Serrisa relocation necessary?

[Rehn03]

Hey! I’m new to Bonsai and made the “super wise” decision of starting off with a Serrisa…. Need some advice cause I’ve heard many different things regarding this subject….

For context… i just got this Serrisa this past Sunday so coming up to 5 days tomorrow. I live in Florida and the weather here is dropping to about 50-55 at night and a high of 70-80 during the day. I leave my fan on and keep it semi close to a west facing window (which I’ve heard mixed opinions on) and have only watered it twice since having it (Because the soil seems to be staying pretty damp)

I’ve noticed that quite a few of its leaves have begun to turn yellow and are dropping, BUT it’s also blooming in certain areas of the tree so I’m getting mixed signals from her!!

My questions are 1. Is it necessary to relocate the Serrisa to outside so it can stay alive (even tho it gets pretty chilly and I know they don’t like to be moved much)
2. Could it just be that I’m watering it too much or is it just being moody and settling into its new home?
3. Am I missing something that it needs and I’m just oblivious to it?

Thank you in advance for the responses and critiquing!!

Here are some photos are her right now

 

[Shibui]

Serissa are notorious for dropping leaves after any changes in conditions so this is likely to be a reaction to moving from the nursery conditions to your home. Good news is they almost always recover and grow new leaves.
They can cope with temps down to freezing but should do better indoors.
My advice is to leave it where it is now and let it get over this hissy fit. Moving it to new conditions is likely to set it off again and make the problem worse and last longer.
Definitely less water if the soil is not drying. Let it get close to dry before watering really well to fully wet the soil again. If it takes a week to start to dry so be it. You'll probably find it will require more water when it recovers and starts to grow again.

 

[Rehn03]

Serissa are notorious for dropping leaves after any changes in conditions so this is likely to be a reaction to moving from the nursery conditions to your home. Good news is they almost always recover and grow new leaves.
They can cope with temps down to freezing but should do better indoors.
My advice is to leave it where it is now and let it get over this hissy fit. Moving it to new conditions is likely to set it off again and make the problem worse and last longer.
Definitely less water if the soil is not drying. Let it get close to dry before watering really well to fully wet the soil again. If it takes a week to start to dry so be it. You'll probably find it will require more water when it recovers and starts to grow again.

Thank you!!!!!! That’s super encouraging to hear!!! Do have a rough idea on how long I can expect it to be throwing this “hissy fit”?? Haha thank you again!!

 

[Carol 83]

Welcome to the forum! Living in Florida you have lots of choices for trees that do well there. Where in Florida? There are several bonsai nurseries there.

 

[Rehn03]

Welcome to the forum! Living in Florida you have lots of choices for trees that do well there. Where in Florida? There are several bonsai nurseries there.

Thank you!! The panhandle… I live between Destin and Panama City Beach!! I purchased my Bonsai from Sailfish Coastal Bonsai.

 

[Carol 83]

Thank you!! The panhandle… I live between Destin and Panama City Beach!! I purchased my Bonsai from Sailfish Coastal Bonsai.

Schley Bonsai Nursery is in DeLand, about 45 minutes or so from Daytona Beach. Wigert's is in Fort Meyers. Both are pretty far from you but they do ship. Most of my tropicals have come from Wigert's. They are very reasonably priced and have a good variety if you want something a little less fussy than a Serissa.

 

[Shibui]

Do have a rough idea on how long I can expect it to be throwing this “hissy fit”?? Haha thank you again!!

Every tree and every situation is different but I'd expect to see signs of new growth in 2-3 weeks as it settles into the new conditions.