Chinese Elm leaving curling and now drying and turning brown

[SarahJean1976]

I am not sure what is going on with her! She is right where she's always been... but her leaves the other night I noticed were curling, so I took her in and soaked her... the next day I noticed the leaves were dying... PLEASE help!

[Gnome]

SarahJean1976,

Was it allowed to go dry a little too long perhaps? If so that might be the problem.

[GardeningCook]

I agree. Don't where you're located, but this time of year in most of the U.S. is prime time for outdoor containerized plants to require extra due diligence as far as watering. Although I do check each pot individually every day, unless we get a rainstorm, I find that this time of year in Virginia my bonsai require almost daily watering.

All may not be lost with your elm. While it may end up losing all of its current leaves, if you caught the watering issue in time (& if that WAS the reason) & correct it, it may very well spring back with a fresh leaf crop. However, this may take quite a while, so you'll need to be patient.

[Demosouthpaw]

I am not sure what is going on with her! She is right where she's always been... but her leaves the other night I noticed were curling, so I took her in and soaked her... the next day I noticed the leaves were dying... PLEASE help!

Good evening OP,

I see slight discoloration around the leaf edges, when was the last time you fertilized your tree? And how often are you watering? What kind of soil is it in? If your soil PH is off that can vastly limit nutrient uptake. And lastly are you certain it is a Chinese Elm? Siberian Elms look similar and are notorious for random branch die backs and leaf dropping. Feel free to PM me with any questions.



-Jonathan