Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
rwood24_gw

Please help me new to bonsai Hokkaido

rwood24
13 years ago

Ok I've got a 6year old Chinese elm Hokkaido bonsai tree tag says. I'm totally new to this thing just thought it looked so cool! Well I kept it inside first week til yesterday too her outside wow big mistake I was told they do best outside btw. So I put it in part shade. Leaves got crispy and started to fall off. Today I moved it in more shaddy location the leaves turned a weird color like not yellow but brownish green. Not the color they were intially. I've not used any chemicals fertilizers or anything just well water that I know is good as I water all my delicate orchids with this water! I really hope I didn't kill this tree! Will it regrow leaves? The branches are stale and snapping. I water about every day. Stick my finger 3/4 inch in soil to see if it's damp then I choose water or not. I've grown soo many hard to grow plants thought this would be a cake walk as it's labeled a beginners bonsai. Please help me. Hopefully your advice can steer me right. I've got 3 more conning and don't want to kill em!

Comments (6)

  • simsedward
    13 years ago

    Hard to say for sure, but if you are watering every day that is probably way too often. Depending on the size of the pot/roots, most of my indoor elms go 3-5 days between waterings. Also, make sure it is potted in proper bonsai soil to allow for drainage. If it is in potting soil, get it out of that stuff.
    Soil mixture and watering are key.

  • rwood24
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Ok I'm not at all watering everyday I check everyday. Outside it dried out much faster so I watered it every two days inside I could go for 4 days. I'm not sure bonsai mix. I recently up potted it (after the I noticed the crispy leaves and drop). I used 1 part garden mix 1 part tree & shrub mix and 1.5 parts orchid bark. Hope this is suitable. I tried to mimic the soils it was originally in I think I did good. But who knows. I'm just wondering does this bonsai go dormant and drop leaves in winter? I've seen a bonsai at my friends have all the leaves in middle of Jan.thanks for your response

  • simsedward
    13 years ago

    Elms will drop their leaves if left outside for the wnter, but they act semi -evergreen if left indoors. What is the temperature there now? One of my elms that was left outside started to have dried up dropping leaves last week here in Michigan. I have since brought it inside and have it under a fluorescent light. It is bouncing back nicely. Not sure what is in your garden mix and tree /shrub mix so I can't really say. If it resembles potting soil/peat, you will want to change that. If it is similar to turface you are good to go. It should resemble small pebbles like kitty litter (though don't use kitty litter IMO) so that it will drain well.
    This is a helpful site:
    http://www.bonsai4me.com/

  • rwood24
    Original Author
    13 years ago

    Still very hot 85-90 daytime night 60-65. Not too humid lately bout 25-30% my mix is no peat. It's bark shaved very fine then chunkier pieces. And vermiculite and perlite. I had it inside I shoulda kept it inside it looked soo nice. Literally the day I took it outside it looked bad second day outside in even more shade location looked terrible now I can guarantee every leaf will fall. Oh well it's my first bonsai I've got to fail to learn what works. I'm getting 3 more so I'm going to keep em inside people keep telling me no they are best outside. So I get such mixed opinions. Thanks maybe I just shocked it from being inside ac under t5 fluros to outside shade but high heat.?Everyone told me that this plant likes heat?

  • head_cutter
    13 years ago

    Elms are 'northern hardy deciduous' trees, look that up as part of care. All trees classified this way need a dormant period (north American winter season) or they will die. They need to loose the leaves and get very cold, even freeze, for a number of months to survive, just like the big ones in the ground.

    What you have done is shocked it (depending on where it was kept when you bought it) and it will take a while to recover from that. The really bad news is; allowing it to re-leaf now, in your area, will be very bad for the tree. It should be storing energy for the winter instead of using it's reserves to put out new leaves.

    Of course don't feel bad, 99.9% of the posts in here are 'Help I just bought my first banzi tree and it's dying!!!! Please help meeeee!!!

    The last thing you want to do at this point is stress the tree any more, I will offer a time proven suggestion. When all else fails find a large evergreen shrub in your yard -- or-- on the side of your house with southern exposure and stick it back in the ground. Pot and all then mulch it in just above the level of the pot -- ignore it for about a year and see what happens.

    Bob

  • jasoncoco
    13 years ago

    Hokkaido elms are very picky trees. They don't like wet feet but they don't like to dry out. Keeping it moist but not wet is the key. Your mix doesn't sound bad so i would lean towards shock as a big factor. Did you damage any roots when re-potting? The branches on Hokkaido are very brittle anyway but even more when they die. If the branch is dead, you wont see any green when it snaps off. if its alive you will. They do like to be in full sun. I have killed several of them. If they get too much water and the roots rot, then the leaves will die and there will be dieback. Same for under watering but over watering seems to do worse, usually killing the tree. Under watering will usually just kill some branches, atleast in my experience. If you did over or underwater, the shade is the best place for the tree or filtered light. Also, they do alot better outside. I wouldnt move the roots around any until late winter or early spring time.hope this helps with your other trees.

Sponsored