New (and first) Ulmus Bonsai

[Yoko]

Hi everybody,

About a week ago it was my birthday, and with a birthday come presents. My girlfriend gave me the best one imaginable: an Ulmus Bonsai. I've wanted to have a Bonsai for a long time.

I've searched the internet like crazy to find howtos on watering, fertilisers,... but read a lot of contradiction.
A week in and the Bonsai is already turning a lot of leaves yellow and brown. My first thought was it needed sun, so for 3 days I've put it next to a windows where sunshines comes inside the house, but no result.

Can anybody help me finding the perfect place inside the house to put my little tree?
Also, I need fertiliser. I've read something about 7-6-12 NPK, found a link that sells these, but I have absolutely no idea what the numbers mean...

To be clear, I have never taken care of a Bonsai or any sort of plant.

Any help would be appreciated!

Greets,
Sam

[Yoshi]

Nice gift Pokon btw sells a special bonsai fertilizer.

The best place for it will be the place where it will get the most amounts of sun, Elms love sun. But since it recently had its environment changed and possibly is going trough a little shock I would keep it for the first 2 weeks in filtered sun or a very light shade. The change in environment is also probably the reason why it is dropping some of its leaves. For some more information and tips on your tree google: Chinese Elm Caresheet. There is lots of information to be found about this specific species. Especially correct watering is very important! Remember over watering kills more bonsai then under watering. The one who wrote to water it daily needs to get slapped

After a month, if it is looking healthy and used to its new home, I would change the soil with fresh bonsai soil. Store bonsai often have not been re potted in a while. For a bonsai it is very important that the water can get through the soil pretty fast. Constant wet roots is going to mean trouble. U can find plenty of bonsai re potting information on the internet. Also put in a small layer of small rocks, or pebbles at the bottom before adding the new soil. This way no water can ever build op on the bottom. Pokon sells specially made bonsai soil.

So for now find it some nice filtered light and don't over treat it. A nice steady spot so it can stabilize would be nice, moving it around constantly is not a good idea. The increasing amounts of daylight and temperature make it an excellent time and gives the bonsai a great chance to bounce back. Also don't panic when the yellow leaves fall off, because they will. Overall your tree looks healthy

Good luck

[Yoshi]

Do you live in the Netherlands btw?

[Yoko]

Wauw, thanks Yoshi! Your post can get me started for the first few months, appreciate it!

I'll keep posting progress monthly.

I'm from Belgium, but have some NL friends

[Gnome]

Yoko,

It appears that your elm is still in the field soil it was grown in. This type of soil is inappropriate and will eventually need to be replaced. For now we would like to know how and when you water.

That type of soil will be difficult to wet properly. When you water this pot you should water until water runs freely, wait 10 min and do it again. Over-watering is not about the quantity applied but the frequency with which it is applied. In short, you can't over-water it in one event.

The converse of the above is that this type of soil will not drain well and has poor aeration. Learn to use the chopstick method to judge when to water.

Next, learn about proper bonsai soil.

[Yoko]

Alright so I've bought fertiliser and this is what is says on the package:

Do I fill up a bottle with 1l of water, put in a cap of fertiliser and water the plant with it for the coming week?

[Yoshi]

Hello, how is the bonsai looking and doing?

Personally I would re-pot the bonsai first with some good soil. As Mr Gnome said the current soil has poor aeration and holds up water too long. U can mix your own bonsai soil with the tips from the link provided or use special pre-made bonsai soil. I use Pokon bonsai soil which contains: peat litter, clay, vulka pumice, lime and nutrients. It is your decision what you want to use. Notice that this pre-made soil already has added nutrients so it wont have to be fed for about a month and a half. If you buy pre-made, always read the ingredients to see what is included.

For fertilizing I can tell you what I do, maybe someone else want chime in? In the growing period I feed it around every two weeks. When the growing is slower in the darker periods I only give it something around every month/month-and-a-half. It also depends if, and how much supplemental light you provide in these periods (growth/hunger).

I now mix 3ml liquid fertilizer for a same sized bonsai with just slightly less water than advised. then moments right after I water it a second time with a smaller amount of pure water (without ferti). I think it dilutes the fertilizer some more so the roots wont get damaged.

You must decide if the bonsai is strong enough to re-pot. Also remember it is important to make sure a bonsai is in a stable condition before feeding it. Fertilizer is not a medicine and can do a sick/shocked/non-growing bonsai more bad than good.

I hope I helped a little,
Greetings