Dying serissa

quaystar87

i bought a tree of a thousand stars bonsai and despite all my efforts to keep it happy it has gone brittle and leaves are dropping off since i moved house.

a few weeks after i bought the tree i did see two or three very dainty flowers.. but since then there have been no new leaves and the rest are dropping off when touched.. is it still adjusting (moved 1 month ago) or is there something i can do to bring it back to life??
any help would be greatly appreciated!!

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Joanie

We need to know about the conditions the tree lives in... indoors, correct? In a window, on a table, near a radiator or heater? Do you keep the area humid or dry? Do you keep the soil wet all of the time, or do you let it dry out somewhat between waterings?

If you scratch a little bit off the the trunk near the base, is it still green?

Joanie

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quaystar87

it is kept indoors yes, in a fiarly warm dry room, i water it when the top soil is dry. but was told when leaves drop to reduce watering because it will drown it.
there is green bark under the top few layers at the base of the tree.

also the bark is splitting towards the top. the leaves have not all dropped off. they are just brittle and dry.

should i prune it back to promote new growth?

Joanie

Here are some links about indoor bonsai. I would read them especially with an eye to improving the humidity around the tree. Of course, much of the info will not apply to a serissa, but it gives you an idea about how to help your serissa survive:
http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/showthread.php?t=14263

A simple tray filled with gravel or sand, sitting under your tree may improve the surrounding humidity. Make sure the actual pot that the tree is in, isn't sitting in water.

Good luck!
Joanie

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Aaron_K

Hi Quaystar,

Serissa are a bit of a fussy tree to keep. Some people have no problem with them, others have nothing but headache with them. I should imagine you have Serissa Foetida which are native to sub-tropical regions of India and China. Being a sub-tropical plant, they don't like the cold. Ideally from Spring till late Autumn (all the while temps are above 12c), they should be kept outside in the sunshine in a soil that drains quickly.

Come the Winter months or whenever the daily temps drop below 12c, the tree should be brought inside to a well lit area with a gravel tray filled with water underneath it to aid humidity. It sounds like you may have reduced the watering a bit too much, especially if the room is dry and warm. Keep the soil damp to the touch, but not soggy - IE water then allow to dry out till only damp, then rehydrate the soil. Position the tree away from heat sources like radiators etc.

At a guess, I would say that the roots have probably died back a bit through lack of water, and so the tree has shed its leaves in order to preserve itself. 9/10 times, what you see above ground is reflect by whats going on under the soil. Water as suggested above. With any luck the leaves will re-emerge within a few weeks if and when the roots repair/regrow.


Hope that helps.

Good luck!

Aaron

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syburn

Aaron and joanie, I always find your tips very enlightening. Thanks.

soonami

I repotted my serissa a couple weeks ago, out of season, because it hadn't been done in 7 or 8 years by the previous owner. I has been yellowing and dropping a lot of leaves, but I'm not too concerned. These trees are very vigorous once they are reestablished and get light. Just keep the aforementioned humidity tray under the tree, and get it somewhere where it'll get good light

Good luck