This bonsai came into my care 2 years ago. Someone gave it to me so I could take care of it temporarily and then it became permanent. I was told it was an indoor plant (wrong!) and tried to care for it as an indoor plant.

It didn't go well, I couldn't understand why my tiny tree was so unhappy, I gave it light, fertilizers, water... Nothing worked. So I went to talk to a master and the first question I was asked after telling them it was a Chinese Elm was "where are you keeping it?". After our conversation I went home an put it outside, I will have to winterize it and it might die at that point because it's so weak. I'm documenting all of this so others don't make my initial mistake.

I moved it outside and it went into shock... Lost alot of leaves so the picture here is before the initial shock.



The second picture is after the shock and is outside day 3 ish. I placed it in a high shade area.



This picture is at day 5. At this point its going to be moved into full sun.



This is where I will end my current post. I will post a new picture in a few days. Hopefully it survives the new transfer

P. S sorry for the blurry pictures.

Be carefull moving it into full sun. It will get sunburnt easily if it is not used to it. I would go for early morning sun untill some more foliage comes back.

Thank you! I hadn't thought of that. The person I met told me that it should be okay going into full sun after about a week in partial sun. Also, the area where it's being placed gets alot of sun light but it's not a full days worth of it... It will get midday and afternoon sun... I don't have anywhere else to place it and can't exactly move it twice a day. I'll keep a close eye on it though

BlueCat17 wrote:

.. It will get midday and afternoon sun...

That's exactly the main problem; early morning sun is better for trees in adaptation periods.
Sunburn is a real concern.

Update time! I am happy to say that the bonsai has been doing great! I wasn't too sure about what would happen once it went into more sun but it's been doing well. I noticed new leaves are starting to grow and the tree seems happy.

Sept 8



Sept 11



Sept 14



My next worry point is the cold. I live in zone 4 on the border of 3. I will have to keep a close eye on the temperature fluctuations during the day and night. From my understanding this type of tree cannot go below 4°C without high risk of damage. That being said, I already have a plan for winter. I will put it in a refrigerator that will have a thermometer hooked on the outside. This will be to ensure that the temperatures are stable and stay within parameters. I have been looking online for hibernation time but I haven't found anything that talks about it. Mostly people just put their trees for hibernation over a few months, I'm worried because it's going to be a 6 month endeavor for the tree. (long winters here)

During the hibernation period I'll periodically check in on the tree to water it. I'm hoping that it survives the winter, this tree is 20 years old and it would be a great shame if it died.

What's your opinion? Any suggestions? Thanks for reading!

Chinese elm can handle temperatures well below that. Here they grow in backyards and we get -20C spikes for a few days every few years. Inpot, a few degrees below 0 should be fine; They handle frost in general welll.

Risk with a fridge is the buildup of fungus, overly moist conditions. So you will have to let it air out.
If you have an unheated garage that would be better.

Why do you think this plant is 20 years old? I sincerely doubt it even reaches 10 years.

I think it's 20 because I was told it was about 18 when it was given to me. Apart from that I have no way of knowing.

The thing I'm worried about with my garage is that it will become too cold. I've looked at heating pads with thermostats on them and thought of a way to trun a Rubbermaid bin into an insulated bin for my tree.

What do you recommend?

To be honest.. I would not know. I do not get temps that deep. Can yu find people i your area that do bonsai, and ask how they manage? If your garage also drop below -10, I do not know what other ideas would work.

I visited Bill Valvanis in Rochester, NY, and he showed me his setup. In October he moves everything into a garage type building that is not attached to his house. There is a heater to keep the temperature not too far below freezing, I think I remember he goes for 25F/-4C. He got a little upset when I told him we might get that cold here two or three days a year. They come out in March, and he starts working on them then. He rolled his eyes when I said I was done with everything then. Weather and bonsai habits vary completely from place to place.

The big problem he has is keeping mice out. They find their way into the building and then wander around chewing up bark. It is too cold too keep a cat there permanently and the mice are experts at find places to hide.