Chinese Elm sporadic leaves yellowing and dropping

[power270lb]

Remember earlier when some of us said that yellow leaves this time of year is normal for Chinese elm? It can be tempting to look for all manner of problems instead of accepting something way less sinister and natural is happening. There are lots of good fungi and many of them appear as white fluffy mold so while this could be bad it may not be. Hard to say for sure from this far away.

If it is a soil problem just letting the soil dry a little should allow the tree to recover but if you suspect the soil is now really bad or roots are bad it should be a good time of year to repot Chinese elm in NJ.
Some will say never repot a tree that is stressed but if bad soil or bad roots are what is causing stress then it makes sense to me to repot and remove the cause. Any trees I have had with root problems have recovered after repotting to rectify the causes.
There are so many possibilities with the info you have given it is hard to give really accurate advice.

Thank you bro, so it's happening (on the branches it is) beginning of branch extending out. Was going to trim the tree up, should I now? Roots really don't smell and the tree is 95% covered. But some newer smaller leaves are yellowing as well. Used a moisture meter (which I never do) and it was slightly dry. Use a skewer and it's dry, rub the soil with my fingers, dry. I'm watering daily, probably just paranoid but I also want to make sure where I make cuts it'll grow out. A lot of the branches that weap are bare in the middle 4-6 nodes. Plan on cutting them today, where would be a good place to ensure the cuttings grow + the tree still grows?

 

[Shibui]

If the soil is that dry it is possible the yellow leaves are a result of dehydration. Soil should be slightly damp. Dry soil can kill a tree far quicker than wet soil. New bonsai growers are so paranoid about water that I suspect many cases of death that are put down to over watering were probably actually caused by under watering.
If the soil is dry it must be watered, even if that means every day. In summer all my trees get watered every morning and every evening. Air indoors can be quite dry with heating and AC so drying can also be rapid inside.
When you do water it must be enough to thoroughly wet the entire root ball right through to the middle. A little spray is not enough! Soaking the pot in a bucket occasionally is good practice. You may find that when you water properly it will not need water quite as often.
When soil has become dry it can be really hard to wet it again. with poor watering technique the pot gets drier each day despite the watering. Tree finally dies, the beginner blames over watering and the myth continues.

I also want to make sure where I make cuts it'll grow out. A lot of the branches that weap are bare in the middle 4-6 nodes. Plan on cutting them today, where would be a good place to ensure the cuttings grow + the tree still grows?

Chinese elm will grow from almost anywhere. We can chop the trunk and new shoots will grow from the cut end. Light trimming will be no problem. I would normally cut long new shoots so there is only 1 or 2 buds/nodes/leaves left at the base. Even if there are no leaves those nodes can bud and grow new shoots.
At some stacge you will find the tree gets too thick and too bushy. Pruning also means thinning some parts completely so consider pruning some branches growing in the middle right back to the branch or even back to the trunk. none of that will hurt your tree. It will probably actually encourage more growth.

Elm cuttings are generally 3-6" long. Slightly thicker is better as really thin ones may not have enough stored food to grow roots so just throw away any real small pieces.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Most plants like to cycle between wet, dry, wet, dry, and being dry for a time is not usually a problem. If it dries out in a day, that's not a problem as long as you can water it once a day. Watering in the morning is preferred in that condition because the tree is not stressed when it's in sun and growing, and being dry overnight is not stressful, either. Smell the pot again. If it is a good smell, then that is good. Bad soil conditions make soil smell spoiled.

 

[power270lb]

Most plants like to cycle between wet, dry, wet, dry, and being dry for a time is not usually a problem. If it dries out in a day, that's not a problem as long as you can water it once a day. Watering in the morning is preferred in that condition because the tree is not stressed when it's in sun and growing, and being dry overnight is not stressful, either. Smell the pot again. If it is a good smell, then that is good. Bad soil conditions make soil smell spoiled.

@leatherback @sorce @Shibui so now there's very dark they look black in person veins throughout multiple leaves. I saw 2-3 "black spots" so I sprayed neem oil just in case but I've noticed these black veins on a lot of leaves. What is going on with my tree? Bottom of pot doesn't Smell at all and when I water im very thorough.

 

[power270lb]

Could this be nutrient deficiencies? The slow release is 18-6-8 and the liquid is 7-9-5. For the record I just filled the slow release pods less than two weeks ago and I've used liquid twice.

 

[DaManley]

Could this be nutrient deficiencies? The slow release is 18-6-8 and the liquid is 7-9-5. For the record I just filled the slow release pods less than two weeks ago and I've used liquid twice.

I know this post is old, but was this issue ever solved? I feel like my chinese elm has gone through some of the same issues.