Hi everyone,

I’m new to this forum so I’m sorry if I’m posting in the wrong part. I’ve owned a chinese elm bonsai for about a year now, it has been mostly fine. However, I have left it with my boyfriend while I was away and now the tree seems either dead or about to be dead. I don’t think my boyfriend did anything grossly wrong because I told him what I normally do with the tree, plus he is as invested as I am with it - he was the one who got me the bonsai. So I think it was something to do with a change of environment for the tree. Basically, there are nearly no leaves left, the soil has some little weird white balls (so does the hole at the bottom of the pot for water to leak out of). I can see tiny white insects in the soil. I don’t know what to do - googling what chinese elm likes gives you pretty standard things like water and sun, so I don’t know what exactly went wrong. I will admit I am new to bonsai trees so could mess up something obvious. Please help, I would really like to save it.
Pictures of the tree, soil, hole at the bottom of the pot and the insect (circled in red) attached.

Wow, one year in that kind of soil. You have actually succeded a lot more than most beginners. Well done!

The white stuff is mold and the little white animal is most likelly a springtail. Sprintails eat from the mold and are not any threat to the plant.

I would say that this process is really hard to reverse at this point. But the chineese elm is a very hardy tree, so I wouldnt give up on it just yet. Your only possibility is to repot it into more airy substrate, keep it watered and hope for it to recover.

BR
Magnus

Tropfrog wrote: The white stuff is mold and the little white animal is most likelly a springtail. Sprintails eat from the mold and are not any threat to the plant.

While they are not a threat to the plant, they are an indication that the plant is kept in improper conditions.

Looks to me it's far too wet.

Auk wrote:

Tropfrog wrote: The white stuff is mold and the little white animal is most likelly a springtail. Sprintails eat from the mold and are not any threat to the plant.

While they are not a threat to the plant, they are an indication that the plant is kept in improper conditions.

Looks to me it's far too wet.

Yes, I agree. Both the Mold and springtails suggest too wet. But also the soil suggests that it is really Hard to get it right. Proboably far to compact and bad drainage. Keeping it Alive in that soil is proboably very Hard. and repotting it in this condition is very risky. I would go for the later.

Br
Magnus

Does not help if it is kept in a house which it looks as if it has been.

Tropfrog wrote: Your only possibility is to repot it into more airy substrate, keep it watered and hope for it to recover.

Thank you! I was thinking before about whether I need to repot it but because the tree was doing well I didn’t see the need. Well, now I do. Would you say akadama+pumice+lava rocks mixture as listed on this website is the best solution or is there something premixed I could get?

I will not go inte potting media as I have very limited experience or none with most options.

Try to find out what People in your area use successfully. As this question willhave different answers in different locations.

Good luck!
Magnus

Elenael wrote: Would you say akadama+pumice+lava rocks mixture as listed on this website is the best solution or is there something premixed I could get?

You can buy it premixed from Amazon, it is called Boon Mix.
But it is a well known and proven combination, as long as you repot from time (years) to time.

Keep in mind that the substrate in the pot defines the care you have to give. Although the substrate you have now is very condensed and bad for oxygen to the roots, it keeps water well. If you switch to the mixes you suggested now you will have to water more frequently. And you should water extensively ro ensure all substrate gets watered. It is fairly different from growing in nornal potting media.

I find bonsai substrate is often overrated when people just grow one single plant to have in the windowsill.

If you do go for coarse bonsai substrate, please take a look here about the characteristics of good substrate.

www.growingbonsai.net/characteristics-of-good-bonsai-substrate/