I've just been given a Bonsai as a gift, I'll be completely honest I have no clue what do with it or where to even start, I don't know if it's healthy or not or in the right size pot.
I've never had any kind of plant/tree before either so have no general knowledge of looking after plants.
I've attached a couple of pictures of it and any help/advice would be appreciated.
This message has attachments images. Please log in or register to see it.
You have a Chinese Elm, and depending on what country you are in it should not be inside. If you are in a cold country you will have to try to keep it alive in a cool bright room, facing south if possible to get maximum light, and in spring it goes outside and stays there. Water when almost dry, and hopefully it will get through the winter. If you are in mild country then it should be outside now. Check the species guides on this site.
The following user(s) said Thank You: BinocularGoose
You have a Chinese Elm, and depending on what country you are in it should not be inside. If you are in a cold country you will have to try to keep it alive in a cool bright room, facing south if possible to get maximum light, and in spring it goes outside and stays there. Water when almost dry, and hopefully it will get through the winter. If you are in mild country then it should be outside now. Check the species guides on this site.
All good advice.
We don't always realize that "dry" could mean something different for a tree than what it means for us. If you can find some people who do bonsai in your neighborhood you can get very good advice. Listen most closely to those who have had a lot of trees for a long time.
The following user(s) said Thank You: BinocularGoose
I live in the North of England, gets to around 0 degrees maybe colder round here in January and February, it's currently about 4 degrees at the moment.
That’s not particularly cold. Elms can indeed be damaged by serious frost, but start worrying if/when temps don’t go above freezing point for days, or when night temps go in the -10C territory.
At least, that’s my experience. When in doubt, anyway, trust leatherback (and the other experienced people over here)
I live in the North of England, gets to around 0 degrees maybe colder round here in January and February, it's currently about 4 degrees at the moment.
That's no problem at all for an elm. Mine have tolerated far lower temperatures.
It's a tree, not a puppy.
I'm in the north of England and have several of this species that have been happily outside for years.
Just sharing how my interest got started - someone gave me a chinese elm, similar to yours, about 20 years ago. I managed to kill it within a few months (keeping it inside) but I had taken a few cuttings which survived, and continue to thrive in various pots and open areas of ground outside.
So if you get chance to take a few cuttings in spring its a good insurance policy!
The following user(s) said Thank You: Clicio, Tropfrog