Dying Fukien Tea Tree Bonsai

[Ilokee16]

Hey everyone! I’m completely new to bonsai and wanted to have my first experience making a plant into a bonsai myself.
I purchased a Fukien Tea Tree Plant at a bonsai store (I wasn’t told they were hard to keep), and was told to just trim the roots and place it in a bonsai style pot.

I followed some instructions online (youtube videos and such) and did the anchoring of the bonsai and such.

It is planted in a well draining mix of potting soil and substrate I got at a nursery.

The problem is that after a week of being in its new pot it seems to be dying. I suspect I may have trimmed its roots too much and have stressed it out but don’t know how to help it get well again.

The only symptom it has is yellowing droopy leaves. I live in a tropical country in a very humid region (central america). The bonsai is being kept in a slightly shady corner outside in our patio deck.

Can I save it?

I’ve attached pics of how it was before root trimming and now in its bonsai pot.

 

[Carol 83]

They drop their leaves when moved, repotted, just to be a pain, etc. Just let it get acclimated. Don't let it dry out, nor overwater. Probably not the best choice for your very first tree. Good luck, hopefully it will perk up.

 

[Ilokee16]

They drop their leaves when moved, repotted, just to be a pain, etc. Just let it get acclimated. Don't let it dry out, nor overwater. Probably not the best choice for your very first tree. Good luck, hopefully it will perk up.

It’s probably an awful choice for a first bonsai. I’m not sure how much to water it either it just looks sad

I honestly got it because its what the guy at the bonsai store recommended and I impulse bought it without researching the species first.

 

[Carol 83]

I impulse bought it

I'm guilty of that myself. Stick a chopstick or wooden skewer in the soil, if it's wet when you pull it out, don't water.

 

[Trimaptim]

I had this issue with mine. How long ago did you do the root pruning and potting?

 

[Ilokee16]

I had this issue with mine. How long ago did you do the root pruning and potting?

I did the root pruning on sunday, that would be 5 days ago. It’s been downhill from there.

I expected signs of stress but I can’t tell between “stressed” and “almost dead already”

 

[Trimaptim]

I did the root pruning on sunday, that would be 5 days ago. It’s been downhill from there.

I expected signs of stress but I can’t tell between “stressed” and “almost dead already”

Yeah they are finicky. Did you take more than 1/3 of the roots?

 

[Ilokee16]

Yeah they are finicky. Did you take more than 1/3 of the roots?

I think I took about 50% of the roots off. It has a lot because it was in a regular deep pot (there’s a photo above) and I didn’t think it would fit in the shallow one?

 

[Trimaptim]

After root pruning you want to keep it well watered for about a week in a shady area. After a week, full sun and it looks like you need to get some fertilizer in there asap. This was mine after about a week from re-potting. I'll take a pic of it when I get home. It's been about two months in full sun and fertilizer and it's budding and greening up really well. The yellow leaves are probably from lack of nutrients. It's also worth mentioning, I've been told both sides, "if you prune the roots don't touch the top" and "if you prune the roots take some off the top so it is balanced" for a juniper of mine I did top and bottom and it worked out. I say that to say, maybe cut a little off the top since you took a lot of the roots. Because now there's more green up top than roots. Mine in this pic is noticably sick. It was touch and go for a while. I should have waited for a cooler day to re-pot and I let the roots dry out too much I think. Rooky mistake.

 

[Trimaptim]

Actually I see fertilizer in that pic of mine so this was when it was looking better after getting nutrients.

 

[It's Kev]

Hell has no fury like a Fukien tea scorned

 

[Trimaptim]

Here it is today. Like I said about 2 months after re-pot. Still a little yellow but getting MUCH better.

 

[Daniel son STL]

Here it is today. Like I said about 2 months after re-pot. Still a little yellow but getting MUCH better.

Are you going for a replica of the juniper in the ground, Fukien style??

 

[Trimaptim]

Are you going for a replica of the juniper in the ground, Fukien style??

No. I'm letting it grow and get healthy for this season and then I'll start working on it next year. It's going to be two levels of pads... eventually.

 

[Ilokee16]

It got worse!! Its almost completely yellow now and its only been like 16 hours?

 

[MattE]

It got worse!! Its almost completely yellow now and its only been like 16 hours?View attachment 243671

so im definitely no master at bonsai , trees have a will to live no matter what. you cut back its roots but left so much foliage on. it seems like it was a healthy tree to begin with. the tree is killing off its leaves so that it can focus energy on growing new roots. you probably should have and still could use a bit of rooting hormone. i have a feeling it will pull through. and even if your humid i would get a humidity tray, dont over water and if its been a week. on your next watering in a couple days maybe give it like 1/8th strength fert just to bump up its nutrients. and to be honest id start taking off some foliage that is really yellow to help it out. again the will for a plant and or tree to live is really strong , there instinct is crazy and they have survived longer than anything else on this planet. also morning and late day sun for now nothing at full power it wont be able to handle that.
Every single one of us has killed a tree..you will kill trees.
Nice pot and tree btw best of luck !!!!

 

[Ilokee16]

Thank you everyone! You’ve been so kind!! Hopefully with all your great advice we’ll pull through.

I’m going out right now to buy a tray and some pebbles and I’ll trim it’s folliage once I get back home. I’ll bring him into my room, it has a large north east facing window where he will get some morning light and then some softer indirect light.

What fertilizer should I be looking for?

 

[Zach Smith]

If you bring this tree indoors at this point it's doomed. Stop messing with it! No trimming, no humidity tray, just leave it alone for a day or two or five. Leave it outdoors, and wherever it is outdoors right now leave it there and stop messing with it! This tree should not need water for a good while, as it's clearly not taking much for purposes of growth. So let it dry out a bit before you consider watering again. And there's no need to fertilize at this point, that's for healthy growing trees.

 

[Ilokee16]

I

If you bring this tree indoors at this point it's doomed. Stop messing with it! No trimming, no humidity tray, just leave it alone for a day or two or five. Leave it outdoors, and wherever it is outdoors right now leave it there and stop messing with it! This tree should not need water for a good while, as it's clearly not taking much for purposes of growth. So let it dry out a bit before you consider watering again. And there's no need to fertilize at this point, that's for healthy growing trees.

It’s been sitting in full sun all day for the past few days. Won’t such harsh dry conditions kill it?

 

[Zach Smith]

I


It’s been sitting in full sun all day for the past few days. Won’t such harsh dry conditions kill it?

Move it to shade but that's it. It must stay outdoors. You removed 50% of the root but you left all the foliage (or at least that's what I gather from the thread). That threw the tree out of balance, so it has to regrow roots to re-balance itself. No surprise foliage died, not enough root to support it. So you have to nurse it back to health, but nursing is mostly leaving it alone. The leaves that the tree can't support will fall off on their own. Once new root growth begins, that will be followed by new foliar growth. Outdoors in shade, don't water until the top of the soil is dry, that's it.