Help my bonsai is dying :(

[manji]

hello everyone, I recently visited a bonsai garden and nursery and was inspired to purchase one, but I was out of town for 2 weeks and had to ask my sister to water it for me. it has been getting worse and worse over the past week and has lost most of its leaves. some leaves are turning brown at the tips, then the rest of the leaf turns yellow, then drops. some other leaves are just drying up into a dark green colour.

I keep it on a shelf next to a window, I have taken some pictures to try and show you whats happening, I hope they are of some use.

please help me I'm desperate to save it.
thanks for any help in advance.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Hi

I think the problem is probably too much water; the green slime mold starting to develop on the soil surface is a giveaway as well as the discolored leaf shot. This tree (azalea or gardenia as close as I can tell from the pictures) would hate wet conditions and react much as we see here. Back off the watering regime, don't water at all until the surface dries out (an occasional spritz with a spray bottle on the foliage is still a good idea; using neem oil in that first spritz would be a good idea as it will help with any secondary foliar fungus that might be showing up and it will help with that slime mold).

It is a mistake to just water bonsai every day without checking the plants current use; summer use will be much higher than fall use which will be higher than winter use. Learn to water by eye-balling soil and plant condition, not a clock or a calendar...

Scott

[manji]

thanks alot for the help, I repotted it, and the soil smelt a bit mouldy so that must of been the problem

unfortunately it has lost most of its leaves now, is there still a chance of redeeming it?

(I hope so )

thanks again.

manji.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Yep, keep it evenly moist and in the sun as much as possible and it should bounce back.

Scott