increaseing foliage on a tree

spikes57

Hi all,
i brought a tree from a garden center about 4 or 5 months back. the lable said it was a chinese elm (ulmus parvifolia) and that it was twelve years old.

as i am totaly new to bonsi i have a lot of questions. one of the first is how do i encorage the tree to grow a lot of leaves? as you can see on the picture its a bit scrapy at the moment.

important info:

i live in cheltenham, england. (about 40 miles south of the middle) if anyone can tell me what tempriture zone etc that is please let me know for further posts.

the tree stands in 2 inch's of soil, i dont know what type, but it seams nice and loose. i water the tree when the top 3/4 of an inch has dryed.

the tree spends its days on a window ledge in part sun/shade, and its nights on my desk indoors.

i am waiting untill spring to repot, and so have no idea when this was last done.

the tree has nice green shiny leaves and regular new growth. although it also seams to lose as many as it grows. leaves shrink and turn crispy before falling off.



ok, can anyone advise me on incresing the amount of leaves? and/or tell me off if i am doing something to make the old leaves fall off.

many thanks

Attached Images

DSC000752.jpg (69.9 KB, 58 views)

Advertisement

bwaynef

re: your zone, I think you'd be better off updating your profile to reflect where you are in england. The USDA hardiness zone thing is pointless outside the USA, and only a guideline within it. (Some of England would translate to zone 8.... equal to Texas?)

Water, fertilizer, and sun. You sound like you're watering correctly. I wonder if the soil is keeping too much water though. It looks a little rich. May not be though.

Have you fertilized this tree? It doesn't look particularly weakened, except for the fact that it has so few leaves. That leads me to believe its lack of foliage is a lighting issue. This tree will grow best outside (all trees will) in the sun. I'm not POSITIVE about your climate, but I'd bet that you could leave it outside in winter and suffer no ills because of it. Might actually do the tree some good to rest. Often C. elm are recommended as indoor trees. They will survive there for a while, but they'll thrive outdoors.

Other than that I'd look for pests on your tree. Any white residue, any sticky residue, any critters, any caterpillars (I killed 5 on my c. elm yesterday) ?

WF

__________________
----------------------------------
© 2004 - present bwaynef

Ian_Homer

Spikes,

Welcome to bT.

Here is a link to another thread that will be of interest/use to you.
have a look here . . .

Best Regards,
Ian

__________________
help save The Vulcan...
Return to Flight

spikes57

Hi,
many thanks for your advice. i think i will go find somewhere brighter to put my little tree in the afternoons, let it suck up some more sun.

do you think i should do anything about the soil, or just wait untill repotting in the spring? i havent added any fertalizer so far.

as for our climate, its said that the eskimos have one hundred words for snow, well the brits have about a thousand for being genrally rained on and wet, with a sharp lack of sunshine. but we do seam to have a lot of trees so its cant be too bad.

again many thanks for the help and links

spikes

Aaron_K

Hi Spike,

As others have said, get this tree outside in the sunshine as it will grow much quicker and be healthier there. At this stage of the season, I would fertilize with a tomato plant liquid feed. I got one from Tescos for under £2. Its got a reduced nitrogen content, so although it will help the tree nutrient wise to grow new leaves and shoots, it will also help harden off existing growth.

The tree will be fine outdoors at night also, right up till winter time, when it needs protection from the frost and subzero temps. If you read the thread that Ian kindly posted, there is advice with regard to winter care.

The soil it is in, looks to be screened compost which is fine. I grow both of my Chinese elms in 100% sieved compost and they seem to love it. One thing I did note is that you appear to have some white fungi or mold or lichen growing around the base of the tree and roots. I'd be inclined to remove this by treating it with a fungicide rather than let it stay there and potentially harm the tree.

Also, in the spring repot the tree into a much bigger pot or container. The increased space will make the tree grow like crazy and within a few months you will have a multitude of new branches to choose from to style the tree.

Remeber... the leaves WILL fall off this tree come November/Dec if kept outside so don't be alarmed, its perfectly natural.

All the best,

Aaron

__________________
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. - Muriel Strode

Vulpes pilum mutat, non mores!

"A fox may change its skin but never its character"

spikes57

hey,
i have been having a look at the stuff around the base of the tree, pretty sure its a lichen, but i notice that it is growing on top what seams to be clay. it looks like the root of the tree is encased in the stuff and the soil mix has been put in around it.

the roots of the tree do extend into the soil.

do i need to remove this clay, or is it there to give the tree support?

pootsie

I would recommend that you wait until spring to address this issue. At that time, you will want to completely bare-root the tree (using a gentle soak and spray to remove the clay) and then transplant into good, well-draining bonsai soil.

Until then, follow the advice above.

rotsaruck,
pootsie

__________________
p.s. My cat is a bonsaiTALK Master.
Columbus Bonsai Society