Seferov
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Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2017 7:03 pm

New bonsai owner

First of all hello to everyone! On saturday I bought myself a newly growing bonsai, to be more precise, it is called Zelkova (Japanese Elm), it is an indoor one. I'll include a picture at the end of the thread.

My questions are the following:

1. I'm getting two to three yellow leaves everyday, and I see 1-2 brownish leaves left and right, although really rare. That's how I bought it from the shop. Is it because of the season? Or too much watering or fertilizing?

2. My room is really sunny but the place I put the plant on there is no sun, the entire room is still light up but I worry if that won't be enough for it, should I put it to the sun? The sun in my room is at morning times only, to up to midday, my mother which is a plant lady says the positioning is really good.

3. I heard there are no seasons for an indoors plant, because they're having no temperature change inside, so following this logic they should also not change their leaves in winter?

I'm going back to the store where I bought it on monday, because I wasn't aware I was supposed to also buy fertilizers for him, I'll also ask these questions to the staff.

Thanks for your help in advance!

https://imgur.com/a/jgOaV

What are your thoughts about the plant? ^^

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rainbowgardener
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Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

So far your little tree still looks healthy.

Here's some general bonsai tips with information about how and when to water, etc. viewtopic.php?f=36&t=1479

You will need to fertilize it, but in the winter it will be growing slowly, so only fertilize once a month.

It may need more light than it is getting. If you can't give it a sunny windowsill, give it a light directly over it from not too far away.


Image

Travellar
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Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2017 4:31 pm

Excuse me, very much a beginner here as well, but don't Elm require a cold dormancy period? I've read from multiple sites that temperate climate trees require this or they die after about two years. :?:

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rainbowgardener
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I'm actually not sure about this.

The chinese elm in genus Ulmus, is a semi tropical. As such it can be treated either way. It can be used as an outdoor tree, in which case it will drop leaves and go dormant in winter OR it can be used as an indoor tree, in which case it will be evergreen and not require dormancy.

The Japanese elm Zelkova is quite similar looking (and sometimes one is mis-identified as the other), but may be classed as a temperate tree. If that is true, then you would be right about the cold dormancy needs. I tried to look it up and couldn't really find much about it.

Maybe someone else can help us out here?

Seferov
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Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2017 7:03 pm

Excuse me what? I can use it indoors but it's supposed to be evergreen this way? Then why is its leaves turning yellow and brownish .. Maybe the shop it was in they watered it way too much, or too much fertilizer? The season we're currently in, the plant isn't getting that much sun, maybe that's the cause?

I bought this plant at the "indoors section" of the plant store, and the weather is too cold and cloudy outside for me to put it in the balcony, but if it survives until the summer I'll definitively put it outside.

Anyone has any idea why it's losing it's leaves? Although not alot, but 3-4 yellow and brown leaves daily.



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