My experimental Serissa i dying on me, why?

Coldsmith

I purchased this ugly serissa a few months ago, i have no idea why since it soon became obvious that it was butt ugly with a totally broken branch too whish had to go (making it even more ugly).

Anyway, i have kept it just to learn and become more aquainted with the fussines with Serissas.

One day i noticed that the leaves on one branch started to crumble, it didnt turn yellow and fell off. They just started to shrivel turning dark. They didnt fell off after that either, still sticking to the branch. I noticed that the trunk had lost some bark at the bottom and had turned quite dark. I was afraid of root rot so i repotted it in a bigger pot but couldnt find any rotten roots, the dark area on the trunk was really hard so i guessed it hadn't begun rotting. But the problem continued and now the branch is completely dead (i guess) and two others are beginning to show the same problems :/.

The sad thing is that another of my Serissas have the same problem, a serissa that is not as hideous as this one. And i am terrified that my favourite serissa might get the same problem. What is wrong with the trees? I keep them inside away from draft, quite warm (20 degrees perhaps) with lots of lights (halogen+special light bulbs for plants), i spray them with water now and then and try to keep the air moist. I dont over water (i think) nor do i let them get completely dry.

Here are some pictures:

First, the branch in question:


The dark patch on the bottom of the trunk:




The whole tree:

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Joanie

Hi Coldsmith! I edited your post and took out the large picture, since it makes the post hard to load and very big. If you could please take a few minutes to learn how to use the attachment capability to post pictures, that would be great! You can come back to this post and edit it for 24 hours, so when you know how to make attachments, you can come back here and edit it, make the pictures into attachments, and put them back up.

Here is a good little tutorial on attachments, thank you to Ian and Treebeard:

Photos are best saved as ".jpeg", and compressed with photo editing software to a maximum size of 800 x 800 pixels and a maximum file size of 75kb.

Save these in an easy to locate folder on your desktop, then decide which section of the site is best to locate your post and accompanying photographs.

At the lower left of each thread you will see "post reply"..... or if you wish to start a new topic, at the top and bottom of each specific forum is the link "start thread".

The dialogue box will then open and you will be able to add your text to requirements.

To upload the photographs, our member Treebeard has a great tutorial located here . . .

Hope that helps, but if you have any further problems, just ask.
(end quote)


Hope you get lots of responses and information for your post! Oh, and please go into User CP and fill in your location and zones. It makes things easier for people who need to help you!

Joanie

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clrosner

Coldsmith:
It seems to me that you are probably keeping your Serissa too warm.... and maybe too wet. I say that because you mentioned that both Serissa are acting the same way. The soil should almost dry out before waterings. Have you tried using a wooden or bamboo skewer to check the soil?

To check to see if your tree is alive, use your fingernail to scrape a small amount of the bark to see if the bright green cambium layer is visible. If it is not bright green and shows brown, that part of the tree is dead.

Serissa are verty tough trees, and I keep mine out doors year round in Zone 6/7. They seem to thrive when they have a dormancy period.

Another thought is that the "ugly" tree may have come from a warmer climate and the tree was trying to acclimate to its new environment. It is always adviseable to keep a new tree away from your other trees. Just in case the new tree was sick when you obtained it and isolation is adviseable for a minimum of a month or more.

Keep your fingers crossed...

__________________
Carl L. Rosner - near Atlantic City zone 6/7
arteacher3725@yahoo.com

CHECK OUT MY UPDATED WEBSITE AT[B]:
www.carlrosner.com

onlyrey

Is there something about serissa's and soil?

I have a serissa I purchased a few months ago and it is very very healthy. I've seen serissas at bonsai stores that look very poorly. Do serissa's maybe need a very slow draining / highly organic soil, instead of the usual fast draining soil used for other type of bonsai?

soonami

I find that it might be the opposite. I root old hardwood cuttings of Serissa in almost pure coarse sand they they send out so many roots that the roots have firmly trapped the sand particles. Cuttings that I tried in highly organic low draining soil did the opposite, having just a few weak roots on the surface but few in the soil.

Joanie

I've had bad luck cutting serissas back. Don't know why. I cut a branch, and it starts to die back slowly, from the tip that I cut. The leaves look like the leaves on the original picture of this post... crispy and dry. One branch dies, then another. Finally the whole tree gives up the ghost. Another serissa, that was from the same group but didn't get cut back, is fine. Same water, same soil, same everything except several got cut back and died, and one didn't get cut back and didn't die.

Did you trim your experimental serissa?

Joanie

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clrosner

Joanie:
I can only think of one reason the cutting would cause a branch to wither and die, (although there may be more). The scissors might have had a contaminent or a disease. A while back I pruned a forest of Serissa and sent the cuttings to some of the forum members if they donated to the forum. These were just cut and rolled in wet paper towels, put into a plastic zip lock and mailed. At the same time I placed a few cuttings in water and they all rooted.

When I root Serrisa in water, in a bright area, but not direct sun, they develop plentry of roots, I plant them in a fast draining soil. I have used several mixes such as half Lava and half wood chips or third Chicken grit, third haydite, and third wood chips. Both recipes worked fine.

Good luck to all Serissa fans!

Attached Images

	SERISSA 02 001203.jpg (41.8 KB, 25 views)
	SERISSA 00 FOREST 001203 a.jpg (55.8 KB, 25 views)

__________________
Carl L. Rosner - near Atlantic City zone 6/7
arteacher3725@yahoo.com

CHECK OUT MY UPDATED WEBSITE AT[B]:
www.carlrosner.com

Repotter

I agree with Carl in that the scissors may have been contaminated.
On doing cuttings of Serissa, I have done them in straight turface and straight aged pine bark. It doesn't seem to matter what the media is.

One forgotten cutting even rooted laying on the soil surface.
The Serissa I get from the grower always come in a potting soil with perlite and always do very well in the store under normal watering conditions.

www.tellys.com

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The original Four Seasons Bonsai Club of Michigan.
Our guest master in August is Pedro Morales.
Tellys Greenhouse, 3301 John R road, Troy Mi. 48083

Four Seasons Bonsai Club meetings monthly.
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"Anything is possible when you don't know what you are doing"................someone famous I think.

ALDEVAUX

If this is so, does anyone know what disease can be transmitted by cutting tools to the plants in the serissa family?
I am not familiar with serissa trees or with the diseases that can affect them, and I am unable to find any link in the web that gives information on the subject.
However, the dark brown area of the trunk at the base and the dieback of branches, certainly looks like an infection caused by a fungus or bacterium. If possible, Coldsmith should carry his tree at a plant pathology laboratory for isolation of the pathogen and its identification. This could probably be done by consulting the agricultural services available in his area.