Olive bonsai with leaves turning brown

[Pasham]

I have an olive bonsai that I bought online. I kept it indoors for a bit but it’s been outside for over a month. It gets morning until afternoon sun and I water once a day during the hot summer months.

It’s showing new growth but the ends of leaves are browning on some leaves until they die off. I am m fertilizing with bonsai fertilizer about every 3 weeks - note that the leaves issue was occurring prior to fertilizing so I don’t believe that’s a factor.

I live in central Texas, USA (gig em Aggies).

See pic.

Thank you

 

[LuZiKui]

I have an olive bonsai that I bought online. I kept it indoors for a bit but it’s been outside for over a month. It gets morning until afternoon sun and I water once a day during the hot summer months.

It’s showing new growth but the ends of leaves are browning on some leaves until they die off. I am m fertilizing with bonsai fertilizer about every 3 weeks - note that the leaves issue was occurring prior to fertilizing so I don’t believe that’s a factor.

I live in central Texas, USA (gig em Aggies).

See pic.

Thank you

Hm, what sort of soil is it potted in? It looks to be standard potting soil. My initial guess would be overwatering. Olive trees are Mediterranean and prefer a drier soil and can handle dry conditions. Is the soil drying out in between waterings?

 

[Pasham]

Hm, what sort of soil is it potted in? It looks to be standard potting soil. My initial guess would be overwatering. Olive trees are Mediterranean and prefer a drier soil and can handle dry conditions. Is the soil drying out in between waterings?

It’s the soil that came with it from the online store. I’m hesitant to repot into a grainier substrate. I could cut watering from daily to every three days to see what happens. During the hot weather the soil was drying out

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Hmm…. Then water lightly and increase the frequency if the soil is dry. Also one might add 2 TBSP 3% H2O2 per QT H2O in the watering water now and every week with hopes this may knock any pathogens done.

Let’s hope it’s not overwatering. Root rot is hard to come back from. This might be the case it the dry tips are spreading across the leaves.

Another, more hopeful transition. This situation could have occurred if the transition from inside to outside was done all of a sudden.

This stresses a plant out as the leaves are used to the humidity, sun and daylight hours in one environment and gets thrown into another. The resulting damage often shows in the foliage very similar to this. It looks a lot like over fertilization, or root rot, but is actually the leaf tips getting dried out due to the transition.

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Pasham]

Hmm…. Then water lightly and increase the frequency if the soil is dry. Also one might add 2 TBSP 3% H2O2 per QT H2O in the watering water now and every week with hopes this may knock any pathogens done.

Let’s hope it’s not overwatering. Root rot is hard to come back from. This might be the case it the dry tips are spreading across the leaves.

Another, more hopeful transition. This situation could have occurred if the transition from inside to outside was done all of a sudden.

This stresses a plant out as the leaves are used to the humidity, sun and daylight hours in one environment and gets thrown into another. The resulting damage often shows in the foliage very similar to this. It looks a lot like over fertilization, or root rot, but is actually the leaf tips getting dried out due to the transition.

Cheers
DSD sends

Thank you. You reference pathogens. I’ve noticed some white dots…almost like dust on it..

 

[hemmy]

I’ll add use a wooden chopstick, toothpick or your finer to probe deeper in the soil when you think it is ready for water to check if the soil is still too damp below.

 

[JackHammer]

Could be too much water but I have had a different experience. I keep my olives just like my ficus trees and water them every day, even the ones still in nursery soil. Lots of ferts and they have been great in full sun. Granted, my sun is not Texas sun. This feels like too much sun to me and if it was a quick transition outdoors, that would explain it.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Thank you. You reference pathogens. I’ve noticed some white dots…almost like dust on it..

Looks like hard water residue or that of fertilizer.

This feels like too much sun to me and if it was a quick transition outdoors, that would explain it.

Too much sun is indicated by ‘burnt’ leaves. Often an orangish area in the mid leaf.

Dried leaf tips can be many things… among then, roots ok- but not enough water/too hot, too much fertilizer which causes the roots to be damaged, consequently not allowing the fluids to uptake fast enough to keep up with transpiration, root rot damaging the roots slowing fluid uptake etc…

Consequently Its tricky as some of these things can happen at the same time, or trigger another…

Example: a little too much fertilizer damaging the roots and then the hobbyist watering the same as before, didn’t know the roots were partly damaged… result pathogens take over the rhizosphere, result, root rot sets in. Etc etc…

Lots of subtleties involved.

Cheers
DSD sends