AusBonsai

Hi everyone!! Need help!!

I bought my boyfriend a chinese elm bonsai as a gift. We are both not experienced and this is our first bonsai plant. Today we noticed that the leaves started to turn yellow.. and some have curled up. Now I have done some research and I believe that the issue may be OVER watering! My boyfriend uses a mister and sprays the leaves 2-3 times a day... and keeps the bonsai in the morning sun.. and in the shade in the afternoon.

Does anyone have any good, simple tips to revive the tree? I think that he needs to stop watering it that many times.. and to check that the soil is moist.

Thanks

Your tree could be turning for Autumn.

bodhidharma wrote:Your tree could be turning for Autumn.

Oh really? I assumed it would have had root rot from the research I did!

Firstly these trees are pretty tough. It does not look like autumn foliage to me. Is it being kept inside or outside?
Have you scratched under the top dressing to see if the soil is wet? Why is it being misted so many times a day? How often does it get watered?
Cheers
Kirky

angiee01 wrote:

bodhidharma wrote:Your tree could be turning for Autumn.

Oh really? I assumed it would have had root rot from the research I did!

It might have, but i am suggesting that Elms are starting to turn at this time. You will need to check its roots but you have to look at all possibilities.

My guess is something more than autumn colour. Couple of questions for you to help us work out whats going on.
1. Where did you get it from? If its bunnings then the stones in top will be glued on and will be stopping water getting in.
2. Where do you keep it? Remeber its a tree and needs to live outside. It needs natural light.
3. How often do you water it? It needs to be watered regularly but not kept wet. This would be hard to tell with the stone son top.

Hope these questions help. Elms are tough somif you can work out what is going it should be ok.

Jos .

We definitely need more info and others have already asked is the tree kept inside? Inside is not good for elms and this yellowing of leaves is typical of trees slowly dying from staying inside too long.

Yellowing can also be due to under watering. You have also stated your boyfriend uses a mister and sprays the leaves. Does the soil ever get watered? Misting the leaves won't hurt the tree but it is the roots that really need water. I water my bonsai twice every day and by water I mean a good soaking of the potting mix and roots. If he is only misting the leaves the soil will be gradually getting dry. Bonsai growers, especially new ones, need to check the potting mix by digging down to feel with a finger and monitor when the roots are getting dry or wet.

Yellow leaves can also be due to over watering but, in my experience, that is far more rare than either of the above. You can check as above with a finger but will probably need to remove those horrible glued on stones.

Chinese elms may be changing colour in the highlands of Victoria but I think it is too early for them to be making autumn colours in Sydney.

If you are just misting instead of actually watering then the water may not be penetrating the soil enough to get to the root ball. Can you elaborate on how you water it?

If you rub an affected leaf in your fingers is it dry and crumbles (possibly not getting enough water due to only misting and the tree could be drying out) or are the leaves softer but still shriveled (possibly getting too much water and affecting the roots by keeping the soil too wet)?

Then again it could be something completely different again.

The more specific care information you can give people on this forum the easier it will be for them to diagnose the problem. Like others have said details on where it's positioned, how much sun it gets etc will help.

Good luck with the tree I hope it doesn't get any worse.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

bodhidharma wrote:

angiee01 wrote:

bodhidharma wrote:Your tree could be turning for Autumn.

Oh really? I assumed it would have had root rot from the research I did!

It might have, but i am suggesting that Elms are starting to turn at this time. You will need to check its roots but you have to look at all possibilities.

Far too early to be Autumn foliage in Sydney.

actually not enough water whee it counts, ie the roots.
Bonsai like all trees obtain water through the roots and not the leaves.

I would dunk it in water ( and seasol) until the soil is thoroughly wet through. Leave it to soak for 15 mins then let it drain.

Every day either Dunk in water for 5 minutes, or water the soil with a watering can until the water comes out the bottom of the pot clear, wait 5 minutes and repeat.
the soil needs to get fully wet and then dry out somewhat thru the day.
on hot days, do again in the evening.

Most Bonsai depart the world due to poor watering, so learning the correct way to keep a tree healthy is vitally important,
Check the wiki for more info too https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... w_to_water

Ken

KIRKY wrote:Firstly these trees are pretty tough. It does not look like autumn foliage to me. Is it being kept inside or outside?
Have you scratched under the top dressing to see if the soil is wet? Why is it being misted so many times a day? How often does it get watered?
Cheers
Kirky

Hi Kirky,

It was kept outside in the shade (no sun) for the first week. After the second week I moved it towards a different position where it gets the morning sun. It is now in its third week and in the same position with the morning sun and the leaves started going yellow

I just checked the soil and it's not wet but it's moist. I mist it and then pour water directly into soil once in the morning around 6am and then when I finish work around 3pm then one more time at night roughly around 8-9pm.

