Help!! Fukien Tea is wilting!

[fallingleaf]

I got a fukien tea a few weeks ago off ebay. It was so beautiful and covered in blooms when I got it.

I set it outside and a few days ago the wind blew it over and it fell right out of the pot! It was not wired down at all!! I tried to put it back in its pot and I tried putting some super-thrive on it and it isn't helping. Its now day 3 after falling out of the pot and it is totally wilted. Is it a goner? I am so sad!!
I cant figure out how to post a picture on here
https://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj36/merissalucas/009.jpg

I am out of bonsai dirt and underneath the rocks that were decoration in this ebay fukien plant, was a bunch of regular potting soil looks like?? I am so screwed because Id have to order bonsai dirt off amazon or something and it wouldn't get here in time unless I put it in sand from the sand box! Ack and I don't have any bonsai wire or screen for the bottom! There wasn't even any screen! I am so screwed and will never get another plant off ebay again. I don't know how long it was laying in the grass after the wind blew it over either. it could have been half the day. I'm so sad.







Here is a picture of my other Fukien Tea. The living one I have. I transplanted this fukien tea right away when I got it because the dirt wasn't gravley enuf. It did great.
https://i268.photobucket.com/albums/jj36/merissalucas/007.jpg

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[kdodds]

First, don't knock e-bay because of one seller. I have gotten, over the years, some tremendously cool, hard to find, starter species off of e-bay, and have had mostly great experiences. You really have to know what you are buying. Looking at your trees, my immediate reaction is "mass produced" and "mallsai", so it's a little difficult to expect a proper pot and potting job. There are a few sellers on ebay that I really like, and one of them has his own web site that I've mentioned before, Wigert's. They sell soil, starter trees like you've never seen at the price, specimens, and other "tools" and such, and shipping is quick and reasonable. On e-bay they sell soil and occasionally put up a bunch of "in-training" trees that, to the educated bonsai eye, are far superior than anything else offered on e-bay at the price.

Okay, that out of the way. Your tree was probably raised in a greenhouse or stored there. Moving it from a greenhouse to outdoors in Minnesota in early spring? That's a huge change. Getting knocked out of the pot was maybe just the last in a long line of straws.

What to do now? Well, that's tough to say... without knowing the tree, I can't say if it's too moist or not moist enough, too warm or not warm enough, etc. My inclination would be to say that if you already have a Fukien that is doing well for you, then do the same for this one. If you can't get "bonsai soil" locally, and can't wait a few days for shipping, most proper nurseries will stock all of the "ingredients" you need to mic your own. It's not exact, nor is it rocket science. Most outdoor growers prefer a mix of crushed lava rock and/or calcined clay and pine bark. Indoor growers may use the same, or may use a mix that has some compost included. I also prefer, with trees in training pots, to use a time release fert like Osmocote.

[fallingleaf]

thanks for your reply. The fukien tea that is doing well I have had for a good long while. I got that one off ebay and it was doing poorly until I transplanted it.
This new fukien tea was a mother's day gift that my husband got off ebay for me. I will look into the seller that you mentioned.

Its been very warm here latley but I know its nothing like a green house. We have had so much rain that the sun hasn't popped out either so I am going to possibly try putting it under the growing lights or maybe that isn't a good idea? I don't know how to save it. I am afraid to keep moving it around or touching it because I know its just stressed to the max.

I will most surely go to honker flats greenhouse and get me something for that tree!! thanks for the advice!

Just a curious question also! I have an elm that I keep outside. When it rains 3 days in a row is it alright to let it sit out in that? I only water it when the stick in the dirt is dry. So when it sits out in the rain for 3 days should I move it out of the rain?

[kdodds]

Moving trees around is generally not a good idea. As long as the elm is in a proper, fast draining, bonsai soil, you should not have a problem unless your pot doesn't drain well. If there's always water sitting in the pot, that's not a good sign. You can prop up one end of the pot to encourage draining, especially when it's been raining for a longish spell. Otherwise, as long as the elm appears to be doing fine, I would not start moving it around.

On the Fukien, you need to make a decision as to what to do before doing it. Make your changes all at once, and then let the tree recover. At this time, I would definitely NOT consider any repot that requires root/branhc pruning, or any pruning at all. Find your soil or mix your own, repot into the same pot (or a larger one if it's required), and place it where it will be placed for the next season, at least. Then, allow it a few months recovery time. It may or may not live, but constantly changing things will not help its chances.

[fallingleaf]

thanks for the reply! The elm has a really nice pot and well draining soil so I will just leave him to sit in his spot. I think he likes it there. I wired him down REALLY good so I wont worry about the wind blowing him out.

That is the one thing about MN, the wind blows so hard!

[SHS]

I have a small FT and I thought it had died. It dropped ALL of the leaves and some of the branches did die. I transplanted it from a pot I wanted to repurpose and planted in a small pot (Larger and deeper) and put in in the corner of my patio (under shade) and forgot about it, only to water it as I felt it needed it and not a regular routine. After 5 months it started to sprout and is now thriving. I still have it in this pot and I will grow it out for a bit of thickening and branching.

My point here is, don't give up too soon, it may recover. Hopefully the roots weren't broken from the spill but they seem to respond to TLC if caught in time.

[fallingleaf]

I should post a picture of it. it has zero leaves left on it, and its all dried up. I soaked it in super thrive for like 2 hours. I thought one of the branches looked kinda alive. I will put it in a pot and pray it comes back to life. Thanks for giving me some hope!