suggestions for my elm

Hi, new member, new to bonsai but not plants. I have pruned fruit trees and grapes for 25 years.
I got this Ulmus Parviflora a couple years ago. I haven't done much. It put on lots of new growth last year. I didnt leave it out like in the past but put it in the garage this winter. Such a warm Feb it started to leaf out. I set it outside and all the leafed out tips froze and died. I cut off all the dead stuff today. I was thinking about informal upright but I don't care about rules or entering it in a show. Nits just to look cool in my outdoor living area. I live in a hill that gets days of dry wind and very low humidity. I will try to post pictures soon.

https://s31.photobucket.com/user/elkski/media/IMG_20150424_163741_zpsz6m7sigt.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

https://s31.photobucket.com/user/elkski/media/IMG_20150424_163723_zpscocvk4ws.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1

https://s31.photobucket.com/user/elkski/media/IMG_20150424_163706_zpsua1xzkak.jpg.html?sort=3&o=2

https://s31.photobucket.com/user/elkski/media/IMG_20150424_163653_zpsfzaejae2.jpg.html?sort=3&o=3

Sorry no index to key the view on these 4 quadrant pictures.

for scale the stubby part of the trunk is 4" tall.
The pot is to big and major freeze damage.
Suggestions for medium that can hold moisture longer in my dry winds would be nice. I have some nice granite mini boulders I collected right off the Wasatch for top dressing

Hi Elkski



This is without any daubth my front...branches with a red dot, should be removed by the trunk, and branches with White, should be shorten off ca. like this for a start.

Kind regards Yvonne

Yvonne, I have read enough threads on here the last couple days to be grateful for your valued advice.
I did repot it yesterday. I went to bare root but didn't remove much but the darker mats ( looked dead and the right thing to do). Those cuts are shockingly major looking to me but I will do it. I don't know if its been 4 or 5 years since this disappointingly sparse on both end twig arrived in the mail but I really haven't cut much. Last year it finally grew a bunch.
Randy

I understand the tree is new repottet on the photo....I my book is it much to late in the spring, to do a such thing...Trees should be repottet during winter or when the buds begin to move.
I hope it survive....show us photos later this summer, and show us your design.

Kind regards Yvonne

I guess I wasn't clear in my OP.  It wasn't repotted until yesterday afternoon. After the pics .
It is still spring here but a heat wave will hit and cold again.  37 now but 70s by midweek.
Here is a pic of the root mass.  Except for cleaning off most of the dirt and taking out the what looked like dead root mass clumps I was gentle on it.
The pot was all cracked on the bottom and one leg was broken off and I worried about it breaking during the heat of the summer.
I guess bothering the roots at all make it more important to take off some on top so I plan to cut it as shown in the virtual photo later today.

I have made a few of the major cuts. specifically the two lower branches and the leader top but only cut down a bit. Then I thought posting more pics may help make a virtual cutting guide. YEs I got cold feet.

This photobucket seems to be real slow and puts my laptop into a lagging state. I have rarely used it. Cant I post links from my google drive? or something more speedy??

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By-IXfVt0TyCRmhvaURTOGdLUlE/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By-IXfVt0TyCT2J6MndCQTRjaDA/view?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0By-IXfVt0TyCaTdkVjZnOUZlenM/view?usp=sharing

These are all from the front side but at different angles.

Elkski

It is not a matter of how cold or warm the spring is, it is a matter of how far the tree is near waking up after the winter...yours have grown for a while, and that is not good, it should be dormant, or just about to wake up after winter.

kind regards Yvonne

Yvonne Graubaek wrote:Elkski

It is not a matter of how cold or warm the spring is, it is a matter of how far the tree is near waking up after the winter...yours have grown for a while, and that is not good, it should be dormant, or just about to wake up after winter.

kind regards Yvonne

Unless it is a evergreen ofcourse

As you can see it is all leafed out and awake. I guess we will see but you have raised my fear level.
I was planning to wait a couple weeks before I begin using my bonsai fertilizer. Is this right? As you can tell I haven't studied the art of bonsai plants much. I just want this one and to not go head over heels into a new hobby but to keep this plant alive and enjoy its beauty. I have pruned certain apple trees for over 20 years and its so gratifying to see how it responds, changes, heals and is influenced by my hand. I do have lots of experience transplanting plants this time of year. Not usually bare root and I am unsure of the correct bonsai medium. The guy at the plant store made up a mix that he thought would be good and he has some bonsai experience. I missed the local bonsai clubs working meeting last wed as I had a class that night.

