名媛直播

Hi,

I'm in desperate need of help for my Chinese Elm. I've had it for slightly less than a year now and it seems to be dying slowly and I can't pinpoint where I'm going wrong with it.
When I first got it then it bloomed up and got new shoots. I watered it every 2-3 days (with feed once a week).
I also spray it with mist once a week to keep pests away.
Originally it was fine until the end of spring - it started losing leaves. I started keeping it outdoors at that point to let it get fresh air and sunshine.
It started to slowly grow new leaves, but it never got to the state at what it was originally when I got it.
I thought that this was caused by the heatwaves we had and hence the new shoots were being killed off by the heat
(I didn't leave it in direct sunshine and kept it indoors, but my flat was warm during the heatwaves).
So I expected the bonsai to recover in the autumn growth period, but it didn't get much better
(I took it indoors in about mid September when the temperatures started to drop below 15 degrees).
In order to get the bonsai more sunlight I bought a growth-lamp, but that hasn't given me the
hoped-for result either.
I also repotted the bonsai between summer and autumn to see if the bonsai was getting too big
for the pot, but that didn't seem to be the case either.
Another trick I've tried when watering is to put the pot in a water-filled bucket so that the water reaches
the rim of the pot but doesn't overflow, but to no avail (in case the roots weren't getting the necessary water).
I have tried changing up the watering routine to see if I've been overwatering/underwatering it
(kept to the routine for a couple of weeks to let the bonsai adjust), but that didn't change anything.
So now I've just kept to the normal routine of watering every 2-3 days, applying mist and feed once a week.
I have checked the bark and the bonsai still seems to be alive (the bark was green underneath).

Does anyone have any other ideas I could try out? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

1. Don't repot your tree between summer and autumm.
2 You shouldn't bring the tree inside in September, but keept it outside.
3. Don't feed a unhappy tree.
4. Don't mist your tree every week.
5. The soil is too wet. It needs proper bonsai soil.
6. Don't skratch the bark.
Etc. Etc. Etc.

You are making lots of mistakes, try to learn from them. Then you have to research and study more, to avoid stressing your tree.

Well. If you live in a colder climate as me. Leaving a chineese Elm outside in winter will certainly kill it. Cold frost free room with good Light is The way to go.

Despite the common idea that bonsai need expensive special soil, the art of bonsai was practiced far before that was awailable. Trees can grow in almost any soil, it is just a question about adapt care to the current soil.

OPs tree looks indeed in need of repotting if it is still Alive in spring.

Br
Magnus

Well. If you live in a colder climate as me. Leaving a chineese Elm outside in winter will certainly kill it. Cold frost free room with good Light is The way to go.

I know. That would also be my next advice. But I didn't give him the advice to bring it inside a cold room, because that's too late now. Bringing it inside the house is wrong.

Despite the common idea that bonsai need expensive special soil, the art of bonsai was practiced far before that was awailable. Trees can grow in almost any soil, it is just a question about adapt care to the current soil.

I know. But if you read what OP writes, then you would have read that he water the tree every 2-3 days. If you repot the tree into pure peat moss and water it every 2-3 days, then it will die of overwatering. It's difficult for a beginner to keep a tree alive, that is plantet in pure peat moss, especially when you water every 2-3 days. Just look at the pictures, they say it all.

I find it awkvard that a beginner like you tropfrog should tell me and others in here how to do things. I have many more years experience in bonsai than you and I got myself 16 chinese and european elms, and they are not cuttings. How many do you got? So take it easy with the reproving.

I am so sorry for hurting someone's feelings. That is never my intention. An francly, I dont even understand. You agree on the two points I had and still gets offended by me writing it.

I didnt told you what to do, heck i even didnt tell OP what to do, so please dont think that I did.


t starts to look like a personal campaign from a few well established forum veterans.

There ar a long thread about interpretating what is written in the forum as good. But it that does not seems to be valid for all posters. Please keep the discussion on topic, not person.

Br
Magnus

Dear Andre,

Sad to see you struggle. The first thing you should realize is that trees do not respond in a few days to changes. They may take weeks to recover. So moving it around is generally a bad idea. I do not know where you are located. If your winters do not generally get colder than -10 at night, leave the tree outside. It will easily handle it. (Do keep in mind though: )

Then.. The soil it is in is no problem generally speaking. HOwever you have found that it dries out to hard brick-like structure? This is partially due to the stuff it is made off, and part due to the submergen watering. Only water from the top.

Were this mine, I would just put it outside in a somewhat sheltered spot. If it rains for a long period of time (Days on end) provide rain shelter. And if it starts to get really cold (Colder than -10c peaks) put it in a shed or unheated garage. A space where temperatures stays well below 10c, until the frost lets off.

Furthermore.. 名媛直播 is ful of myths and personal preferences. You will get loads of contrasting advice. If you are looking for advice, it is hard to understand who you should listen to and who not. So do a little search and see who posts what on this forum. Who has healthy trees and who has not even got bonsai. And then make up your mind. Who is in your climatic zone (as a lot fo the care depends on the weather!).

Good luck!

Echo everything Leatherback says and add one thing. Find someone near you, maybe an entire club, and get to know them. They know your local weather while everything we say will have "depending on your weather " added. And, you get to hear what works locally. Pay particular attention to those who have lots of trees many years old. Whatever they do works.

thank you all for the advice