chinese cork bark elms not doing well in thailand

hi everybody, i found the post by khaimraj about the hardiness of chinese trees interesting but did not want to hyjack his post, i,v got some chinese cork bark elms here, the main one is one i brought from uk but it was originaly a chinese import, its been here 5yrs now , but its not happy . i took many cuttings from it when i first came here, and while they grow they do not do as well as in uk . i,v got about 10 plants in large plastic pots on the ground and the roots have been allowed to grow thro into the ground and they are about 3 meters high now but the trunks are only 2 inch thick , if they were in uk they would have been 6 inch thick by now . they are grown in semi shade and watered well but they dont thrive . the original plant is difficult to maintain as its leaves get scorched constantly. ideas or coments please. regards john and happy new year

Too hot and humid, no dormancy.

So how would one correct that problem.

as someone who lives in the cold damp frozen grey of the pacific northwest, I find that if I use things like heating coils to warm a bed for the pots to protect the roots of my trees. it compensates for the cold and insures no root damage.

As an avid Koi person, I'm aware of friends with Koi that also are in Thailand and have to have them go thru a dormancy period. And they use a Chiller rather than a heater to cool them down.

One of my friends here when he knows a cold blast is forcasted will put his pot on a coffee cup heater to offer protection. It's thinking outside the box but works for him. They are inexpensive and just need to be kept dry while in use.

So what outside the box treatment could be used to create some cooler temeratures and for how long?

hi dick, well we do have a cool season , i live in north east thailand and the seasons here are a little differant . our cool season is just finishing and while its been reletivly warm to me< being from uk> its noticable how the trees react, they shed all or most of their leaves and shut down, including the elms . so the new growth is starting to appear now. its just that i compare the growth of the elms from what i got in the uk . i think i may rig up some netting for shade and see if that helps . i,m an avid koi keeper as well, i,v got a 33 ton pond and its integrated into the house. i see many smooth bark chinese elms here and they are really big with fat trunks but the leaves always look a bit sad, but they are imported from china, so the growth has been acheived before they get here. maybe some of our filipino members can offer some advice, they have same weather as i do and i know they grow elms . kind regards john

Hi John.
I defoliate fully my elms at least twice a year...or when the leaves turns crispy. literally Crispy even when it is still green. Then I placed my elms in a semi shaded area. they get morning or late afternoon sun the rest of the day is shaded. I placed them under bigger trees.

regards,
jun

I love this forum. having so many learned bonsai hobbiests from around the globe, sure helps. ask for someone from another country and like magic there they are.

thanks jun

hi jun, what about fattening up the trunks ??? john

john5555leonard wrote:hi jun, what about fattening up the trunks ??? john

Hi John.

...To be honest, fattening up an elm in the tropic is a real problem. probably the reason is in the genes of the specie, they came from colder climates thus have a shorter growing period time encoded in their genetics. It would be impossible to compare it's growth rate with the real tropical trees which have a full year growing rate. but then again planting it directly in the ground would be the fastest way to have a significant gain on girth... not directly exposed to the scorching sun of the tropics. I have seen elms planted in the gardens here and they grow tall and slender.

...planting it in a pot is a different story though, and one way of keeping it happy would be the previous statement I made.
...they also hate having a wet feet all the time.

regards,
jun