Not so blooming bonsai!

Can anyone help me please. I am looking after a bonsai tree for my next door neighbour and I think I have over watered it. They are back in 10 days, how can I rescue it???!!!

 

Jings Jenny it's a big responsibility looking after treasured plants for other people.

How overwatered is it ? If it's just that the compost is wet but the plant looks allright then you could

just stop watering and let it dry out

Slip the whole thing out of the pot abd squeeze excess water from the compost and plant it back in

if it's really sodden you could remove all the wet compost and replant in dry compost.

Good luck. Hope the plant is OK.

 

Depending on how prized the plant is or how knowledgeable the owner is it could well be wired into the pot as such you may not be able to remove it to do the above

I'm not a great fan of bonsai for the very reason that I tend to either over water them or under water them:(

if it really has had it then give it back to them apologise recommend they never leave anything properly alive with you and buy them a new house plant:rotfl:

 

Hello Jenny and welcome to GC.

I have been 'doing' Bonsai for 16-17 years or more and have many of them, some bought and some 'home grown'.

If you have overwatered it, just let it dry out. DO NOT remove it's soil and replace (sorry Alice) as this would disturb the roots and could kill the little tree. This is only done every few years to train the tree and you have to get the roots 'just right'.

Also, as Aesculus says, it may well be wired into the bottom of the pot (some are, some are not) so please DO NOT attempt to remove it from its pot.

In my heat here I have to water once/twice a day .... I would assume there you could get by with every couple of days if it's hot (for the UK that is) or weekly otherwise as and when the soil feels dried out or the pot 'light' feeling.

As you have ten days left .... good luck with your recovery programme.

 

think i killed my ex's bonsi tree by over watering.... though this was not the reason for the break up!