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My Chinese Elm Yellowed..!! 8 years 8 months ago #16435

  • Jinglecakes
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Hi everyone..

A month back, i rescued a Chinese Elm from our local grocery store(they also sell flowers..).. He was fine. They kept him indoors so i did the same thing, then gradually moved outside, to my semi sunny balcony. For some time he was quite happy with his Japanese Elm sister. Soil was strange. It didn't hold any water. The moss on the soil was too rugged too. One afternoon i decided that i should get rid of that moss. But to my surprise the soil was full of black larvae under the moss. They were about two and a half centimeters of size and full black. I didn't know how they got there but as i cleaned, they kept coming.. It is Summer here in Turkey and wasn't the right time for repotting a Chinese Elm so i kept the soil.. He started to yellow gradually (i water once in 2 or 3 days..). I had to do something. When i checked entirely, i saw he was almost rootbound. Finally, prior to three nights, i repotted him. Cleaned every last bit of the old sandy soil. Used washed gravel and bonsai soil mix i bought from a bonsai shop. He is still yellowing.. Do you have any idea?

I am most unhappy..
Here are some pictures.. Thank you for responding..

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My Chinese Elm Yellowed..!! 8 years 8 months ago #16436

  • Auk
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But to my surprise the soil was full of black larvae under the moss. They were about two and a half centimeters of size and full black. I didn't know how they got there but as i cleaned, they kept coming.. It is Summer here in Turkey and wasn't the right time for repotting a Chinese Elm so i kept the soil.. He started to yellow gradually (i water once in 2 or 3 days..). I had to do something. When i checked entirely, i saw he was almost rootbound. Finally, prior to three nights, i repotted him. Cleaned every last bit of the old sandy soil. Used washed gravel and bonsai soil mix i bought from a bonsai shop. He is still yellowing.. Do you have any idea?


You should have repotted immediately, even if it wasn't the right time. The fact that soil that doesn't hold any water indicates that it has been dried out at some point in time, and has become hydrophobic. Without a photo I can't tell you what the black larvae were, but they're probably not a good sign and may have been eating from the roots.

You have already repotted. Continue to take good care of the tree, following the guidelines for your tree type. Check the soil for the return of the bugs. Hope and pray for it to recover...

(i water once in 2 or 3 days..)


Don't water according to a schedule. Water thoroughly, until water drains out of the drainage holes. Then let it dry, but do not let it dry out completely, and water again.
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My Chinese Elm Yellowed..!! 8 years 8 months ago #16439

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Thank you for your response.
I keep him inside. Close to the north east corner of the house. Near but not so near to the window. Hope he'll recover soon..

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My Chinese Elm Yellowed..!! 8 years 8 months ago #16447

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Ah, keeping it inside is probably part of the problem. Ulmus trees should be outside. Keep it outside in the shadow and out of the wind and things should be better.
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