Bonsai help!!

Discussion in 'General Gardening Discussion' started by kyleleonard, Feb 19, 2015.

  1. kyleleonard

    kyleleonard Total Gardener

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    Me & my girlfriend bought a Bonsai plant in January and since then it's been going downhill..

    We've been watering it when the soil on top has been dry and I've tried to create a humidity tray in the meantime to see if that helps (don't laugh at it :biggrin:).

    See photos, you'll notice the leaves are wilting and falling off. Some of the leaves go brown and crusty, others just wilt.

    Is this normal for winter? Should I just leave watering until spring? :love30: help.

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    :sofa:
     
  2. Phil A

    Phil A Guest

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    Wotcha Kyle :)

    Is that a south facing window? And was it there during that really frosty period?
     
  3. kyleleonard

    kyleleonard Total Gardener

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    How do :dbgrtmb:

    And I'm not sure, let's just say if it looked like this when we bought it, we wouldn't have bought it :biggrin:

    and we don't keep it on the windowsil as it's not double glazed and gets quite wet so I thought it might not enjoy sitting in a damp, cold place of the room.
     
  4. Phil A

    Phil A Guest

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    :biggrin:

    You're right to keep it away from the cold, but then you can run into the lack of light problem.

    Certainly right not to water very much in the winter, most things are pretty dormant till the days get longer.

    Just make sure it gets plenty of sun when it is out. Other possibility might be root aphids :yikes:
     
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    • Spruce

      Spruce Glad to be back .....

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      Hi
      I was trying to guess the variety ?

      Where did you get it from ?

      cold frost free greenhouse would be the ideal place for it

      I think its been frozen once or twice and thats what has made the leaves fall off
       
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      • Freddy

        Freddy Miserable git, well known for it

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        Should not deciduous Bonsai go through a dormant period anyway? Not saying this one is deciduous, just asking.
         
      • Spruce

        Spruce Glad to be back .....

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        even if its not it is now
         
      • Lea

        Lea Super Gardener

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        The basic rules of Bonsai are:
        1. Small amount of water every day all year round. Do not let it dry out.
        2. Plenty of light.
        3. Outdoor trees need to live outdoors all year round.
        4. Indoor trees should be kept at constant temps.
        5. Change the soil in spring. Use the correct soil and mix.

        The thing to remember is that it is a tree and depending upon the type of tree you should try to mimic it's natural environment as closely as possible. Many of mine are outdoors all year round whilst others only go outdoors in the summer.
        I suggest you give yours a small feed with it's next little drink. Do you know what type of tree it is? I cant tell from the pics.
         
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          Last edited: Feb 20, 2015
        • kyleleonard

          kyleleonard Total Gardener

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          Hello again!

          According to a leaflet we got, it's sub-tropical but I'm not sure what type of tree it is..

          I've been reading up on what we need to be doing, like misting x2 a day, using boiled water/rain water, making sure the humidity tray is always covered with water. :scratch:

          The leaves have probably reduced by 50% since we bought it.. would wilting happen because of us under watering? :gaah:

          What is the likelihood that it will all be fine? :what:
           
        • Spruce

          Spruce Glad to be back .....

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          it aint happy , it can wilt because of to much water as well and just not happy , mmm sub tropical it needs a warm room with lots of light.
          Too much bother for me
           
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          • kyleleonard

            kyleleonard Total Gardener

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            I wish we searched up on them now :biggrin: we just picked the first, most-leafy one we saw
             
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            • Phil A

              Phil A Guest

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              Picked up a Girlfriend like that once, got along fine till Autumn came :sad:
               
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              • Lea

                Lea Super Gardener

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                Once it has had a drink and a feed it should pick up. It looks thirsty to me. It should be kept just damp. Light is important. I have my indoor ones under lights but a bright window is good too as long as it isn't draughty or cold.
                Please let us know how it gets on.
                 
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                • Sheal

                  Sheal Total Gardener

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                  The leaves remind me of Robinia but they aren't sub-tropical.
                   
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                  • Victoria

                    Victoria Lover of Exotic Flora

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