gibstu01
Newly Registered
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Apr 12, 2012 5:55 am
Location: Gibraltar

Dead Bonsai??

Hi all,

This if my first bonsai, had it for nearly a year now. It is either a chinese elm or a Zelkova (I've never quite been able to work out which!).

About a month or so ago the leaves started turning yellow and dropping off. I was a bit concerned but I wasn't sure if the bonsai was going into very early dormancy as the temperatures where I am (on the Mediterranean) have dropped over 10c in the last month.

Anyway it has kept getting worse and today I removed a small branch and it was brown underneath, no sign of green. I've read that this means the bonsai is dead and there is nothing more to be done? Here are a few photos of it, including a close up of the area where the branch was removed.

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Grateful for your thoughts and if you think the bonsai is actually dead or not.

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rainbowgardener
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

I'm no expert, but yes, it is looking pretty gone. People usually suggest a scratch test, where you scrape away a little bark to see if it is green underneath. You have done the equivalent of an extensive scratch test and found no green. Also looking at the top picture, something very bad is happening where it is all black at the base of the tree. I can't tell exactly what, but possibly it rotted out at the bottom.

Were you keeping your tree very wet? What kind of soil is it in?



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