Sick bonsai

Jay

Rocketeer, As I said in the last post, I ain't no expert... but it does sound like the leaves on your tree are a bit large for a Sirissa. That said there are different types of Serissa, so it still may be. The watering advise still holds pretty much with all Bonsai! Wait for someone with a little bit more knowledge to come foward on this.
Good Luck

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A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

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Moni

Rocketeer - No new roots? That is why there is a problem. Now all we have to do is figure out why there are no new roots. Are the old roots a dark color? Has the soil had a chance to dry out between soakings? Also, check for insects in the soil. Or are the existing roots a bit on the mushy side? Or, is soaking once a week not enough water for the plant? Lots of questions.............
Moni

rocketeer

Thanks Moni - I had a good lok at the roots today and they are dark; don't see any new white ones. I didn't see any insects in the roots. My watering schedule was to immerse it once a week and it did quite well with that thru the fall and winter. It's hard to know whether it's wet or dry since it had rock on the surface, but the weather up here is very dry and very low humidity so I would think it's either some disease or I let it get too dry. Anyway I'm going to keep on with the 1/week and mist the surface every day on the assumption it got too dry. I was reading on the internet and it said two things I will try to remember:

1. If you do bonsai, you have to accept that things die.
2. Most plants die when their owners panic and either over or under water.

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Rocketeer

Jay

Roketeer... you say " rocks on the surface". Are these rocks glued on? if so...get them off! Carefully remove them and add more bonsai soil if necessary. If they are glued on it is not good!

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A Bonsai student living with his trees at N 44.37 W 77.49...
Think before you act... then think again... no good comes from rushing

rocketeer

Thanks, Moni - I got rid of the glued on stuff some time ago, but still hard to determine moisture without disrupting the surface.

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Rocketeer

Moni

That wasn't me about the glued on rocks, Rocketeer. But that was a good point by Jay. Now go check the roots again and scratch a couple of them with your fingernail (gently) to see if there is any white tissue underneath. Also let me know if the roots are mushy in areas or just very dry. Do you see where I am going here? Watering is such a vital issue when it comes to bonsai and it is often the cause of success or failure. I cannot tell you whether you are watering enough or too little. That is something that most of us have to figure out for ourselves through trial and error and different plants have different needs and requirements. But knowing what is going on with the root system will help a lot.
Are you seeing any spots on the leaves that are falling off? You might be dealing with a disease, in that case. That would be easier to diagnose if we knew just what that tree is. I haven't a clue. Serrisa would have been my first guess, too, but I honestly cannot say for sure.
Also, what is your feeding schedule (the tree, I mean)? These little guys need constant but weak feeding after all that watering. Maybe you just haven't been strapping on that oat bucket often enough.
Moni

rocketeer

Hi Moni - I am reluctant to depot it again, having done so about a week ago. This morning I did dig down enough to see a fairly large root and scraped it and it appears to be brown underneath. Almost all the leaves have curled up and fallen off. I think it's a goner. Since it is very dry up here, I doubt that it has root rot from overwatering, but who knows? I'll keep on with my once-a week immersion with a light feed, and maybe mist it enough every day so keep the top damp.

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Rocketeer

Moni

Good luck, Rocketeer. No white tissue in the inner roots usually means dead roots, hence, dead tree. Too bad. I would probably continue on with it for a little longer too, just in case. Maybe it was not getting enough water. If and when you decide it is truly a goner, you should check those roots again. All of them. This is part of the learning experience which will lead you to success the next time.
Moni

rocketeer

Thanks Moni - I'll let you know if anything changes. I did have a miracle about 4 months ago. I have a bonsai (type unknown)which suddenly dropped all its leaves. I concluded it was dead but stayed with it with the plan to replace it wne I found something interesting. I was getting redy to dump it when suddenly, I noticed new shoots coming out. Guess it is a deciduous variety. I doubt that I'll be that lucky here, but who knows?

By the way, you don't live in Okla. do you? My wife has a friend named Moni (Monica).

Best regards - Rocketeer

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Rocketeer