Help With My Australian Brush Cherry

[AVY888]

Hello I am new to the art of bonsai and I am looking for some help with couple of issues that I am having. First of all, let me give you some background information about my tree and its conditions:

• Australian Brush Cherry (about 5 years old)
• I have it sitting on my balcony where it gets plenty of morning sun (will put it inside as soon as the temperatures go below 50F)
  
• I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota

The two issues that I am having are:

1. The leaves have white stains on them. I suspect that the stains are a result of hard water that was sprayed on the tree while it was on display at the store. I have tried spraying it with clean filtered water and it helped a bit but the stains have mostly remained. I saw someone online recommending using lemon juice on the leaves to get the mineral buildup off leaves; however, that only made things worse because some leaves became sticky so I had to clean the leaves with a q-tip and water. The problem still remains as you can see from the picture below. I never had plants before and I do not know what to do in this situation so any recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

2. Its very difficult for me to know when to water the plant. I read a lot of different information online regarding watering bonsai and specifically brush cherries. I have learned that I need to wait for the soil to become a bit dry before watering, but I think I am being too cautious about it. Today was only the second time I have watered the tree in 5 days. It seems ok to me because the soil felt cool to the touch. Should I water it everyday? Every other day? I am also confused about the way I should water my bonsai. Some people say I should submerge my plant in a few inches of water so it can get water through the bottom holes of the pot, but I also read that its actually not a good way to water and that the watering should be done from the top. Can someone elevate my confusion about this point? I understand how important correct watering is for a bonsai and that it really depends on many factors, but if any of you have experience with brush cherries I would love to hear your input.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!

 

[AVY888]

Guys, I am new to the forum so can I get some input? Should I have posted in another forum section? Sorry of my English is not good. I am not from US and I moved here not very long ago. I am just worried about my tree and I want some advice. Thanks!

 

[sorce]

If you're careful, you can rub the stains off with your fingers.
Unless you have very soft hands!

Far as watering..... If that top layer is the same soil all the way through you could Probly water once a day.

Looks ok so far.

Sorce

 

[AVY888]

Tha

If you're careful, you can rub the stains off with your fingers.
Unless you have very soft hands!

Far as watering..... If that top layer is the same soil all the way through you could Probly water once a day.

Looks ok so far.

Sorce

n

If you're careful, you can rub the stains off with your fingers.
Unless you have very soft hands!

Far as watering..... If that top layer is the same soil all the way through you could Probly water once a day.

Looks ok so far.

Sorce

Thank you!

 

[amcoffeegirl]

Your English seems very good to me. Welcome to the forum
Nice little tree

 

[larlamonde]

Hello I am new to the art of bonsai and I am looking for some help with couple of issues that I am having. First of all, let me give you some background information about my tree and its conditions:

• Australian Brush Cherry (about 5 years old)
• I have it sitting on my balcony where it gets plenty of morning sun (will put it inside as soon as the temperatures go below 50F)
  
• I live in Minneapolis, Minnesota

View attachment 77058
The leaves with the stains look like some of the large older dark leaves. Just cut them off if it bothers you. This will encourage your tree to grow. The soil looks like good draining soil if its like the top layer all the way through. If so tough to over water. If not and the top is just dressing be more careful.
The two issues that I am having are:

1. The leaves have white stains on them. I suspect that the stains are a result of hard water that was sprayed on the tree while it was on display at the store. I have tried spraying it with clean filtered water and it helped a bit but the stains have mostly remained. I saw someone online recommending using lemon juice on the leaves to get the mineral buildup off leaves; however, that only made things worse because some leaves became sticky so I had to clean the leaves with a q-tip and water. The problem still remains as you can see from the picture below. I never had plants before and I do not know what to do in this situation so any recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

View attachment 77059


2. Its very difficult for me to know when to water the plant. I read a lot of different information online regarding watering bonsai and specifically brush cherries. I have learned that I need to wait for the soil to become a bit dry before watering, but I think I am being too cautious about it. Today was only the second time I have watered the tree in 5 days. It seems ok to me because the soil felt cool to the touch. Should I water it everyday? Every other day? I am also confused about the way I should water my bonsai. Some people say I should submerge my plant in a few inches of water so it can get water through the bottom holes of the pot, but I also read that its actually not a good way to water and that the watering should be done from the top. Can someone elevate my confusion about this point? I understand how important correct watering is for a bonsai and that it really depends on many factors, but if any of you have experience with brush cherries I would love to hear your input.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP!

 

[skrit]

I had a lot of hard water stains on my tropicals (jade, 2x ficus) when I first bought them too. They were greenhouse grown, so didn't benefit from occasionally rainwater downpours to clean things off. Once mineral spots build up, they're quite stubborn. For me, they wouldn't really come off either. I would have liked to get them clean, thinking that clean 'solar panels' (leaves) would get the tree better growth, but the trees didn't really seem to care, they grew just fine. The next spring / growing season, the tree grew new leaves. The two ficus generally shed off the old watermarked ones. Some still hung on for another growth season. Even the Jade has dropped most of the old ones (almost 2 years later!) but there are a number there too.

I wouldn't be too concerned, and I'm not sure I'd cut them all off, especially if that meant removing the majority of the leaves. Defoliation is a major stress for a tree and it would probably be worse for the health of the tree than just leaving it alone. If it's just a couple really visible ones that are bothering you, go ahead and snip them off.

Disclaimer: I do not and never have owned a Brush Cherry.

 

[Cypress187]

It's very full, maybe prune the most stained leaves (i think it need a prune anyway)?

 

[AVY888]

Yea, pruning is my other concern. Still afraid to do it till I read more about how to do it properly.

 

[AVY888]

Well....I pruned it lol Think I took off too much xD