Chinese elm showing problems

[Oliver Syd]

Hey guys!

I’m new to the forum and hope I’m posting in the right place, could not find a beginners/problems section.
Any help is much appreciated!!

So, I have a Chinese elm and she’s starting to loose leaves. She was reported, prunes heavily and wired about 2months ago and showed no major distress. She’s been budding for about a month now but recently has had some leaves yellowing off and dying.
I water her every 1-2 days depending on daytime heat etc. she’s fed once a week half strength seasol as are all my bonsai. I usually lift pot to determine whether their ready for a drink, but I think my problems may lay with a lack water.

I’ve always enjoyed growing plants and recently moved into the world of bonsai. I have no doubt I’ll be making mistakes along my journey, but it would be a sad day if I was to lose a plant.

Thanks!
Ol

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[shibui]

It is not unusual to have a few leaves turn yellow and drop off. Chinese elms are pretty resilient so as long as you have some healthy new growth do not worry too much.
As we go into spring the new growth requires more water. Days are also longer and warmer which also requires more water. If you suspect lack of water you should increase watering - either effectiveness (occasional soaking or more thorough watering to make sure the entire root ball is saturated) or more often. I've increased hand watering to every day now and the auto timer is watering the nursery twice a day because too many were showing signs of stress with just one per day.
With good bonsai potting mix it is very difficult to overwater even though the subject still gets plenty of coverage.
Wiring can sometimes damage the cambuim and restrict flow to or from some areas, especially if the bends were severe or roughly done. Branches either die completely or recover.

Need to consider your recent repot: How much old mix was left? How different is old from new? If there is a distinct difference between old and new mix sometimes it can be hard for water to migrate through the boundary so extra water may be required. Occasionally roots also don't cross a distinct boundary but that appears rarer in bonsai pots.

[melbrackstone]

It helps if you fill in your profile so we all know where you live. The information you require will be much better targeted in that case.

I'm in Brisbane and we're suffering from a heatwave and horrendous hot dry wind, and my potted plants need water twice daily in these conditions. Sometimes even three times a day for the smaller pots. In Melbourne it's been rainy and cold! So yeah, tell us where you live and you'll get much more useful info.

[Oliver Syd]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Im based in Sydney, so been unusually hot for this time of year.
By the sounds of it I’ve got to up the watering, yellowing seems to be getting gradually worse even though I’ve been watering once a day.
I reported from a somewhat standard mix to bonsai specific mix, not completely bare rooted but pretty much. I think a soak like suggested would do some good every few days.

Just want to make sure I’m feeding it enough, half dose seasol once weekly.

Thanks!
Oliver

[melbrackstone]

Seasol is a soil conditioner, not a fertiliser. You should add something else to the mix... powerfeed or charlie carp or similar

[shibui]

Agree. Seasol does have some nutrients but they are low and variable. Use seasol occasionally as a tonic alongside real fert. Fortnightly for liquid, a bit less often if you have a slow release solid fert.
Open draining mix will need far more water than standard nursery mix. You may need to water morning and night or find some other way to keep the water up to the tree in warmer weather.

[Oliver Syd]

Quite right, works a treat for my veggies in rich organic mix, but this bonsai mix seems very basic, in a good way. I’m thinking to go with some solid fert for all the bonsai. Going to do some research now but any suggestions much appreciated. Possibly different ferts applicable for deciduous/ conifers?
They only actually get about 4/5 hours direct sun as they’re on a balcony facing west, few trees block out the later afternoon sun, so watering doesn’t seem to be too much of an issue. I am still watering every morning but soil is definitely still damp. Pots have weight to them and I just want to be cautious of over watering.
Good luck today to all especially you guys out in the Bush.