Chinese Elm Care

Chinese Elms prefer their soil to be slightly moist and allowed to dry out a little between watering sessions making it a practical choice for the frequent traveler. To get familiar with when to water the Chinese Elm Bonsai, stick your finger a half-inch it on the soil: If you do not feel much moisture, then it is likely time to water. Never let the soil become completely dry for long.

Pruning is necessary to maintain the right shape of your bonsai and also to encourage new growth. That means removing small branches, buds, and new shoots.. Chinese Elm trees are ideal for beginners because their branches can be pruned all year and doing well when new shoots are allowed to develop eight leaf pairs, and then trimmed back to two or three. Check out our TinyRoots 4 Piece Tool Set which comes with a 101 Tips book.

Fertilize your Chinese Elm bonsai once every two weeks during the growing season (spring through fall) with a bonsai-specific or organic fertilizer. Water your tree well before fertilizing and try our Neptune's Seaweed (0-0-1) - an organic supplement which provides over 60 naturally occurring major and minor nutrients and amino acids.

Like most bonsai, Chinese Elms need a lot of light. Direct morning sunlight is great for almost all bonsai because of its low intensity, so choose a room that gets the most light during the day. Keep in mind that, during warm months, the direct afternoon sun through a standard household window can burn delicate leaves.

Though generally tolerant, the Chinese Elm does not like drafts or a lot of variation in temperature. Most indoor tropical bonsai trees prefer temperatures between 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. In the summer, Chinese Elm trees can be kept outdoors. However, you must remember to bring your bonsai tree indoors when the temperature drops below 60 degrees.

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