Zelkova....Sunburnt

[Bonsaiforest]

Have a Zelkova that I layered a month back that I keep in full sun(to push the layer along). Yesterday we had the 44 degree temps combined with hot winds. All of my trees including my Zelkova were watered well in the morning so that they wouldn't dry out throughout the day. Came back in the afternoon to see how they were all doing and found my Zelkova to be struggling... All leaves drooping & and some sunburnt ...looking pretty sad. Checked the soil to see if it had dried out thinking that was the cause, but the soil was still really moist... . Could it be the combination of being layered and the hot weather yesterday. Should I be giving it a light haircut to remove all of the sunburnt leaves, mist the leaves occasionally with a light mix of superthrive & remove it from full sun to part shade...or full shade...?

[Daluke]

I had a similar experience a few weeks back.

I trimmed off the sick leaves and it ramified better.

It seemed like the juvenile leaves were hardest hit rather than the older ones.

[dansai]

On hot windy days potted trees can sometimes lose water through transpiration quicker than they can take it up. Particularly if the root system is a bit weak. Misting when this happens can slow transpiration down.

I would remove the affected leaves but leave it where it is. If you are expecting hot days again maybe some shade then to avoid it happening again.

[alpineart]

Hi Mate , I wouldn't worry about the sunburnt leaves they will dry out and shade the new growth , eventually they will fall off . Keep up the liquids to the main tree and keep out of the extreme heat .

Cheers .Alpineart

[Truth]

Yesterday humidity was low, and winds were high. Combined with the high temps it means crispy town for a lot of cool temperate deciduous trees. My Japanese Maples we're affected too badly, but the airlayers I have on which already have an interrupted water supply look a little more stressed than the rest.

[shibui]

This is interesting to me. Many years ago before I had things set up well all my trees had to make do with irregular watering. I found the zelkovas to be far more drought hardy than Chinese elm. I know they will burn when conditions get tough but I assume that if zelkova is burnt then other species must be really doing it tough.

[Bonsaiforest]

Yep Shibui...I was also confused about why it happened to my Zelkova only. My Tridents and Japanese Maples were fine...No wind or leaf burn at all which was surprising. All of my trees were watered at the same time...and I definitely gave them a good soaking before the heat of the day. All I can put it down to is the air layer that I currently have on. It's only been on for a month or so & I think this burning yesterday must have something to do from interrupted sap flow. In regards to the air layer I really need my Zelkova to be strong with vigorous growth this summer so that it can produce a substantial amount of roots. So not wanting it to go through this again, I'm going to play on the safe side...keeping an eye on the weather and moving it into part shade on the really hot days, instead of the full sun that it's currently been receiving.