Josh wrote:My guess is something more than autumn colour. Couple of questions for you to help us work out whats going on.
1. Where did you get it from? If its bunnings then the stones in top will be glued on and will be stopping water getting in.
2. Where do you keep it? Remeber its a tree and needs to live outside. It needs natural light.
3. How often do you water it? It needs to be watered regularly but not kept wet. This would be hard to tell with the stone son top.

Hope these questions help. Elms are tough somif you can work out what is going it should be ok.

Jos .

Hi Josh,

1. This is from Bonsaishop in Australia. The stones were optional when I purchased it and no they are not glued on.
2. I keep it outside. Mainly giving it morning sun.
3. I water it 3-4 times a day.

Pearcy001 wrote:If you are just misting instead of actually watering then the water may not be penetrating the soil enough to get to the root ball. Can you elaborate on how you water it?

If you rub an affected leaf in your fingers is it dry and crumbles (possibly not getting enough water due to only misting and the tree could be drying out) or are the leaves softer but still shriveled (possibly getting too much water and affecting the roots by keeping the soil too wet)?

Then again it could be something completely different again.

The more specific care information you can give people on this forum the easier it will be for them to diagnose the problem. Like others have said details on where it's positioned, how much sun it gets etc will help.

Good luck with the tree I hope it doesn't get any worse.

Cheers,
Pearcy.

Sent from my SM-G920I using Tapatalk

Hi Pearcy,

I do both misting and watering directly on the trunk. I read that misting help keeps it protected from parasites. The leaves don't crumble they are just soft (these are the leaves that are losing colour) but some are crumbled.


Hi Ken,

How would I go about dunking it in water? This is my first Bonsai so I'm not so experienced, but I don't want it to die.


I really appreciate everyone's feedback and I hope my additional information helps the find the solution so I can recover my Bonsai.

Here's some more photos if it helps

Angie,

Watering three times a day seems excessive to me. Forget the misting at this point. Finding the correct watering balance is tricky for beginners. Most either over or underwater. The problem is that the symptoms are often the same. Read my wiki entry on bonsai for beginners.

https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... arting_out

The key to good watering is recognizing that the plants roots inhabit the entire pot volume, so you have to water the entire volume, but allow it to almost dry out before watering again.

Bonsais respond to good care and when necessary appropriate treatment. The Internet can be a difficult place to diagnose trees as well. Giving the tree a rot treatment will do it no harm, so just do it if it's not too hard. Good general nurseries will give you advice). Then get your watering right and go from there. If the tree feels lose in its pot, don't move it around too much either.

Cheerio

The best and most knowledgeable people have responded to this problem and I feel you are well looked after.
I just want to add that for me, I would only water when all the stones are dry. Just use a little stick to move the stones aside in a small area and if you see the bottom is dark, just mist and don't water. (Don't forget to move the stones back)
There isn't really any rules to the number of times you should water as condition changes throughout the day and throughout the week.

As for autumn mode, I am in Melbourne and my elms are still going nuts with growth. No signs of autumn changes yet.

An elm that is turning yellow from over water (causing root rot) is harder to save than one that was under watered in my opinion.

angiee01 wrote:
Hi Ken,

How would I go about dunking it in water? This is my first Bonsai so I'm not so experienced, but I don't want it to die.


I really appreciate everyone's feedback and I hope my additional information helps the find the solution so I can recover my Bonsai.

put in the sink or a tub, and pour water in ( outside the pot) until it reaches the top of the soil level.
Leave for 15 minutes then take out.
you can add Seasol to the water about 3 times a week to help recovery

Also in Sydney watering 3 times a day is too much. The soil will not have time to dry out sufficiently.
Before watering, poke a chostick into the soild to see if it is still Moist. If so then do not water
FYI I am in Western Sydney, and water once a day ( in the morning).

Ken

I will add a bit too
First, the tree has had or is currently having a severe infestation of mites (speckled leaves)
Too much protection (shade and lack of air movement) leads to this.
Secondly it is yet another tree which is starving slowly to death. Without vigour from nutrition, it cannot produce chemical defences against attack.
Feed every week with full strength liquid feed, put it in full sun and wind. Spray once with soapy water.
Watering once, or at most, twice per day should be enough. Let it dry out a bit before watering thoroughly.
Chinese elms should need to be cut back at least 4 or five times per growing season. If they are not, you are not feeding enough.