Is this bonzai dead?

[BonzaiReeverside]

I’ve had a Chinese Elm bonzai tree since last June. It started healthy, and dropped its leaves nearing the winter but then only a month after dropping them it started growing them again in the winter.

Since then it’s dropped its leaves and hasn’t regrown them for 4+ months. I’ve tried giving it fertiliser and watering it but nothing. When scratching the tree it is still green underneath but other than that is showing no signs of life. I’ve just taken it out of its pot to see the state of the roots. Please see pictures below. Is this tree dead or do you think it can be revived? If so, how?

 

[penumbra]

I assume you were keeping it inside?

 

[Prometheus_]

It doesn’t look great, but there may be hope if there is green when scratched, as you say. More information might help. Do you keep it indoors, as your pictures suggest? Did you only start watering once it dropped its leaves? Where do you live?

 

[penumbra]

I have several dozen Chinese Elm. The only one I was ever able to kill was inside. It was several years ago and it did exactly what you described and then developed root rot.

 

[BonzaiReeverside]

It doesn’t look great, but there may be hope if there is green when scratched, as you say. More information might help. Do you keep it indoors, as your pictures suggest? Did you only start watering once it dropped its leaves? Where do you live?

I was originally keeping it inside (which I assume is why the leaves started to regrow in the winter), bur after moving flat I’ve been keeping it outside on my balcony. I live in the UK where it’s been quite warm recently. I’ve been watering it by putting it in a bucket and letting it absorb (bottled) water until saturated.

 

[BonzaiReeverside]

It’s currently out of its pot and I’ve started trying to clear up the roots. If I wanted to revive it somehow what would you recommend doing?

 

[rockm]

I would pretty much throw that out, even if it's got some signs of life. If it's refoliated itself twice after dropping all its leaves, it's so weak as to be dead (if it isn't already). There are no viable roots from what I can see in the photo. They all look brown and shriveled, as does most of the trunk. Even if you attempted to revive the tree, it would likely lose most of the trunk, probably down to the root crown. Live and learn.

Keeping Chinese elm indoors is mostly a death sentence for them, even if some sellers say it can be done.

 

[Prometheus_]

Thanks for the response. rockm is right, I’m afraid.
Many people kill their first bonsai (I did) - you can only learn from it and try again.
Keeping them inside is a death sentence; similarly playing with roots is usually a bad idea if you think they’re stressed

 

[Tieball]

Sure looks dead to me. Roots look totally dry. The trunk and branches look dry and dead. I think the green color you see when scratched is a chalky green without a moist sap flow present. It’s just a dried green. It’s time to toss this out and move on. You’ve earned your first bragging right of killing a tree. We all have a first kill.

 

[Deleted member 47471]

On the plus side, you can easily acquire another one and start again!

 

[Cajunrider]

I’ve had a Chinese Elm bonzai tree since last June. It started healthy, and dropped its leaves nearing the winter but then only a month after dropping them it started growing them again in the winter.

Since then it’s dropped its leaves and hasn’t regrown them for 4+ months. I’ve tried giving it fertiliser and watering it but nothing. When scratching the tree it is still green underneath but other than that is showing no signs of life. I’ve just taken it out of its pot to see the state of the roots. Please see pictures below. Is this tree dead or do you think it can be revived? If so, how?

The bonzai is surely dead. It has been banzaiing inside too long.

 

[Deleted member 47471]

The bonzai is surely dead. It has been banzaiing inside too long.

Maybe it’s only mostly dead.

“Mostly dead is slightly alive.”

 

[Orion_metalhead]

Tree is dead. Looks like it was never watered lol. How often did you do the dunkaroni?

 

[BonzaiReeverside]

Tree is dead. Looks like it was never watered lol. How often did you do the dunkaroni?

I was doing the dunkaroni every 1-2 weeks depending on when the top soil started to feel dry. Is that too infrequent?

 

[BonzaiReeverside]

Thank you everyone for your responses, really appreciated. I will carry out the funeral over the weekend.

 

[Tieball]

You have a final plan.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

I was doing the dunkaroni every 1-2 weeks depending on when the top soil started to feel dry. Is that too infrequent?

1-2 weeks for an elm? I cant water mine enough when they are in bonsai soil... in your soil, probably needed to dunk every 3 or 4 days if kept inside.