Hi,im a beginner with this all.I purchased a chinese elm just over a month ago.I had it near a window and made sure it was watered just enough to keep it moist.Even using fertiser once a week and the tree flourished.I took it to my girlfriends as a present for her and it seemed to be fine at hers for a couple of weeks with the same instructions as id done.but last week,it suddenly dropped nearly all its leaves in the space of 2 days.Ive now brought it back to mine and tried the same care as before.Ive lined the pot with a thin layer of gravel to help drainage too.its been 4 days and altho it hasnt dropped the last of its leaves,it hasnt sprouted any new buds and i dont know what course of action to take.Please advice.Thank you

www.google.nl/search?q=bonsaiempire.com+...+elm+dropping+leaves

Staggering. Is't it?

The strange thing was,the leaves were all green and from appearances 'fresh' when they dropped.the tree is 7-8 years old.On the plus side,4 days after the 'big drop' the leaves that were on it are still there and there are green stems coming off some of the branches still,so im assuming its still alive.Ive smelt the soil and drainage hole to make sure theres no odour from root rot.Im guessing time and tlc is all i can do for the time being.

Davemoly wrote:

time and tlc is all i can do for the time being.

Time yes, but do not overdose on the TLC.

Auk wrote:

Time yes, but do not overdose on the TLC.

that's just impossible !

It was more just keeping a watchful eye on it.Im guessing no pruning should be done at all while its in this state,or would it encourage more growth? Oh and it shouldnt be no scrubs......it should be no shrubs

Did you move it? or was there a sudden change in the light it was getting? the chinese elm that I used to keep inside would drop nearly all of it's leaves any time there was a change in the amount of light it got... even if the change was minimal.

If im honest,it was probably getting more light at mine then at the gf's (much to my protests that it needed plenty of light) Im hoping that if i can recover it,then giving it back to the missus....She has a bathroom that has good light and humidity would be good,so is that a more viable option? ive heard of others having good results in theres.Or would you opt against this as temperatures might climb too high and vary too much? Before anyone says it should be outside,yes that would be best but she lives in a flat,so this isnt really an option.Thank you.

I'm not sure about inside, really. I would put it where it gets the most light possible. Usually indoor temps don't change that drammatically, which is one reason why trees don't like to be indoors. I measure the temperature on my balcony, it can vary as much as 15 Degrees C from day to night. Trees need this cooling and warming.

The Chinese elm that I have was kept inside by it's precious owner.. for a number of years. I think the key is to find a spot and keep it there. If the tree was healthy before, it should be fine when you give it enough light.