Sick bonsai - can't figure it out? Help

[edhgreatone]

Received a bonsai online 3 months ago and it came with really dry leaves but soil was damp. I've kept it in the sun and have been on top of the submerge water for 3 months now. Leaves still dry so I applied bonsai fertilizer a very small amount and still no luck.

The company sent me another one but I wanted to post to see if I can some how rejuvenate this sick bonsai please help.

 

[Poink88]

Welcome to B-Nut!

What do you mean by "have been on top of the submerge water for 3 months now."?

Sounds like you drowned your tree.

 

[fourteener]

I see the problem, your keeping them upside down!!

It looks like your soil mix holds a lot of water and your keeping it too wet. Now that it has no usable foliage, it doesn't need much water. Also, if a plant is sick, usually fertilizer will probably do more harm than good.

Submerging a bonsai in water is only something you do at the initial repotting or a desperate move when your neighbor forgot to water it for the weekend.

In short it might not have been healthy when you got it. You've overwatered it and made it worse. Some people will tell you to put a chopstick in the soil, if you see a water line on the chopstick above the soil line, you don't need to water it. I would guess the top could look pretty dry before it needs to be watered again.

Plants love to live, you might see the old one form some new buds, don't water the new one too much or you'll have the same problem. Good luck and enjoy the learning process. We've all recycled a few trees!

 

[edhgreatone]

Wow --- I did a ton of research and followed the directions it came with and it said to submerge it completely in water so I filled Up bowl and did just that.

I waited till I saw there were no bubbles ~5 minutes or so and then took it out.

I'd wait 3-4 days until soil was dry and repeat process. Was this inaccurate? I'm glad I asked.

 

[drew33998]

Wow --- I did a ton of research and followed the directions it came with and it said to submerge it completely in water so I filled Up bowl and did just that.

I waited till I saw there were no bubbles ~5 minutes or so and then took it out.

I'd wait 3-4 days until soil was dry and repeat process. Was this inaccurate? I'm glad I asked.

If this tree was inside then it sounds like you watered it way too much. What kind of tree is it? I cant tell because the leaves are all shriveled. You may still have some life left in it. I would put it outside as soon as you are out of danger of frost. Water only when the soil is dry, not on a specific schedule. Use a chopstick and insert it down into the soil. It it comes back damp at all then you need to wait a couple days before watering. I wouldn't soak the pot but water it from the top.

 

[edprocoat]

edhg, where are you? It would be better for those advising you to know your location so fill out your profile. Those are tropical plants?, its hard to tell from the pics. The first one looks like a dying Fukien Tea, the new one has leaves like a chinese quince. They will do better outside if the weather does not kill them (too cold). If you are keeping them inside to avoid freezing get them under some strong lighting, the sunny window usually ends up hurting them as the heat from the glass combined with the usual lack of air movement by modern windows bakes your tree.

Good luck with it.

ed

 

[edhgreatone]

edhg, where are you? It would be better for those advising you to know your location so fill out your profile. Those are tropical plants?, its hard to tell from the pics. The first one looks like a dying Fukien Tea, the new one has leaves like a chinese quince. They will do better outside if the weather does not kill them (too cold). If you are keeping them inside to avoid freezing get them under some strong lighting, the sunny window usually ends up hurting them as the heat from the glass combined with the usual lack of air movement by modern windows bakes your tree.

Good luck with it.

ed

I actually bought them from amazon and they are funkien trees --- I wanted them because they were indoor trees lol and now I'm suppose to put them outside!?

The new one leaves are half way yellow now and falling off. I have no idea what I'm doing wrong. I didn't over water this one... Ideas?

 

[edprocoat]

edhg, Fukien Teas can be kept inside but like all trees will be far better off outside. Inside you have drying air from air conditioning and heating units that dessicate your tree. You also have air borne pollutants such as hair spray, air fresheners - especially those oil ones you plug in and heat up dispersing the scent like Air Wick and anything else such as perfumes and powders but the main problem is low light levels that will not allow it to thrive and in worse case will not even sustain the plant. Fukien Teas are very fussy plants, I bet if you do a search here you will find over a hundred threads about dying and weak Teas. I finally gave up on them as it was not worth the constant drama.

ed

 

[Redwood Ryan]

Before you go putting it outside and potentially exposing it to even more trouble from the cold, where do you live????