Small Seiju

[shakotan710]

This is my Seiju, I've had it for about two years and I made the first cuts on it this past winter. It was purchased from the Muranaka nursery in Nipomo, CA. It was propagated from a root cutting about 5 years prior to my ownership.

2017-right after purchase

Winter 2017

Bark Detail

After pruning and repotting- Jan 2019

More pictures will be posted soon; this is one of the last trees to lose its leaves in the fall. It's grown well this year and the roots are much happier in the new soil.

Enjoy!

 

[M. Frary]

Get ready to be a bud rubbing fool.

 

[whfarro]

What's the cold hardiness of Seiju?

 

[shakotan710]

What's the cold hardiness of Seiju?

Hi whfarro,

I'm not an expert by any means on Seiju but I would expect it to be the same as other elms. From what I've read zone 6 is the minimum, might be a little higher for them due to their small size unless you mulch and prevent the pot temperature from getting too low. In my zone I have no issues with dieback and the tree actually keeps its leaves on for most of the winter (they eventually turn yellow/brown). I'll get some pictures of it in its current state this weekend.

 

[whfarro]

Hi whfarro,

I'm not an expert by any means on Seiju but I would expect it to be the same as other elms. From what I've read zone 6 is the minimum, might be a little higher for them due to their small size unless you mulch and prevent the pot temperature from getting too low. In my zone I have no issues with dieback and the tree actually keeps its leaves on for most of the winter (they eventually turn yellow/brown). I'll get some pictures of it in its current state this weekend.

Thanks I am in NYS zone 6A/B. My wife picked a small one up for me this summer. Currently it's in the unheated garage with my other deciduous trees including several Chinese Elms. I think it should be okay. I can always run a small space heaters when it gets too cold.

 

[shakotan710]

Thanks I am in NYS zone 6A/B. My wife picked a small one up for me this summer. Currently it's in the unheated garage with my other deciduous trees including several Chinese Elms. I think it should be okay. I can always run a small space heaters when it gets too cold.

Yea, it should be fine in there!

 

[coltranem]

I have had one for two years. It is going into its third winter. Once it drops its leaves it goes in my basement bulkhead where it stat between 25 and 40 F all winter. Prior to the leaves dropping I move it into my garage if the temp dips below 25 F.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Missouri Bot Garden says they are good down to zone 4.

 

[M. Frary]

What's the cold hardiness of Seiju?

I had one outside here for 2 years.
It saw 20 below but was under snow.
The next winter it saw 37 below.
No amount of snow saved it from dying.
They're tougher than they look.

 

[shakotan710]

 

[shakotan710]

Here are some photos of last year's repot. I mentioned that this was originally a root cutting so there was quite a bit of woody growth under the soil that wasn't gonna work for the main trunk so it was removed.




This removal left me with few roots but the tree recovered well and threw out a lot of shoots this past spring. Fall color this year was decent and all leaves fell off around the middle of December. The past two years it would usually hang onto a few through the entire winter so it's nice to see the winter silhouette.



Next cut will be the thick middle branch that has little/no taper and some general pruning for ramification and shape. I want to make the top left the new apex and shift the angle so the tree will be coming more towards the viewer.

 

[shakotan710]

Spring flush!

 

[John P.]

Elms are so great with that spring growth.

 

[Mike Corazzi]

Get ready to be a bud rubbing fool.

A fairly dull knife works really well. The little Swiss Army is perfect.

 

[shakotan710]

 

[Mike Corazzi]

I had one outside here for 2 years.
It saw 20 below but was under snow.
The next winter it saw 37 below.
No amount of snow saved it from dying.
They're tougher than they look.

Isn't that a bit contradictory?
You say "No amount of snow saved it from dying."
And follow up with "They're tougher than they look."

Confuses me. ???

 

[Oleg]

-20 F is -29 C That's tough & PFC buddy, -37 F is VFC!

 

[Mike Corazzi]

-20 F is -29 C That's tough & PFC buddy, -37 F is VFC!

Oh.
Didn't know the location was Neptune.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

factoid:

- 40 F and -40 C is the temperature at which the Fahrenheit and the Centigrade temperatures read the same. And - 40 for both temperature scales is VFC.

I was in far northern Wisconsin in January, had the pleasure of being outside for a few minutes at a time, several time that night that it was actually -44 F. Just inhale, and the lining inside your nose would freeze, ice in the moustache, it was painful to just breathe. Exposed skin could get frostbite in minutes. I believe it was 1981 or 1983. Never saw cold like that again. There is a small upside to global warming.

 

[M. Frary]

Isn't that a bit contradictory?
You say "No amount of snow saved it from dying."
And follow up with "They're tougher than they look."

Confuses me. ???

Because at 37 below the insulating properties failed.