I just ordered a chinese elm from brussels and I'm not keen in leaving it in soil and the blue pot. Are these tough enough to survive a repot this time of year or should I just leave it be till next year? I figure I'll also want to air layer the top off since its going to be one of those awful S shaped trees.
How tough are elms really?
- Thread starter GailC
- Start date
BrianBay9
Masterpiece
If you don't reduce the roots or get too aggressive with them it is very likely to come through an out-of-season repot just fine. After that I would wait until the tree shows you it's aggressively growing again before considering the air layer.
M. Frary
Bonsai Godzilla
If you want to get it out of the pot slip lot it into a colander with a little old soil removal and back fill with good bonsai soil.
Next spring wash the roots,chop and repot all at once.
They are tough but you can kill them by being aggressive at the wrong time.
Next spring wash the roots,chop and repot all at once.
They are tough but you can kill them by being aggressive at the wrong time.
Nicholas Box
Mame
It will grow fine in just about anything, being an elm and all. Don't feel like you must rush it. Imo
Davidlpf
Chumono
They are really tough
I purchased this one in midsummer, in Spain (July 2011) from a mall store, with bad substrate, but no too bad health
I made a little haircut
and roots were cut strongly, changing all the substrate to akadma 100%
I also switched the pot by one slightly bigger
After 2 weeks, It was still alive
after 2 years (and other pot switch)
So, if you want repotting it, you can do it, with some guarantee of success. IMHO Maybe repotting and airlayer will be too much for one year, I'd do one thing or another, but not two at the same time.
Cheers, and good luck.
Last edited:
GrimLore
Bonsai Nut alumnus... we miss you
Slip pot it and wire it into a slightly larger pot after you see it is "waking up" from its journey, here that is a few days to a week with Elms. They grow pretty damn quick so as you see the new foliage take a bamboo skewer to the older portion of the original soil and aerate it to avoid compaction. I use that method with all plants from them and it always works just fine and allows for a full grow season and wintering off before they get a proper repot.
Good Growing!
Grimmy
I got my little tree and as my usually stupidity, I did more than I should have. The soil was really mounded up and fine roots were growing out through the top so I decided to slip pot it and just "brush away a little of the surface soil" yeah right. I ended up removing the piled up soil and a couple larger roots that where growing straight up.
I didn't bare root it but I did work most the mass of roots loose so I could work new soil around them. Discovered a empty void right at the bottom of the tree, like no soil got worked down where it should have been, it was just big roots there. I ended up just mixing the soil it was in with a little DE and sticking it back in the same pot. Hopefully now that it has soil all around the roots, it will push out more fine.
Its a nice healthy tree, of course its your typical "S" shaped mallsai but thats what I wanted so I can air layer and get two small trees. was hoping I might luck out and get something with a better base but thats was a long shot. In the end, I may have to ground layer it as the roots are a bit of a tangled mess but thats for another season.
I didn't bare root it but I did work most the mass of roots loose so I could work new soil around them. Discovered a empty void right at the bottom of the tree, like no soil got worked down where it should have been, it was just big roots there. I ended up just mixing the soil it was in with a little DE and sticking it back in the same pot. Hopefully now that it has soil all around the roots, it will push out more fine.
Its a nice healthy tree, of course its your typical "S" shaped mallsai but thats what I wanted so I can air layer and get two small trees. was hoping I might luck out and get something with a better base but thats was a long shot. In the end, I may have to ground layer it as the roots are a bit of a tangled mess but thats for another season.