I would appreciate further cut suggestions if you have time.. no real rush. it is outside at 45 degrees enjoying the cold breeze with mostly cloudy skies. I will keep this under my deck so it will get sun from about 8am till 11 as that sunshine is what it had last season.
Please don't hesitate to offer any advice or suggestions. And forgive me for not being knowledgeable or ready to transplant it a couple months ago.

For now is it best to keep the tree out of the sun, but light...no Wind, and no fertilizer untill you have seen it grow....More styling can wait untill it grow

Kind regards Yvonne

Lol. No wind? I live on a windy bluff. It is like a blow dryer in summer some weeks. I will put it in less Sun but I'm up to mercy of the wind. Luckily it's was a rainy cool cloudy light breeze. thanks for advice. It keeps my anxiety down. I really do love plants as much as a human can.

Did you put all of those roots back in to cut them off? While I had it out I would have gave the roots a good washing and trim. Chinese elms are tough. Optimum time to do this work is early spring just when the buds start swelling. But I've repotted them fully leafed out in late spring. Root issues. I didn't repot it when I was supposed to and didn't realize it was totally rootbound and was getting a little sickly. So I pulled it ,washed the roots out and cut them back. I only let it get morning sun until I saw it push leaves. About 5 days. And stuck it out in full sun all day.
I believe your tree will be fine. Elm trees are amazing things.

elkski wrote:This photobucket seems to be real slow and puts my laptop into a lagging state.  I have rarely used it.  Cant I post links from my google drive?  or something more speedy??

Jim posted the link to the tutorial on posting pics using the forum internal system. That is your best bet and is the best method as far as IBC is concerned for the reasons stated in the tutorial. Thanks.

I only dry rubbed the roots clean and pulled off the dark masses of what I figured were dead roots. I pulled off very few sections of good roots. I have this unique dry hill top micro climate. Utah can get very dry when the South winds blow up the desert air and my house gets hit hard by this unobstructed. I dont have a green house to keep the humidity up so I have to be careful. If I go camping I will take my baby elm with me.

Happy May everyone. I wanted to report my elm is looking good and to express a concern I awoke with today. First off I watered it wed and Fri so the soil mix seems to be holding moisture pretty good. Granted its far from the summer blast furnace days. All leaves are staying on and looking healthy.

Now my concern. The root mass has a main leader about 6 mm diameter. When repotting a little knee portion was exposed above the dirt and I thought that might look cool? Its maybe 2.5 cm long. This am I awoke worried that leaving is exposed will kill it with sunshine or my July desert blow torch winds? I tried to push it down and it is firm.
What to do?

No need to worry.

This was a knee several inches away from the trunk. Maybe even half way down?

DON'T worry.

Thanks Jim, you know how it is to worry about one of your babies.

Yeah, I guess I can remember that, but it was a LOOOONG time ago. hen you have several tables-full of tees, you tend to just not fret that much about things.

ITs been about two weeks since I repotted it.. I have watered every few days and a couple nights of rain. it has been cool for the most part and high humidity. The massive heat wave will arrive in 5-6 weeks. a few new leaves are showing not more than 10 but nothing has died back or looks sick. I will try for the first time my bonsai pro 7-9-5 fertilizer at the next watering. 1/4 tsp per gallon. how often do I use this? every week? it says every watering? then I figure after I get more growth starting I can post a pic and maybe do some more styling?
Thanks for you help and have a great bonsai day.
elkster.
Randy

I fed my baby yesterday. More new leaves showing and no dieback. It's been unusually cool and humid this past week. Low in the 40's. A couple days in high 70's and more weather and cool days. But soon the dry heat blasts will come. I've been reading about elms and it sounds like daily pinching is require a few years down the road. Just more admiration for you crazy bonsai's.