chinese elm help

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irst off hello ive been lurking these pages for quite some time now. i havent posted anything because ive learned that i have been doing this wrong for years. i have some older trees which are all now finally growing in larger containers... now the elm or what some of you might call wal mart bonsai. this guy has died a couple times now. once spring hits im putting into a larger container for some good growth (thats my mistake all these years) id also likle to rush some back budding so i can get a new trunk line anywhere under where its going now. any thoughts or virts would be cool too

sorry for the double post.

...pity, ....

A Wall Mart Bonsai is called a Mallsai! Wow I learned something today.

Thanks to Rick

its got a long way to go, your soil doesnt look to healthy, when last did you transplant?

you are in an area that has few resources, unfortunately. You can try to google Colin Lewis. Not sure where he settled, or if he has a retail operation at all. I want to say he is in southern Maine, just not sure where.
Try to get down to Bonsai West or New England Bonsai, both near 495 around Boston. They can certainly counsel you.
If that is not an option, get some books on bonsai and look up what makes good soil and then repot your tree in a LARGE nursery pot. This will aid the tree to grow more quickly. Once new shoots sprout you can begin to decide on how you choose to proceed with the tree's design.

The problem here is that after the initial curves in the trunk you have a long straight section of trunk. Fixing this will require planting it either in the ground or a large nursery pot and then drastically pruning the straight part. If you choose to do this cut the trunk on an angle with the cut being in the back of the trunk. The trunk should sprout new growth. After the first year wire the branches down and wait.

the tree was givin to me from a friend that couldnt keep it alive. and im sure its been in the same bad soil since it was bought. i wish i would have repotted sooner but i have to wait til spring now, unless im wrong but thats what ive read. my mix is 1/4 pine bark 1/4 aquarium gravel 1/4 turface and 1/4 potting soil. all my other trees seem to do well with that mix. but who knows what this tree is in right now. ive been able to keep it alive so far. for now im just waiting for spring for the trans plant and heavy growth. or shud i repot let it grow for a couple months then do my heavy pruning to establish a better trunk line. or chop and repot? i dont want to kill it again

brian soldano wrote:the tree was givin to me from a friend that couldnt keep it alive. and im sure its been in the same bad soil since it was bought. i wish i would have repotted sooner but i have to wait til spring now, unless im wrong but thats what ive read. my mix is 1/4 pine bark 1/4 aquarium gravel 1/4 turface and 1/4 potting soil. all my other trees seem to do well with that mix. but who knows what this tree is in right now. ive been able to keep it alive so far. for now im just waiting for spring for the trans plant and heavy growth. or shud i repot let it grow for a couple months then do my heavy pruning to establish a better trunk line. or chop and repot? i dont want to kill it again

First wait until spring when the buds start to swell but haven't opened. Next check the roots. If the roots are numerous then it should be ok to drastically prune at that time. Do not put it in bonsai soil though. Use promix.

The tree is outdoors, yes? If so I would do nothing until the nighttime temps stay above about 50F. Then get a new mix of soil to include NO aquarium gravel, and NO potting soil. Those two items will keep the mix too wet. You could easily go 80 Turface MVP and maybe 10 each pine bark fines and chicken grit (grower size). If you cant get the grit, just increase the Turface. Put it in a grow box (2x6 sides about 18" square) or a 2 to 3 gallon nursery pot and let it be for about a solid year, two if you can.

it is indoors. i am in zone 5 not sure if thats too cold for these elms. ive read mixed info on them and thier hardiness.

i have some smaller ones in pots in the garage but theyr pretrty frozen solid. not sure they will make it

frozen solid may just mean that you dont water it until it thaws and uses up what moisture was there when it froze. All my non-tropicals are outside all the time, and just dormant with temps below about 40F. Right now there is about 3" of snow covering the mulch I packed around the pots to KEEP the roots from getting warm. If they are frozen, I want them to stay that way. Freeze-thaw-freeze-thaw is no good. Think about what happens to the stuff in the ground in good ole Vacationland from about November til April or May. It freezes and comes out of it OK when the temps get to around 45 or 50. Or as my parents used to say, "There are two seasons in Maine: August and winter." Be patient. It'll warm up some day.

so...everyone is giving good advice so far, but let me elaborate a bit...when people say plant it in a "LARGE" container...be carefull...this should be done in stages weather potting up or down...going form small to really big can be just as bad as going from really big to really small...here is a great article explaining why...Brent also has other articles on there that are deffintely worth the read...

http://www.evergreengardenworks.com/earthpot.htm

as for the soil...well...yeah, you should ditch the aquarium soil if for no other reason than it is just taking up space giving no real bennifit to the mix..."potting soil" or "dirt" i hold responsible for deaths of thousands of plants each year weather it be bonsai, mallsai, or houseplants...fancy magical soil mixes are nothing but a myth, and the only reaon we see such a difference is due to local climate, and even more importantly, availability...example...i use horticultral pumice a lot in the development stage...why? because i can get it at a rock yard 20 minutes from me for about $55 per cubic yard...meanwhile, it is basically impossible to find in many other parts of the country...here are some excellent videos of Walter Pall on substrates and fertilizing...these videos in my opinion should be required viewing...

soil
part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccOGUj9b6dc
part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pij3eGv-nW0

feeding
part 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q11HMWatCxY
part 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vF0W0KKpzS4

thanks to Sandev for uploading them, and of course thanks to Mr Pall...

You are in the USA right? Why does your tree still have leaves on? isnt it mid winter?

Andre Beaurain wrote: You are in the USA right? Why does your tree still have leaves on? isnt it mid winter?

it is indeed winter here...im thinking it has been growing indoors

As the poster said, the tree is growing indoors, which is not a good idea.

the reason it is indoors is because that is how the tree was given to me dying and no leaves left on it. once its in a larger container it will be living out doors year round, having just barley kept it alive i did notwant to lose it to the winter so it was kept indoors. thanks guys. im going to pot it up and give it the season of wild growth to restore its vigor. season two it will get a chop and new trunk line underway. good plan? also can anyone reassure me its not too cold for these in zone 5. like i said ive read mixed info... if it will survive i will put it in the ground for maximum growth