Need some help with my Chinese elm

[BlackHaga]

Hi !

I'm pretty new at taking care of bonsai, last year (June) I was gifted a 11 years old Chinese elm.

As I live in an flat, and don't have any means for the tree to be outside, I put it on a window sill, the first week the tree developed some yellow leaves. It then bought growing lamps and put it under them.
Until early March this year it was magnificent, I was even complimented by the store owner were it was bought, when I brought it back for repotting.

When I got it back, two weeks latter, I noted some yellow leaves on the three, it didn't have any until then (and other elms in the store did also have a lot of yellow leaves). I didn't think a lot of it, and thought that it was the because of the repotting.
It continued after that to have a lot of yellow leaves and shedding them regularly, I also noticed after a month a lot of little critters that jumped all over (less than 0.5mm, and some even smaller) in the container where I collected the rainwater after watering.

I'm under the impression that the tree is sick, even the internodes seem bigger than last year, and it didn't have insects in the substate either.
Am I wrong, or is this only the consequence of the repotting done in March ?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thank you

 

[Shibui]

Chinese elm did not evolve to grow indoors but they are very tough so can usually cope for a while. Unfortunately, without really good light and conditions they can't keep going forever.

The tree still looks quite good. Plenty of green leaves still and some healthy new shoots elongating.

Several things can cause leaves to yellow and fall, including:

• Normal aging of leaves - Chinese elms are semi-deciduous. Indoors and in warm climates they often don't dop leaves for winter but then the old leaves turn yellow and fall as the new spring leaves open up.
• Lack of light
• root problems
• dehydration
• starvation

 

[BlackHaga]

Hello Shibui,

Thank you for your reply.

Chinese elm did not evolve to grow indoors... Yup I was warned, when I brought it back for repotting, but I'm stubborn like a mule, and against nature it doesn't generally bode well...

• Lack of light, maybe this is the issue
• root problems, it was repotted this year and the owner of the shop didn't say anything about that, but who knows.
• dehydration, I've been watering as per instruction, wait until the akadama top layer of the substrate is almost dry (as I've doing since June last year), to water.
• starvation, the tree receives fertilizer every two weeks (between early spring and October). I give it blood and bone fertilizer, it wasn't complaining about it last year.

So for the little critters, I shouldn't worry at all ?
I know that a substrate should be alive (they only live there not on the tree itself), it's nature after all, but since I hadn't any last year, it made me wonder, if these aren't parasites.

I've grown attached to it, but I think it'll be preferable that I gift it to my sister, she has a house with a garden, the tree will be in better conditions there.
And as I visit her regularly, I'll be able to keep an eye on it.

From now on, I'll "try" (know thyself ) to concentrate on "interior" bonsai, because I've been bitten by the bug.

 

[Paradox]

Try a ficus if you have no way to put a tree outside and provide supplemental lighting for the best results

 

[BlackHaga]

Yes, I'm leaning that way.
Thx.