Calamondin Bonsai suffered massive die-back. Has no leaves.

[GreenBrain]

My Calamondin Bonsai recently suffered a massive defoliation and branch die-back due to a pervasive scale infestation. The scale has finally been taken care of, but my Bonsai has been reduced to what is essentially a stump. It has no branches to speak of, and no leaves.

I noticed some small green buds poking out of the trunk area but they have disappeared, I still see green flesh poking through in various places but all growth seems to have stopped.

I am regularly feeding it with a plant vitamin called SuperThrive and a diluted houseplant fertilizer. I also have it under a light bank.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

[arboricola]

GreenBrain;

Stop feeding it and only water when soil is almost dry. You might want to slip it out of its pot and look at the roots. If they're brown or black and mushy, cut them off and repot in fresh soil. Keep the pot in a warm place and hope for the best. And no feeding it.

Phil...

[GreenBrain]

Really? I was told by the bonsai nursery I bought it from that I should give it plant vitamins that are formulated for plants that are in shock or dying. This bonsai has been very sensitive to watering, previously if I had let the soil dry out even a little bit by not watering it for one day it would drop several leaves.

Edit-
I did a bit more research and found someone with a similar problem on another site. Everyone there suggested removing it from the pot, rinsing the roots with 3% Hydrogen Peroxide to kill any bacteria causing root rot and repotting it.

[arboricola]

GreenBrain;

Do check the roots. If there are signs of root rot cut off the dead roots and repot. The plant was most likely overwatered. Leaf drop is often a sign of overwatering. Do not fertilize as it can make things worse.

Phil..

[GreenBrain]

So I repotted it and upon removing it from the pot I discovered why It was so unhealthy. There was literally NO growing medium whatsoever save a small layer of finely crumbled lava rock and clay on the top layer. The entire pot was just a thick crushed mass of roots. I rinsed out what little non-rock material there was and ended up with about half a cup of brown slime. I rinsed the whole root structure in 3% Hydrogen Peroxide and repotted it in a slightly larger shallow bowl-pot.
I'm assuming the people at the bonsai store knowingly sold it to me in this condition.

Hopefully it comes back to life soon. I see lots of green under the trunk and poking through some knotholes.

Thanks for the advice.

[arboricola]

GreenBrain;

Glad to hear you got to the root of the problem. Keep the plant in a warm location. Citrus do not like cold, wet roots. Let the soil go almost dry before watering. I let the leaves on my citrus droop a little before watering.

Keep us up to date on the progress of the tree.

Phil...

[GreenBrain]

Thanks, no signs of growth yet, but it's still green in the same places. I have hope.