Elm Winter Protection

valuehorse

i have aquired this year an Ulmus parvifolia 'Hokkaido' or 'princess' elm. so far it has been doing fine here in columbus ohio but i am concerned about keeping it healthy this winter. i have gathered a decent amount of information regarding the survival of this tree however it seems to me that people don't have great success with them in a zone as north as 5.

here are some comments i've found here on bonsaiTALK on the hokkaido elm that i need clarification on.

it is NOT winter hardy in Rochester, New York

Do not bring them indoors!!!!

thrives in full sun and even partial shade can bring its demise

not as hardy as other cultivars of Chinese elm

Fussy about climate

and the one that really worries me "instant death here in Ohio" -Dale Cochoy

so i realize that i may be faced with a challenge and was wondering if anyone here could offer me any clear advice. i had planned on keeping it in an unheated garage but if it would be better for the tree i could keep it in an unheated basement (which would be warmer but perhaps still cold enough). some sources say it is hardy to zone 5 but dale's comment has me wondering.

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valuehorse

i'm a little confused about the "zones" and believe i may be in zone 6 but i'm not sure now... i'm looking at two different maps.

hackberry

I think we are in 5b (the last i checked), which is closer to Zone 6.

Go to the Columbus Bonsai Society website and post your question there as well. I know some of the members have successfully overwintered chinese elms.

www.columbusbonsai.com

Repotter

I have been told that they do best in a zone 7 to 10. And never ever let it freeze.

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roberts

How big is it? Got a spare fridge in the basement/garage (for pop, beer etc.

Leave it outside and let it go thru the fall/winter shutdown, then before the really nasty weather comes, stick it in the fridge. Keep the soil moist by placing ice cubes on the surface where they'll slowly melt. Put it back outside come spring.

Bob

Brent

Probably the very best way to overwinter 'Hokkaido' is to let it stay outside until it has seen several frosts and sufficiently cold weather to defoliate. Then put it in an unheated garage or overwintering greenhouse where the temperature can stay between 20 and 40F for most of the winter. You don't want it to heat up too much during the day or it will come out of dormancy early.

I just leave my larger ones outside all winter without protection. Last winter they saw a low of 12F and didn't suffer any damage whatsoever. Smaller ones I keep in an outdoor area that gets freeze protection from freezing irrigation water. They only get down to about 25F. Once they defoliate, they don't need any light.

I have kept elms above freezing in winter. They don't defoliate under these conditions and they grow weakly in the spring without that strong burst of new growth that they get if allowed to go completely dormant. I think it's a mistake to baby them too much.

Brent
EvergreenGardenworks.com
see our blog at http://BonsaiNurseryman.typepad.com

valuehorse

Thankyou everyone for all the info.

thanks brent,
i'm going to try my best to keep it alive. if the temperature drops to below 20 in an unheated garage i'll just move it to the fridgerator since this tree is very small.

thanks bob
i've heard of watering by placing ice. i'll try that too.

and i will check out the www.columbusbonsai.com , thanks hackberry.