The leaves of my Serissa turning black!

[Shcotty]

Hello,

I am an utter newbe to keeping a bonzai but I have successfully maintained my 18 year old Serissa for 2 years and even managed to see it flower but this winter something has changed with it and it's started to lose nearly all of its leaves.

I am cautious not to over/underwater it but now the remaining leaves have started to go shrivelled and black and I am afraid it might die altogether. I perhaps don't mist it as much as I should.

Can anyone give me any advice?

Thanks
Shcotty

[Gnome]

Shcotty,

Sorry, this is not one of my species so I cant give any first hand experience. Here is a link that might help.

[url]https://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Serissa.html[/url]

Has anything changed recently? Have you ever re-potted it yet? Does the soil have good structure or is it dense and peaty? Just a few things to think about. Also use the search feature above to review previous threads.

Norm

[Shcotty]

Hi Norm,

Nothing major has happened to the plant although I did move it from our bathroom to its original place on our dining table as I felt that although the bathroom probably got more natural sunlight and was warmer, whenever the shower's used cold air comes in threough the open window and I know Serissa's don't like that.

The soils in pretty good nick as far as I can tell. It's the original soil that was in the pot when I was given it and I have had the plant for almost 2 years.

Do you know of anywhere that sells bonsai plant food though because nowhere locally does and I wasn't sure whether to trust the stuff on sale at Homebase etc.

I am using the chopstick method to test the soil's water content and it's pretty consistent but the remaining green leaves seem to be shrivelling at the tip.

I shall take a look at the link you posted though and I am already aware that Serissa's are notoriously hard to keep.

Fingers crossed.
Shcotty

[Gnome]

Shcoty,

Nothing major has happened to the plant although I did move it from our bathroom to its original place on our dining table

Being in the middle of your dining room, away from any window, would seem to be a rather dim location.

Do you know of anywhere that sells bonsai plant food though because nowhere locally does and I wasn't sure whether to trust the stuff on sale at Homebase etc.

You don't need a specialized bonsai fertilizer. I simply use a balanced (10-10-10 or 20-20-20) water soluble product mixed according to directions. I fertilize about every week to 10 days during the summer, reducing this for things that are brought indoors.

Norm

[Shcotty]

Hi,

The table is only a foot away from a large set of double doors that get a lot of sunlight all day. I would attach a photo to show you but I don't know how - do I just drag and drop into the text box?

Thanks for the feeding tip though.

Shcotty

[Sharp]

At this point I think lack of feedings isn't the culprit here.

Serissas, its usually going to be:

Sunlight
Temperature
humidity
water (too much or too little)

Also watch for drafts that might be affecting it.