Yet another novice here :-)

JMCollins925

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👍 Wigert's has a lot of great material, and reasonably priced. (Not talking about the specimen plants for sale) They are also really helpful, if you are looking for something specific. Andrea there is awesome.
Thank you Carol!
 

WNC Bonsai

Omono
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I have a BRT I got from Brussels (via Amazon) last spring and it grew well over the summer. When I brought it inside in October I put it next to my patio door on a SW facing aspect and it has done well so far without additional lighting or bottom heat, but then I am a bit south of you! It has only dropped a few leaflets, mostly inside ones that were older and more shaded. It hasn’t grown any but it is doing what I would expect of a tropical in this setting. Mine thickened up quite a bit over the summer from pencil thick to at least thumb thickness. I recommend you try one although you will have to wait until late spring to get one unless you find them locally. When I ordered mine they would not sell me one until after the threat of freezing weather had passed.
 

Bolero

Omono
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Well your first mistake was buying from California where the little Elm has been living...You are in PA so buy from an East Coast vendor with a similar growing climate.....you have probably killed it or at least seriously shocked it.
Try to replicate the CA climate at your place & be sure the roots are getting water and are not dryed out, if not wired in you can most likely lift, by the trunk, out of the pot to examine the roots.
Chinese Elm are generally considered fairly hardy, however your radical climate change is having an ill effect on your little Elm......
 

GGB

Masterpiece
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Another PA brother! welcome man. Elm aren't my thing but deciduous stuff is pretty fun. Don't give us too much credit, plenty of folks on here while misinform. Me included once in a while, by accidnet hah. fact check
 

rockm

Spuds Moyogi
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Well your first mistake was buying from California where the little Elm has been living...You are in PA so buy from an East Coast vendor with a similar growing climate.....you have probably killed it or at least seriously shocked it.
Try to replicate the CA climate at your place & be sure the roots are getting water and are not dryed out, if not wired in you can most likely lift, by the trunk, out of the pot to examine the roots.
Chinese Elm are generally considered fairly hardy, however your radical climate change is having an ill effect on your little Elm......
There is no need to replicate Cali weather. There is no need to buy Chinese elm from an east coast vendor. It's Chinese elm. It carries genetics everywhere it is grown. It is capable of withstanding eastern U.S. winters, just not this one, as it hasn't built its reserves for dormancy. At this point keep inside in a sunny location (window sills are NOT a great place, as they tend to be drafty and can actually freeze stuff placed in them--which wouldn't help this tree.

Keep it indoors until nighttime temperatures are reliably above 35 then get it outside and leave it. If you keep it inside, you will have to build a lighting/humidity infrastructure to support it. Even then, without a dormant period after a couple of years inside, it will decline and die. Outside is best...
 

JMCollins925

Seedling
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Another PA brother! welcome man. Elm aren't my thing but deciduous stuff is pretty fun. Don't give us too much credit, plenty of folks on here while misinform. Me included once in a while, by accidnet hah. fact check
Another Lehigh Valley dude (I'm a recent arrival)! So you can clue me in on what you're growing in this climate, please, as well as good nurseries in the area and such. I haven't a clue so I can use all the clues I can get. Thanks!
 
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Warpig

Chumono
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good nurseries in the area

Nature's Way is out your way and is top notch.

 

JMCollins925

Seedling
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Nature's Way is out your way and is top notch.

I'm going to try to get into one of their Intro classes. Thanks!
 

shinmai

Chumono
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I have purchased numerous trees from California. My experience has been that they will look pretty scruffy for the remainder of the year, and ‘normalize’ when they emerge from dormancy the following spring. When I bought an imported azalea from California in October I kept it in my kitchen for the first two weeks, putting it outside during the warm part of the afternoon. Over those two weeks I increased the amount of time outside, gradually exposing it to lower and lower temperatures to help it acclimate.

On the subject of yellow or dropping leaves, there are many, many reasons why this happens, with some species much more prone to do so than others. Relocation shock is right up near the top of the list. There are some ficus that will drop them simply due to a change in location, such as moving inside for winter. I have a Brazilian rain tree that will drop leaves if you give it a dirty look. In my experience there is a good indicator of whether you have a temporary reaction, or a real problem—when the leaves turn yellow or drop, pay close attention to the fine branching, farthest from the trunk. If they remain springy and flexible, your tree is most likely still pretty healthy. If the twigs become dry and brittle, it’s more likely you have a serious problem. The best good news is if you see signs of replacement growth beginning to form.

While you’re waiting to figure this out, I would suggest that you not fertilize, be careful not to water too heavily, and be patient. From what I can tell from your third picture, I think your tree will be fine given some time. Best of luck to you.
 
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