new to bonsai, looking for help with serissa

[GrimLore]

Reckon it is a lot of roots on yours!

I put the three larger in plastic halloween cauldrons as nobody local had bulb pots that day. They measure 4 inches deep by 9 inches wide. The fine root mass is 3 inches deep by 7 inches wide. Theses are not enormous but big enough for a first time try on a species. Here is a picture of the base root cleaning I did to expose them a bit and allow me to sort them out. I will take decent pictures of all this upcoming weekend. Busy day here!

Grimmy

 

[R_Wood]

Well I guess they stay there the time the outside weather go back up to 40...
For the moment I don't fertilize mine and it's still in the same pot I bought it because Mellow Mullet told me not to re-pot it this year.
I did prune it and some shoots are growing (once it finished its teenage yellow leaves crisis... Actually it had 2 teenage crisis: one when I brought it at my place, another one when I pruned it and now I'm expecting the 3rd one as I moved it from its place in my yard to a new bench I built this week-end...)

Yeah that makes a lot of sense. I bought mine from a local nursery whose owner does a ton of bonsai and he seems to do really well. They told me, once I got the tree home, to cut what was in the round planter to a depth that matches the bonsai pot. Then take the leftovers and cut them in half to basically fill in the rest of the pot. You can see in my profile pic that I added some small rocks on top but that was mostly for appearances I guess. I have since removed the rocks to ensure it's getting enough water. I've had some yellowing early on and dropping leaves, but I realized I wasn't watering nearly enough and only misting. Since then, the yellowing/dropping has drastically tapered off. I only see 1 or 2 yellow/dead leaves a week now. I've only had it for a month so and feel like it's been all research and forum work since.

I've used Miracle Gro plant spikes once, but finally found a more balanced fert that I'll be starting in the next day or 2.

 

[R_Wood]

Honest I think it has to do with root removal and I am pretty certain it will come back and excel in a few more days if left outside filtered sun and proper water.

Grimmy

I mentioned in my last response that I've had it for a month now. So should I go ahead and move it outside for the time being until it starts dropping more? We're expected to be in the 70's here as of today so it should still be plenty warm. Sorry for the ignorance, but can you explain "if left outside filtered sun?"

 

[R_Wood]

I put the three larger in plastic halloween cauldrons as nobody local had bulb pots that day. They measure 4 inches deep by 9 inches wide. The fine root mass is 3 inches deep by 7 inches wide. Theses are not enormous but big enough for a first time try on a species. Here is a picture of the base root cleaning I did to expose them a bit and allow me to sort them out. I will take decent pictures of all this upcoming weekend. Busy day here!

Grimmy

That looks great. Look forward to seeing the rest this weekend.

 

[GrimLore]

So should I go ahead and move it outside for the time being

I am pretty certain it will rebound fastest if left outdoors until the night temperature starts to be under 45f on a regular basis. Most any plant including Serissa do best at first when put in a sun lit area that is filtered like under the leaves of a shade tree, shade cloth, etc... Direct sun is most often your enemy upon introducing a plant to a new home. Mine will remain out there as I described and expect them to be fine.

Grimmy

 

[R_Wood]

I am pretty certain it will rebound fastest if left outdoors until the night temperature starts to be under 45f on a regular basis. Most any plant including Serissa do best at first when put in a sun lit area that is filtered like under the leaves of a shade tree, shade cloth, etc... Direct sun is most often your enemy upon introducing a plant to a new home. Mine will remain out there as I described and expect them to be fine.

Grimmy

Ok that's definitely something I can do. Honestly I think I was hesitant because of the risk of pests, etc. Maybe I should have grown vegetables before bonsai!

 

[Cadillactaste]

@Cadillactaste

Fanboy here!

Reckon it is a lot of roots on yours!

Sorce

Lol you made me laugh...thanks for that.

Reckon your right. Something to address next spring.

 

[GrimLore]

Honestly I think I was hesitant because of the risk of pests, etc.

I understand. I keep all new plants away from others until I am certain they are pest free. Part of the Journey does include a variety of calamities though and we all slowly learn to deal with them. You did say you are getting new small growth and very few yellow leafs and that is a plus. I think for now it will reward you even more after just a few short days outdoors!

Grimmy

 

[Alain]

Yeah that makes a lot of sense. I bought mine from a local nursery whose owner does a ton of bonsai and he seems to do really well. They told me, once I got the tree home, to cut what was in the round planter to a depth that matches the bonsai pot. Then take the leftovers and cut them in half to basically fill in the rest of the pot. You can see in my profile pic that I added some small rocks on top but that was mostly for appearances I guess. I have since removed the rocks to ensure it's getting enough water. I've had some yellowing early on and dropping leaves, but I realized I wasn't watering nearly enough and only misting. Since then, the yellowing/dropping has drastically tapered off. I only see 1 or 2 yellow/dead leaves a week now. I've only had it for a month so and feel like it's been all research and forum work since.

I've used Miracle Gro plant spikes once, but finally found a more balanced fert that I'll be starting in the next day or 2.

Sound like you already did a lot of work on it and that it is handling it pretty well, which is weird but nice on a species with such a moody temper. I guess that's because yours seems much younger than mine or something.

 

[R_Wood]

I understand. I keep all new plants away from others until I am certain they are pest free. Part of the Journey does include a variety of calamities though and we all slowly learn to deal with them. You did say you are getting new small growth and very few yellow leafs and that is a plus. I think for now it will reward you even more after just a few short days outdoors!

Grimmy

Sounds like I'm going to go ahead and put it outside then for the time being. Thanks so much for your help. I'll definitely report back

 

[Cadillactaste]

We have temps running high of 60's this coming weekend this part of Ohio. I might wait until that cold front blows through.