Does this elm look sick or is it fine?

[William Dinitzen]

I feel like a broken record asking about stuff like this so much, but i keep seing experienced people and their chinese elms that look great at this time of year, and comparing to the state of one of mine, it seems like it is almost done for. I used a substrate given to me by a local experienced seller, and drainage seems decent, but should it really looks this bad when temperatures are only dropping to a min of like 5c at night (especially the lower branches)? Also why is there just no growth of any sort on the topsoil? If it seems that something is off, how should i go about fixing it?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

On a once or twice per week watering schedule that soil is good.
On a bonsai watering schedule, it's suffocating.

For now, the best you can do is check the bottom holes and see if they're not plugged.

What we want in bonsai is a free draining soil that also doesn't hold water for too long. Regular potting soil works in deep pots, because gravity helps water being pulled out the bottom. In a bonsai pot, that's much less the case as there's very little water column to push and pull. That means your soil acts like a sponge and hardly allows any air in there. Air is our friend in bonsai.
A constantly water rich soil with no air exchange is the enemy.

Is your experienced grower using a green house?

 

[brentwood]

I like sticking a chopstick in my pots, checking to see if it's wet - I try not to water unless it's dryish. Leave the chopstick in will the time. Hard to tell, but your soil looks wet - i would be careful. Are you going into Fall there? If so, losing leaves would make me less worried than Spring or Summer...
Good luck!
B

 

[William Dinitzen]

I like sticking a chopstick in my pots, checking to see if it's wet - I try not to water unless it's dryish. Leave the chopstick in will the time. Hard to tell, but your soil looks wet - i would be careful. Are you going into Fall there? If so, losing leaves would make me less worried than Spring or Summer...
Good luck!
B

Northern hemisphere so yes fall, the wetness is because constant rain atm, im woried about the roots drowning…

 

[William Dinitzen]

On a once or twice per week watering schedule that soil is good.
On a bonsai watering schedule, it's suffocating.

For now, the best you can do is check the bottom holes and see if they're not plugged.

What we want in bonsai is a free draining soil that also doesn't hold water for too long. Regular potting soil works in deep pots, because gravity helps water being pulled out the bottom. In a bonsai pot, that's much less the case as there's very little water column to push and pull. That means your soil acts like a sponge and hardly allows any air in there. Air is our friend in bonsai.
A constantly water rich soil with no air exchange is the enemy.

Is your experienced grower using a green house?

Im pretty sure he does both a greenhouse and outdoors, but i feel that this soil is a bit too fine, do you have any advise for saving the tree throughout this rainy fall?

 

[dbonsaiw]

do you have any advise for saving the tree throughout this rainy fall?

Perhaps the tree can be protected from the rain (like under a bench or in enclosure), allowing you to water as needed.

Wonder what folks think about up-potting the tree into a coarser substrate or even a non-aggressive repot to get rid of some of the potting soil.

 

[brentwood]

Perhaps the tree can be protected from the rain (like under a bench or in enclosure), allowing you to water as needed.

Wonder what folks think about up-potting the tree into a coarser substrate or even a non-aggressive repot to get rid of some of the potting soil.

I'd be more on board with a repot than something like a slip pot, worry that would leave a soggy center still. I debated suggesting that since it's not a great time, but sometimes it's a step up - curious who else is in that camp.

B

 

[CarpenterDiaz7]

I would not repot the tree, chinese elms are strong trees, mine have survived quite a lot of rain and some fungus too. I suggest protecting it from too much rain at the moment, as that soil seems like it takes a while to dry out, so the roots may be water logged. Also the tree doesn't look bad, you are going into fall, I would be more worried if it were middle of summer. This summer here in New England USA zone 6a it rained almost every other day, the tree hated it kept losing leaves, yellowing leaves, but its still thriving and doing fine now.