Hello guys and gals.. I just got a Catlin Elm today!

(Ulmus parvifolia var. Catlin)

I was wondering if these trees need any special treatment. It has the same scientific name as the chinese elm. Will it be ok if I just treat it as a regular chinese elm?

I went to one of my local bonsai nurseries today without any clue what I was looking for. I literally just walked around and picked up what I thought looked good.

I usually decide what species I am looking for and call around to find one. I can honestly say that this blind, spur of the moment bonsai shopping is way more fun

I put it in a large pot to thicken up for a year or 2. I only did some very minor root pruning. I did notice however that the tree has a very large taproot. Quite a bit of the fine feeder roots are connected to this taproot. Hopefully it wont cause too much trouble when the tree is ready to go into a bonsai pot.

Here are some pictures. The guys at Fuji Bonsai Nursery always have very interesting pre bonsai stock. The trunk was already trained and everything.










Thanks for any info you have

i have a seiju elm much the same yours just has bigger leaves ...put it in full sun, mine liked it even in the high 90's so dont worry about temp. they tend to grow wild so just prune down the lanky branches and the will bud and grow 2 at the end. lots of pruning on these. just be carfull wireing the branches some species can have brittle branches

Sounds good.. Thanks for the info.

I did notice that the branches are fairly twiggy and brittle. I will make sure to be extra cautious when and if I end up wiring it. Im glad to hear that they need a lot of pruning. It will keep me busy

Looking good! I can't give you advice on this tree though

Good luck and please let us know of any updates in the future!

I have been working on this large catlin elm for about 2 years.. It's the largest, fullest catlin I have seen. It's 33 inches tall. Any thoughts?

I am planning to show it at the state convention next year. I just don't know if it is good enough. What do people think needs to be done to its appearance.

I'm brand new to this, so I don't have any helpful opinions or advice.

It's a beautiful piece, though!

Good luck to you!

It's a nice tree. Bringing it to an convention will give much information on how to improve your tree.
I'm not a fan of the tree / pot combination. Your pot is to high, compared to the trunk size, and to small in lenght, compared with the canopy. The color is not contribute to the color of the trunk , nor the leaves. But that's my humble opinion, don't take it for granted, and if you like it, keep it