Hi all,

A few years ago I bought my Dad a Chinese Elm bonsai for Christmas and it was his pride and joy. Sadly my Dad passed away 6 months ago and now my mother and I are struggling to care for this tree which is sadly suffering at our unskilled hands!

The bonsai has been subjected to both overwatering and dehydration due to our lack of knowledge. It has never been repotted so when it started to lose leaves we took it back to the "expert" that I bought it from. He taught us how to re-pot and prune and sold us some feed called Crysal when we told him it had never been fed. He told us it was probably just really undernourished and to feed it often up as you can't overfeed them. I have since found out you can overfeed them and that it shouldn't be fed in the winter or when it is sick. It is no wonder that it is not recovering and now I'm worried we have damaged it even more. The leaves have continued to fall and now the remaining leaves are green near the stem but brown around the edges.

I really want to save this bonsai because it was my Dad's. Following advise on this site I have read tips on www.bonsai4me.com and learn't how to water it appropriately. I have stopped feeding it. I have removed dead leaves and branches as far as I feel confident to do so and have made sure these aren't decomposing in the soil. I have checked for mold and pests and can't find any. I have scored one area of the trunk and one area of a branch and it is green underneath so I'm hoping it can still be saved. I do not mist the tree. The bonsai has always been placed on a table under a sunny window in a room with low levels of central heating.

Does anyone have any more advise that can help me save my bonsai please?

Thanks