This is my Chinese Elm Bonsai that I bought online I am trying to grow as bonsai and I will be going through its progression below.
If you want to watch it in video format, you can watch the YouTube playlist below. The videos show the progression every month throughout the year, sort of like a time lapse.
Just be aware some of my earlier videos are not the best quality, but just like my trees, the quality slowly improves over time, so stick with them and they both get a little better towards the end.
The Chinese elms (Ulmus parvifolia ) is a small deciduous tree that is extremely tough and fast growing. It is very popular as a bonsai and is probably one of the most commonly owned bonsai trees. You can read more about their suitability in Are Chinese Elms Good Trees For Bonsai?
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2020
In the spring of 2020 I bought a Chinese elm online for like £15.
(You can read about Buying A Chinese Elm Bonsai On Amazon)
The tree arrived well packaged, but it was in full leaf. It looks nice, but branch structure is actually terrible. There are branches in every direction and from afar the tree looks good, but on closer inspection its structure is awful.
More importantly, the soil it is in is also awful. I repotted the tree right away. This is why I bought it in spring, so I could do this. If I had bought it another point in the year i would have had to wait to spring.
After it was repotted it was just left to grow wild for the rest of the year.
2021
In 2021 I pruned the tree back very hard in late winter. As I already mentioned the branch structure was awful, so I pretty much removed it all.
I didn’t repot the tree, but it was left to grow out all season.
2022
At the start of 2022 I just left the tree to shoot out in spring and I didn’t repot it. It looks very overgrown and like I’ve lost sight of the tree being a bonsai.
The plan was to air layer the top …but time escaped me and it didn’t happen. So basically the tree was just left alone all season. It wasn’t the greatest growing season for all my trees, so it probably worked out for the best that I didnt work on it.
2023
2023 started by leaving the tree alone as I wanted to finally start the air layer I had been talking about. Once the tree woke up and the leaves where all open, I did exactly that.
The air layer was in a tight spot. The trunk is short and also splits into two, but I think I managed to squeeze it in. I think it will be a short tree …but better looking in the long run. I really hate how the trunk splits, so I will be very happy when that’s gone.
Once the air layer was started it was just left all season to grow and take root.
There was no sign of roots by the end of the growing season, I thought it may have rooted a little quicker, but its not a problem, we will just have to wait until next year to remove the tree.
2024
The plan for 2024 is to hopefully see some roots, then remove the air layer and also maybe prune the branches back as they are a looking a little long too.
If you also have a Chinese elm and are wondering how I look after it, you can read my Chinese Elm Bonsai Care Guide.
Hi, I’m Ian. I have been doing bonsai since 2014. I created this site to spread all the knowledge I have acquired over the years. Don’t forget to check out my Youtube videos where I show the progress of my own Bonsai each week or connect with me on social media.
You can read more about me and how I got into Bonsai on the About Page
