AusBonsai

Cheers again. The new plan is to let it be this year, really maximize the antifreeze for the winter and let the roots grow, protect in shed w isolation around pot --> next spring/summer air-layer + chop at first bend. Maybe I'll try a cascade for the top part!

Posting some pics while it's still in leaf. The plan is to put it in some isolation and in a cold shed for the winter, but I'll wait until it drops the leaves.

None of the "root cuttings" (dried out from trash pile..) took btw

Hard chops before spring starts: The plan is to airlayer it before the first bend and make a cascade of the top bendy part.
From what I can tell it made it through the winter without the need for a shed so I'll probably ground grow the lower part for next winter.

My understanding of Chinese Elms was that there are two basic types - the cold hardy and the not-so-cold hardy.

My theory was that the leaf drop would be an indication of "when it's had enough" and I would then take it to a less-cold shed.
I kept the pot-part isolated with styrofoam walls + mulch.

The results:
It did not drop its leaves at all! But it was still dying...

(As can be seen on previous pre-spring chop-pictures, it was already dried in the crown section when I chopped.. but I didn't notice then.)
I chopped back to live-wood and hope for the best. At least I got rid of the S-curve in the trunk... (and a lesson out of it!)
This does not bode well for the other Chinese elms I put in the ground recently:
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