Chinese Elm not losing leaves

[awarrenj]

I have had 2 chinese elms outside all year and brought them in when we in ky began to have cold spells. I thought they should be losing their leaves like most deciduous trees in the fall but they are not. My understanding is they can be either inside or out for winter . Any thoughts.

 

[Cadillactaste]

Well...they do best when they can go dormant. That's what I was told by a northern guy who tried to keep his inside. He put them with this dormant trees and it offered a lot more as in strength and health overall.

I'll say this...mine go dormant. But they are the last to lose their leaves. Mine winter in my controlled cold greenhouse allowing dormancy.

 

[NateDyk47]

I have 2 types of Chinese Elm in my garden, and they are last to lose their leaves. We've been below freezing a handful of nights, and most deciduous trees are mostly/completely bare. The elm leaves haven't even started to turn.

 

[Rivian]

Why would they go deciduous when you brought them inside?

 

[rockm]

I have had 2 chinese elms outside all year and brought them in when we in ky began to have cold spells. I thought they should be losing their leaves like most deciduous trees in the fall but they are not. My understanding is they can be either inside or out for winter . Any thoughts.

Bringing them in for cold spells is likely a big contributor to their keeping their leaves. I leave my elms out on the benches for three or four shallow freezes in Oct. until Thanksgiving before I put them in the mulch beds in the garden for the winter. Frosts and freezes are the final piece of the dormancy picture. They stimulate hormones in trees that accelerate dormancy pulling resources out of leaves (which is why leaves change color in the fall).

Get the tree outside and leave it for successive frosts and shallow freezes (above 20 F) Then find a place outside under mulch or in an unheated structure such as a garage for the remainder of the winter.

 

[Kevin1968]

I live in Florida, and my Chinese Elm does not lose its leaves till late fall and in to December. It seems that it requires a great temperature change before the leaves fall. Mine stays outside year round, and I just cover it during frost or freezing, but I don't get as cold as KY. I have read some in Michigan just get covered during freezing.

Just found this also.

Cold Winter for Chinese Elm?

I know this is a pretty simple question in concept, but searching on this forum seems to be a bit trickier, so I apologize if it's been answered a bunch. I've looked around online and found conflicting information regarding the winter-hardiness of Chinese elms. Some things suggest they're just...

www.bonsainut.com

Good luck with your Elm

 

[brentwood]

Southern Ohio here, and my elms are still green, ditto my Korean hornbeam, altho that's starting to yellow finally... Weird, warm fall so far.

B

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I live in central NC and my elms are just starting to show Fall color.

When I lived in SoCal, the same trees would barely go dormant. They would drop leaves in mid-December, and bud out in mid-February. If I had heavily pruned or defoliated a tree in the summer, it would often skip a winter altogether, and not drop leaves at all.

 

[Shibui]

In frost free zones Chinese elms rarely drop leaves. Old leaves drop when the new ones emerge in spring so the tree is never really dormant.
The Chinese elms in pots here usually drop leaves and are bare through winter but Chinese elms in the grow beds often don't go deciduous through winter.
They are also one of the first to sprout new leaves, some bud up here just after winter solstice.

I agree with @rockm Bringing the tree in to protect it from cold is probably contributing to it not dropping leaves.
Also the fact that it does not drop leaves in winter won't hurt it. Dormant season for Chinese elm does not appear to be essential.

 

[Paradox]

In southern NY here. My Chinese elm still has it's leaves despite the cold. Almost everything else has tuned color and/or dropped their leaves but the Chinese elm is being stubborn.
It will give in eventually

 

[Michael P]

There is a lot of genetic variability for leaf drop in Chinese elms. Some individual trees and some cultivars hold their leaves much longer than others. In zone 7 don't bring your elm inside, they are much easier to keep healthy outdoors.

 

[dbonsaiw]

In southern NY here. My Chinese elm still has it's leaves despite the cold. Almost everything else has tuned color and/or dropped their leaves but the Chinese elm is being stubborn.
It will give in eventually

I'm not that far from you and most everything still has leaves by me. Leaves are changing, even on the Seiju elm. The Chinese Elms are stubborn and even look like they are still pushing.

 

[coltranem]

Central Massachusetts here. My seiju elms are still green. My regular Chinese elm lost its leaves a few weeks ago. This is pretty typical for me. Some years are earlier than others but it is always the last trees to drop leaves.

 

[Russ1]

I put my Seiju Elm (mame) in my attic window when the temps get around freezing. The attic gets to mid 30's to mid 40's in winter.
The leaves stay green and fall off in Dec.. but by the end of Jan. new buds start showing up then it's time to repot.
One year I left them (2) in my unheated greenhouse down around 28 deg and lost one so I put the remaining one in the attic now before it gets that cold.
This year I have cuttings from it so they are also up there. My attic is a great place to keep those tween plants and I don't know what I will do when I move.