard for the summer, and then set it down on the ground for the winter. Exposed, just a little mulch around the pot, by end of winter, the wind had blown all the mulch away. It experienced at least one night of -17 F. The elm pulled through just fine. did not even loose any fine twigs. It has now experienced 4 north of Chicago winters without any problem. As long as it is outside now, it will be fine just set on the ground for the winter. The genetics are there, even in FLorida raised Chinese elms, for zone 5 hardiness. As long as your tree is outside for the summer, the gradually colder night time temperatures "turn on" the physiological adaptations for cold tolerance. It takes about 2 months of declining night time temps to achieve full winter hardiness. Don't bring it in, don't baby it, it will be fine. All Chinese elms can survive north of Beijing winters, roughly Milwaukee or a little colder. They just need the declining night temperatures over a couple months to "activate" the physiological changes.

 

[KlineCitchie]

I live north of Chicago,

Thank you for the advice!

 

[leatherback]

If you have 4-6 weeks before winter arrives you should be fine.

J.

 

[KlineCitchie]

Our local club uses thanksgiving as a good marker for the winter season really starting which gives me about 8 1/2 weeks. So my outlook is optimistic

 

[jeremy_norbury]

Nah - protect it. They REALLY don't adapt quickly. I lost 30 of them about 5 years ago.

 

[KlineCitchie]

Nah - protect it. They REALLY don't adapt quickly. I lost 30 of them about 5 years ago.

It will be in an unheated/unattached garage for the winter, my last 2 winters have been successful, it will get cold but I’ve never seen it colder than 27f in the garage,

 

[jeremy_norbury]

It will be in an unheated/unattached garage for the winter, my last 2 winters have been successful, it will get cold but I’ve never seen it colder than 27f in the garage,

Perfect. I don't ever let them get too cold. My USDA zone is 8b/9a so they don't go dormant easily here and are susceptible to quick freezes.

 

[Perrywinkle]

Perfect. I don't ever let them get too cold. My USDA zone is 8b/9a so they don't go dormant easily here and are susceptible to quick freezes.

I had a similar thing happen this past year. Trees that were hardy down to the negatives dying to the 20f cold snap we had in late winter (-20C as opposed to -5C).

Though since OP lives in a place that has been steadily getting colder and colder, I'm inclined to say just leave it to the elements. I don't dislike the garage idea at all! But normally 6 weeks of prep is enough for the tree to handle a cold winter so it should be fine outside too.

 

[penumbra]

I personally would either put it in a cold frame or in a hoop house or row cover.
Many people with basements have cold frames they do not even use. I use my three window wells and my outdoor basement steps.