Elm yellow leaves dropping off

[5th element]

I have had this elm for about a month, For the first three weeks it looked great, all the leaves were dark green and shiny. In the last week the leaves have been yellowing and falling off. Just wanted to know if anyone had any ideas why this might be. The weather is in the mid 80's, I water it every day. It is in organic soil and the man I bought it from said it has been in its pot for 2 years.

 

[Beng]

I have had this elm for about a month, For the first three weeks it looked great, all the leaves were dark green and shiny. In the last week the leaves have been yellowing and falling off. Just wanted to know if anyone had any ideas why this might be. The weather is in the mid 80's, I water it every day. It is in organic soil and the man I bought it from said it has been in its pot for 2 years.View attachment 36616

If it's in organic soil watering it daily is probably too often. The issue could be due to overwatering. Also try putting a piece of white paper under the trees leaves and brushing them with your hand. See if there are any mites on the paper.

 

[JudyB]

Stick a wooden skewer in the soil, and leave it in there. Pull it out every day, and check it for moisture. When it's almost dry, water thoroughly. Could be overwatering for sure.

 

[5th element]

Thanks for the ideas, I am gonna put a skewer in tonight. We are getting rain now so I will give it the mite test asap. I do notice webs on most my plants, could this be a problem. I try and keep them off but they are back every day.

 

[Beng]

Thanks for the ideas, I am gonna put a skewer in tonight. We are getting rain now so I will give it the mite test asap. I do notice webs on most my plants, could this be a problem. I try and keep them off but they are back every day.

http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?10890-spider-mites&highlight=spider+mite

 

[TheSteve]

Three weeks is pretty quick for a watering issue I'd think unless there was standing water on the top of the soil constantly. It's more likely adjusting to different light levels from being moved to a new home.

 

[october]

Three weeks is pretty quick for a watering issue I'd think unless there was standing water on the top of the soil constantly. It's more likely adjusting to different light levels from being moved to a new home.

Yup, most likely. This tree looks very healthy. I think the tree is just doing some shedding of the old leaves. I think that in the next couple of weeks, you are going to get a flush of new growth. You know, when I had elms years ago, I used to call this "healthy yellow". Sometimes, when this doesn't happen, that is an even bigger problem.. It's like, hey, where is my healthy yellow"?..lol

Rob

 

[5th element]

Thanks for the info

 

[5th element]

Do you often get a kind of black crusty look at the site where a small branch was clipped?

 

[Tieball]

Natural thing

In the last week the leaves have been yellowing and falling off. Just wanted to know if anyone had any ideas why this might be. The weather is in the mid 80's, I water it every day. It is in organic soil and the man I bought it from said it has been in its pot for 2 years.View attachment 36616

My experience with Elm is that the yellowing leaves you describe is a natural response of the tree to change in environment. Likely the increase in temperature and sunlight combined with a new watering schedule. Elms I have recover and come back even stronger once settled into a new environment. When I've seen yellowing I've just clipped those leaves off and conserved tree-energy for the bud beneath the leaf.

 

[Tieball]

True

Yup!....It's healthy yellow and the tree just making adjustments.

 

[5th element]

Still falling off

since the pic was taken the tree has continued to drop leaves. Not much new growth, and when new growth comes out it seems to turn black and not develop. The weather here has been the wettest in recent history, and very humid.

 

[october]

since the pic was taken the tree has continued to drop leaves. Not much new growth, and when new growth comes out it seems to turn black and not develop. The weather here has been the wettest in recent history, and very humid.

It is most likely a root issue. Probably root rot from being wet for too long. Elms tend to not do much when their root ball remains constantly wet. In this case, the new growth is dying probably because the roots are not functioning properly.

Can you post pics? If my assessment is correct, you need to get it in a very fast draining soil and only water when needed. Also, give it about 2 weeks of morning sun.

Rob

 

[GO-OK]

Very normal. Just pull the yellow leaves. Don't leave them lying about just to be safe.
Most Chinese elms and their various varieties all do this as part of normal growth habit.
Cork bark, seizure etc....

No need to worry.

 

[lordy]

If it continues to get rained on the problem could worsen. I brought in a bougie last night because heavy rains were forecast all night and throughout today. Put it under a table, or take it out of the rain somehow. I might even consider an emergency repot. It's not the wrong time to repot if the roots are rotting. If you leave it alone you could lose the tree. Putting in a good bonsai mix could help save it.

 

[Poink88]

since the pic was taken the tree has continued to drop leaves. Not much new growth, and when new growth comes out it seems to turn black and not develop. The weather here has been the wettest in recent history, and very humid.

Very normal. ...

No need to worry.

Sorry to disagree. New growth shouldn't die on adjusting tree.

I also believe (like the others) that it has root issues that need an emergency intervention to save it (if not yet too late).

 

[GO-OK]

Zooming in on the photo it is clear that the new growth tips look fine. It's the inner leaves that are turning yellow, closer examination also shows that some of those leaves have a yellowish- green color....that is fine and it is healthy and normal.

I agree that if it is the new tips there's a bigger issue. Not sure if I'd repot though without fully having a grip on the exact cause.

Put it in some semi shade, don't water till dry, don't fertilize and see how it responds. Just my two cents.

 

[GrimLore]

We had a little over 12 inches of rain last month. At the first week of the month our elms and crabapples showed the same signs of problems. I put all of the trees and one potted rose under cover of the front entrance and the rear eave of the house and they all stopped acting up. I put the whole problem down as too much water... After a few days all went back to normal and this month they are doing fine back in their places.

 

[5th element]

Thanks for all the great response, I am going to leave it alone for another week. They are calling for dry weather for the next 7 days. After this dryer air moves in I may be able to see some change good or bad. I will post some pics and hopefully have a healthy tree. Thanks again

 

[5th element]

Updated pics of elm

Leaves still thining