Chinese Elm - Yellow Leaves

[Guest]

Hi,

First post - and first question!

I have (I think) - a Chinese Elm Bonsai - it has a leaf structure like this:

[img]https://www.dallasbonsai.com/images/tomApril05_10.jpg[/img]

Anyway - recently (over the last few weeks), it has started to develop a few yellow leaves.

I'm in the UK - the current climate is quite mild. The tree is in a house with central heating, lots of light etc.

It's been watered every few days - soaked the root ball etc.

Any ideas what could be causing it? Over / Under watering?

[Gnome]

LSainsbury,


Could very possibly be over-watering. unless your soil is very gritty and free draining (as it should be) watering every few days may be excessive. The soil should be allowed to dry a bit between thorough waterings. Tree roots need oxygen as well as water. A dense, peaty soil that does not drain well remains wet far too long.

Try moving the tree to a cooler location if possible and if you agree with my assessment cut back on your watering, but don't allow it to become really dry either.

[url]https://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Ulmus.html[/url]

Norm

[Guest]

Hi,

Thanks for the advice.

The bonsai was re-potted about 3 months ago - I moved it from a small pot - which it had outgrown - to a larger pot. The root ball was just placed in the new pot as it and the remaining space was filled with bonsai gravel which the bonsai shop sold to me. They said this was the best way to go.

Hope this was all ok!

Thanks

Lee

[Gnome]

LSainsbury,

The root ball was just placed in the new pot as it and the remaining space was filled with bonsai gravel which the bonsai shop sold to me. They said this was the best way to go.

What was the original soil like? If it was peaty as I described above you now have a pot with two distinct soil types in it. The outer zone will drain more freely and dry quicker than the inner zone. If you water when the outer zone is dry, the inner zone will remain wet. Conversely, if you water according to the needs of the inner zone the outer one will often become too dry.

If this describes your situation I would strongly suggest that you re-pot it again this spring, removing all of the original soil. Since you did not really disturb the roots during the last re-pot this will not be as traumatic as it might seem. Take this opportunity to improve the nebari of your bonsai.

[url]https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3422[/url]

[url]https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3423[/url]

Norm