Need advice for Sageretia Theezans

Carla

I purchased a Sageretia Theezans in July, 2005. I've never owned a Bonsai tree before.

Within a few weeks, about 1/3 of the plant lost it's leaves in the same section, and no new growth has occurred in this section. The rest of the plant seems to be doing ok.

The plant is within 1 foot of a window (on a plant stand), and the window blind is always left partly open to provide dappled sunlight.

Should I prune the 1/3 section to encourage new growth? Any guidelines for pruning?

Could I be watering the plant too often? Every morning, I water the dirt/rocks around the plant and mist the leaves. The soil is always very moist. I also provide special Bonsai fertilizer twice a month.

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Joanie

Hi Carla! It sounds like you are definitely watering too much. The best way to water is to wait until the surface of the soil is dry, and the soil down farther in the pot is just moist. Then water three times withing minutes until the water runs out of the holes each time, then wait until it is dry again, which may be a few days. Also, if the rocks are glued on it is a problem. (If they are loose, you might want to make sure that they aren't blocking air coming in to the root system, but if they are glued on, pry them off right now!!

Others will come on here and help you, people with more experience growing trees indoors, but the watering is very basic and essential.

Good luck!
Joanie

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Sohei

This tree would probably be healthier if it was placed outdoors, preferably with morning sun and afternoon shade. The Chinese Sweet Plum is subtropical so if the temperatures in your area is getting below 55 degrees, it needs to be brought in.

I would follow Joanie's advice on watering and rock removal.

My last bit of advice is a tree can be killed with too much attention.

Aaron_K

Hi Carla and welcome to the forum.

Take 2 minutes and fill out your "User CP" with relevant information such as your location and USDA heatzone.

The misconception with many who are new to the subject, is that bonsai are meant to be kept inside. This is not the case, as although some species of tree can survive reduced light and humidity, they won't thrive. Trees are best grown where nature intended. Indoor bonsai are essentially tropical trees and shrubs that will die if left outside to winter temperatures, and so protection is needed.

The Sageretia Theezans originates from Southern China and in cooler temperate zones it is grown as an "indoor" bonsai. In the late Spring until Autumn, all the while the temperature is above 12c / 54f, the tree should ideally be kept outside, to get the full benefit of sun, humidity and air circulation. Some shading might be required if the sunlight is particularly intense in your location at the height of summer.

When the temperatures drop to below 12c/54f the tree should then be brought inside to a well lit area, ideally on a drip tray filled with gravel and water, which as it evaporates, will aid humidity around the tree. Natural light can be topped up with a few hours of artificial lighting in the form of a desk lamp or the like if needed.

As Joanie rightly says, if these rocks are glued on, get them off ASAP. The glue will have formed a barrier which will affect the amount of air entering the soil and also could affect the water entering it too.

Perhaps the fastest way to kill a tree is by over watering it. The problem is exacerbated if the soil the tree is growing in is not fast draining. As a general rule of thumb, heavy, compacted, clay or fine particled organic soils aren't good for the roots, as air space is diminished and when saturated with water, gives rise to favourable conditions for rot fungus. Remember, roots need air and water to survive.

The best thing is not to fall into a regime of watering as you have done. Let the soil/tree dictate when it needs a drink. In the height of summer, with a fast draining soil, a tree may need watering 2 to 3 times a day. In the winter months, it may not need watering for 2 to 3 days at a time. Allowing the surface to dry out until the soil a few centimeters below is just damp to the touch before watering is much better than consistently wet soil.

The dying off of one section could be due to an insect infestation, but would most likely have spread to the rest of the tree too. My guess is that a sizable portion of the root mass died back, probably due to over-watering. The tree then "balanced" itself, as the remaining root system could not support the level of foliage and so allowed 1/3 of the top growth to die-back. Another thing to remember is what goes on below the soil affects what you see above it.

For now I would leave the 1/3 section until spring next year. If by then no new growth has occurred, then you may wish to remove it, or incorporate it into the design of the tree.

Hope this proves of some use.

All the best,

Aaron

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