Chinese Elm has turned into a twig!

[jlan155]

I've had my Chinese Elm for about a year now. So far its leaves have dried up, dropped off and grown back 3 or 4 times. This time however they haven't grown back, and it's now been completely bald for 2 months.

It sits on a table next to a window that gets plenty of light, it's also not very drafty there and it seemed to like it until this!

In a bid to save it I repotted it just yesterday in fresh soil mix and a bigger pot. I am hoping this helps but wondered if anybody had experienced this before/had some tips for me?

[rainbowgardener]

After suffering so much for so long, it sounds like your tree has finally given up the ghost. To be completely defoliated for two months in spring seems equivalent to being dead.

You can try scraping the bark on the trunk with a fingernail. If it is not green and moist just under the bark, it is dead.

[jlan155]

Oh no! I hope I haven't killed it I don't even know what happened as I watered it regularly and it was in a good place.

I have attached a picture of the scraping I did. It is mainly white, however there is a slight bit of green still. Can I save it?

[rainbowgardener]

I was hoping someone that knows more about bonsai than I do would come along and answer you. Since no one did, I will make a stab at it.

It is possible that your tree is not [quite] dead yet. But if it has dropped leaves three times already and now hasn't grown any back, you are obviously doing something very wrong.

One clue is here: " as I watered it regularly" I don't know what you mean by that, but bonsai should never be watered on a schedule. The are watered when they need it, which varies widely depending on how actively the tree is growing, ambient temperature, humidity, amount of sunlight, the kind of soil, etc etc. Here's a bonsai tips thread including how and when to water: viewtopic.php?f=36&t=1479

The watering problem is made worse because your tree is in soil that is all wrong for it. It looks like regular, peat based, potting soil, which hangs on to water too long. Bonsai soil is very mineral, free draining, gritty. Yes, I understand that is probably the soil that came with it. For some reason bonsai trees unless from a very reputable bonsai dealer are almost always sold in soil that is wrong. I think it is so they don't have to worry so much about it drying out while it is being shipped, sitting in a store, etc. But that is not the soil you want it in, once you are caring for it.

I said one of the variables about how often to water is how actively your tree is growing. Since your tree has had no leaves for two months, it has not been actively growing at all, all that time, and therefore taking up hardly any water. In these conditions, you are almost certainly over watering, unless "watered regularly" means regularly once a month. Your tree may have root rot by now.