Help me save a maltreated bonsai

[azrael]

Hello,

Two days ago I went shopping in the local supermarket and stumbled upon a nice looking bonsai.
Only when taking a closer look I saw that the soil was completely dry and all the leaves had dried out.
Mentioning this to the manager he realised he couldn't sell the poor one anymore so I was allowed to take it home for only 2 dollar!
I immediately soaked it in water, removed all the dead leaves and put it in a nice bright spot.
What more can I do to save him? Should I add fertilizer? leave it under water until the leaves start to grow? ??? any help is usefull!

oh, forgot to mention, it's an Ulmus Parviflora (I think that is chinese elm in english)

And some pictures:
before:
[img]https://www.willemenlieve.be/bonsai.jpg[/img]
now:
[img]https://www.willemenlieve.be/bonsai2.jpg[/img]

Thanks for your help!

[josh1812@live.com]

Scratch the bark and if its green under than it has a chance if not it wont live it might not re-foliate until spring because of its dormancy

[Marsman]

What more can I do to save him? Should I add fertilizer? leave it under water until the leaves start to grow? ??? any help is usefull!

Do not leave it in water, that will drown the elm. You've given it sufficient water, let it be for a while. Water it once or twice a week, as needed to keep it just moist, not soaking wet. I would not fertilize it just yet.

Is there a rock surface glued on top of the soil?

[azrael]

@ marsman: it is not rock soil, part of the ( cut) root is sticking out, that is what you see.T

[Marsman]

I can't see the pictures. I get a [img]https://i956.photobucket.com/albums/ae50/marsman61/Holding/Red-X.jpg[/img]

[Rosaelyn]

It's hard to say whether it will pull through or not. Did you have a chance to do a scratch test as Josh suggested?

In the meantime, I would keep watering - without fertilizing or overwatering your tree. Without leaves, its water requirements will be greatly reduced.

The other thing to keep in mind is that Chinese Elms are meant to lose their leaves in the fall. So if the scratch test is promising, I would not be too concerned and just keep an eye on it for a bit.

Definitely keep us updated. And best of luck with your tree. It looks like it will be a great tree if it pulls through.

[Andy D]

Just a little side note- you got an awesome looking tree for 2 dollars. Where I live an elm of such greatness would be over a hundred dollars. So good job!