Advice for dried out Chinese Elm

[jamesa917]

I got a Chinese Elm in December and it had been doing great with lots of new growth (I keep it inside next to a north-facing window, and the room has skylights so there's a fair amount of ambient light throughout the day).

I went away for two weeks and left it with a friend, but I think it has been quite neglected. It was next to a south-facing window and I think it was under-watered because the soil was pretty much bone-dry when I got it back and most of the leaves had dried out/gone yellow.

I submerged it in water for about half an hour when I got it home and cut off all the dead leaves. It still has quite a few green leaves on it, so I think it should be alright, but I wanted to ask if anyone can give me any advice on how to maximise its chance of survival, e.g. should I avoid fertilising for a while, should I repot it ect.?

Thanks for any help.

Edit: I live in London where south-facing windows get the most daylight.

[Gnome]

James,

Hello and welcome. There's not much you can do at the moment except wait. Make sure you do not overcompensate by watering too frequently. Search the forum for the term 'chopstick method' If you have green leaves still on that is obviously a good sign. If all is well it should not be too long before you see new buds forming. Any chance of having this outside?

Norm

[jamesa917]

James,

Hello and welcome. There's not much you can do at the moment except wait. Make sure you do not overcompensate by watering too frequently. Search the forum for the term 'chopstick method' If you have green leaves still on that is obviously a good sign. If all is well it should not be too long before you see new buds forming. Any chance of having this outside?

Norm

Thanks for your reply Norm. I haven't watered it since I immersed it and I'll be careful not to overwater! It already looks like it might be on the mend - it has stopped dropping its leaves and has a few new buds.

Unfortunately I don't have anywhere I can put it outside.

[Gnome]

James,

Glad to hear it might pull through. Here is the information I mentioned earlier. Sorry I did not link to it earlier, had to run.

viewtopic.php?f=36&t=1479

Norm