The Chinese elm bonsai tree is a tree suited mostly for indoor growth. First and foremost, ensure that you pay close attention to the constantly changing seasons. If you are keeping your tree outside, it will have a reaction towards sunlight, amount of rainfall and temperature thus you must use this information for Chinese elm bonsai care. During winter, its mostly dormant and it does not need much food, only constant watering is necessary. Avoid excessive trimming since it won’t have enough nutrients that would help it sprout new leaves and grow during spring.
During summer, repotting the plant,constant watering and trimming are recommended for the best results. Protect your bonsai tree by keeping it mostly indoors during winter and indoors at night during summer.
Chinese elm also requires that you provide it with morning sun and afternoon shade. This involves placing it in the direct morning sun then shifting its position to a shady spot in the afternoon. This ensures that the tree receives different sunlight combinations. If its indoors, place your bonsai tree near a window and constantly turn it at an angle so that all parts receive maximum sunlight.
Ensure that your tree receives all the nutrients by providing fertilizer regularly. This will keep your tree healthy and evergreen. Weeding should also be done constantly. This is to ensure that no foreign plants are present that may compete with the tree for the available nutrients.
Constant watering is also necessary. The watering should be done that the plant is neither too dry nor too wet for optimum results. This will lead to efficiency in Chinese elm Bonsai care.
Pruning and trimming are vital aspects in bonsai care. Use a small prune to cut off the leaves that are not healthy and those of the older branches to stimulate rapid growth in other parts of the tree. Tender handling of the plant is critical in this stage.
Train the branches and the trunk of the tree to grow in a direction that you desire. This should be done in a training container. A wire preferably copper is tied to the trunk and branches. A heavier gauge is used on the trunk and a lighter gauge on the branches.
The tree is then bent to the shape desired by the individual. An angle of 45 degrees is recommended for the best results.Care should be taken not to wrap the wire too tightly around the tree as it may injure the tree thus impairing growth.
The tree may be moved to a display container fitting the type of training the tree went through. Ensure that the roots are not damaged during the transfer. The tree can then be placed on a stand preferably near a window to receive maximum sunlight. Chinese elm Bonsai care requires that constant trimming is done to ensure that the tree does not outgrow its container.