Nine months ago my boyfriend and I bought a ficus bonsai from Ikea. [url=https://imgur.com/TiNQr.jpg]Here is a picture of him right after we bought him.[/url]
In September his leaves started falling and despite our efforts this continued until [url=https://imgur.com/espiZ.jpg]almost all of them fell off[/url].
At first we tried some bug killer because we sometimes saw small white stuff in the ground and we thought it could be larvae. We haven't seen flies or anything like that though.
Then we bought some special bonsai soil and re-potted him. We noticed the old soil was pretty wet, so we think over-watering was probably the problem. We also noticed that it didn't have many "thin roots" (I don't know how to call the smaller roots that extend from the main ones in plants).
But still the leaves continue to fall, and we don't really know what else to do.
Some new leaves start appearing but they dry off soon. The twigs are also drying one by one.
If anyone has some idea of what could save him, we would be very grateful...please help.
-
Gnome
- Super Green Thumb
- Posts: 5122
- Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 12:17 am
- Location: Western PA USDA Zone 6A
Irenne,
Heavy, wet soils combined with a new growers enthusiasm accounts for a lot of the problems we see on this forum. Heavy soils can be used successfully if watering practices match the soil type. This accounts for all the references to watering bonsai taking years to learn. Old school growers often used heavier, denser soils than we do today. Modern bonsai soils make overwatering (really this means watering too frequently) much more difficult, if not impossible.
Now that you have it repotted don't make the same mistake again. I know I said that modern bonsai soils make overwatering nearly impossible but there are a few other things to consider here. Not all bonsai soils are created equal and without seeing what you purchased in person it is hard to evaluate it. Also, a tree without foliage is not going to use nearly the amount of water that an actively growing one would.
Since you mention that it does not have many feeder roots, treat it like a large cutting. Keep the soil damp but not soaking. When you do find it necessary to water do so thoroughly, no half measure. Timing is the key not quantity. Try enclosing it in a clear plastic bag to keep the humidity up until it begins to recover. If you do this, its watering needs will diminish even further. Avoid placing it in direct sunlight during this time as it may heat up too much.
Good luck and welcome to the forum.
Norm
Heavy, wet soils combined with a new growers enthusiasm accounts for a lot of the problems we see on this forum. Heavy soils can be used successfully if watering practices match the soil type. This accounts for all the references to watering bonsai taking years to learn. Old school growers often used heavier, denser soils than we do today. Modern bonsai soils make overwatering (really this means watering too frequently) much more difficult, if not impossible.
Now that you have it repotted don't make the same mistake again. I know I said that modern bonsai soils make overwatering nearly impossible but there are a few other things to consider here. Not all bonsai soils are created equal and without seeing what you purchased in person it is hard to evaluate it. Also, a tree without foliage is not going to use nearly the amount of water that an actively growing one would.
Since you mention that it does not have many feeder roots, treat it like a large cutting. Keep the soil damp but not soaking. When you do find it necessary to water do so thoroughly, no half measure. Timing is the key not quantity. Try enclosing it in a clear plastic bag to keep the humidity up until it begins to recover. If you do this, its watering needs will diminish even further. Avoid placing it in direct sunlight during this time as it may heat up too much.
Good luck and welcome to the forum.
Norm
Irenne,
The tree was beautiful and larger than any of my ficuses. I've seen the Ikea soil they do soak up alot of water and also over time "wear" down in my lack of a better word. If you haven't fed it during its growing season it maybe weak and therefore more sensitive to changing of temperature/season. Gnome gave good advise. To build on what he said. Normally you don't water until the ficus is almost all dry. If the condition is right you can really ignore it for a few days at a time. From what I see in your picture it may not get enough sun light being in that location. I keep mine outdoors during the growing season and just brought them indoors when the lowest temperature drops below 50 to 60 degrees F. Depending on where your location is it maybe too late in the season to move it outdoors, especially during its recovery period it's best not to move it around much. You might consider getting indoor lighting to supplement the lack of light indoors.
