splat

I just purchased a 5 year old Black Olive (bucida spinosa I believe) a few days ago, and being new to bonsai, I have some questions.

It seems I have quite a few yellow leaves on my olive, and I'm not sure why. I also see some black spots here and there, and some of the leaves are dropping.

I'm in USDA growing zone 5b, Rochester NY, and my olive sits 12" from an open window on the west side of my house which gets a good amount of sun in the afternoon. The temperature ranges from 70-84 degrees in the room with a ceiling fan to keep air flow going. I've lightly watered it once (on Sunday) since I bought it (on Saturday). The soil under the layer of stones feels moist enough to me, so I can't imagine it's a lack of water.

I've been reading as much as I can about bonsai this past week, but I'm not sure why my tree is so yellow. I don't suspect spider mites, as I haven't really seen any webbing yet, though the black spots and occasional tiny holes in the leaves worry me.

I'll post some pictures later today, but for now, anyone have any advice for this bonsai newbie?

Thanks in advance.

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splat

Patrick Haney
5 year old Black Olive

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