taixonay
Seed
I ordered a Chinese Elm and it arrived January 27th. About five days ago, I noticed that some of the leaves were falling. I didn't think much of it since I've read that chinese elms tend to lose their leaves when there's been a change in environment. But on closer inspection I noticed that the leaves were getting a bit splotchy. Some of the green leaves had black spots on them and the yellow ones had dark/black spots as well. To top it all off, I started to find little white aphid like bugs on the tree (when I googled images the closest one that matched was capitophorus hippophaes) and then when I took a closer look at the trunk, there were tiny red spider looking things. I can't really get a picture of them as they just show up as vague blurs on my camera.
Because of this, and not being able to get a response from the seller, I went ahead and repotted my tree. I scrubbed the pot, let it soak in bleach for a bit, scrubbed it some more. I also got rid of the soil that came with it. I've removed every leaf that I found had the black spots. I'm really worried that it might be black spot fungus. If it is, I've looked up some home remedies that can work as a treatment and/or preventative. I'm honestly not sure if it actually is black spot fungus. The seller contacted me while I was writing this and said it was just normal leaf dropping for a Chinese Elm, but I still want to get a second opinion.
So my main question is: Is this black spot fungus?
If it is, should I continue with one of the home remedies to treat it? I've seen a lot of places recommend using fungicide (and insecticide for bugs) and I'm not comfortable using those kinds of products if there's an effective home remedy that can be used instead.
Because of this, and not being able to get a response from the seller, I went ahead and repotted my tree. I scrubbed the pot, let it soak in bleach for a bit, scrubbed it some more. I also got rid of the soil that came with it. I've removed every leaf that I found had the black spots. I'm really worried that it might be black spot fungus. If it is, I've looked up some home remedies that can work as a treatment and/or preventative. I'm honestly not sure if it actually is black spot fungus. The seller contacted me while I was writing this and said it was just normal leaf dropping for a Chinese Elm, but I still want to get a second opinion.
So my main question is: Is this black spot fungus?
If it is, should I continue with one of the home remedies to treat it? I've seen a lot of places recommend using fungicide (and insecticide for bugs) and I'm not comfortable using those kinds of products if there's an effective home remedy that can be used instead.