The tree was beautiful and larger than any of my ficuses. I've seen the Ikea soil they do soak up alot of water and also over time "wear" down in my lack of a better word. If you haven't fed it during its growing season it maybe weak and therefore more sensitive to changing of temperature/season. Gnome gave good advise. To build on what he said. Normally you don't water until the ficus is almost all dry. If the condition is right you can really ignore it for a few days at a time. From what I see in your picture it may not get enough sun light being in that location. I keep mine outdoors during the growing season and just brought them indoors when the lowest temperature drops below 50 to 60 degrees F. Depending on where your location is it maybe too late in the season to move it outdoors, especially during its recovery period it's best not to move it around much. You might consider getting indoor lighting to supplement the lack of light indoors.
Hello again
Thank you for the answers you have been very helpful.
I am not sure that the light is the real problem. It is a pretty sunny room (the pictures are not very relevant on this), the room is pointing south, all my rooms are, and I could only take it out on the balcony but in the summer is extremely hot and in the winter extremely cold so I don't think it is an option. But I will try to get some sort of auxiliary light for it.
I changed the soil and I bought an expensive one, special soil for bonsai. Also I added small stones and gravel on the bottom of the new pot as I read it helped the irrigation.
I was very careful with not watering the bonsai very much, I always use a long stick to check if the soil is still wet. I insert it into the soil and wait 5 minutes. If it comes out wet then I do not water.
The problem with the wet soil started when I tried to get rid of something that I thought it was a sort of a "root lice" and I had to use some sort of pest with water and I guess that was a moment when the soil became to dry. But I changed the soil and the pot and now I watered only when it became dry but still there are only 4 leaves left and all the twigs are drying. There are a few buds but they become brown after a day or two. I still see a few of the extremely small white worms which after further reading I believe to be fungus gnat.
Also I decided to change the type of water used. I read a lot about which is best. I usually used tap water but I saw that there are many small white things on the soil that look very much like salt and I read this could be from the tap water so I managed to get some rain water from the mountains where it is not so very polluted. Hopefully it will be better...
A few days ago I've noticed now that a white cottony "stuff" started appearing on some parts of the trunk. Here are some photos of it: [url=https://I.imgur.com/mRT0E.jpg]One[/url], [url=https://I.imgur.com/EPA3u.jpg]Two[/url], [url=https://I.imgur.com/uP71a.jpg]Three[/url]. Someone suggested Mealy bugs trace but it doesn't look like that...
Thank you for the answers you have been very helpful.
I am not sure that the light is the real problem. It is a pretty sunny room (the pictures are not very relevant on this), the room is pointing south, all my rooms are, and I could only take it out on the balcony but in the summer is extremely hot and in the winter extremely cold so I don't think it is an option. But I will try to get some sort of auxiliary light for it.
I changed the soil and I bought an expensive one, special soil for bonsai. Also I added small stones and gravel on the bottom of the new pot as I read it helped the irrigation.
I was very careful with not watering the bonsai very much, I always use a long stick to check if the soil is still wet. I insert it into the soil and wait 5 minutes. If it comes out wet then I do not water.
The problem with the wet soil started when I tried to get rid of something that I thought it was a sort of a "root lice" and I had to use some sort of pest with water and I guess that was a moment when the soil became to dry. But I changed the soil and the pot and now I watered only when it became dry but still there are only 4 leaves left and all the twigs are drying. There are a few buds but they become brown after a day or two. I still see a few of the extremely small white worms which after further reading I believe to be fungus gnat.
Also I decided to change the type of water used. I read a lot about which is best. I usually used tap water but I saw that there are many small white things on the soil that look very much like salt and I read this could be from the tap water so I managed to get some rain water from the mountains where it is not so very polluted. Hopefully it will be better...
A few days ago I've noticed now that a white cottony "stuff" started appearing on some parts of the trunk. Here are some photos of it: [url=https://I.imgur.com/mRT0E.jpg]One[/url], [url=https://I.imgur.com/EPA3u.jpg]Two[/url], [url=https://I.imgur.com/uP71a.jpg]Three[/url]. Someone suggested Mealy bugs trace but it doesn't look like that...