Hello bonsai community!!!So I recently purchased a tree for my bday and have sum questions.
It is a beautiful flowering mt fuji serissa with raised/exposed roots, I want to stimulate growth on a certain branch n not sure how to go about doing so?? I like how it is styled so I'm scared to cut anything but do notice sum downward branches shud I trim it or wait?(recieved it in the mail yest).
also I have sum mircle grow plant food but unsure if its rly needed? thanks!!!
-
The Ficus Guy
- Full Member
- Posts: 50
- Joined: Wed May 30, 2012 11:30 pm
- Location: Gaineville, VA, USA
Welcome Corey!
Oh boy, Serissa are very finicky. If I were you I wouldn't do anything to it for at least a few months. Let it get adjusted. They like to die for no apparent reason.
Oh boy, Serissa are very finicky. If I were you I wouldn't do anything to it for at least a few months. Let it get adjusted. They like to die for no apparent reason.
Last edited by The Ficus Guy on Sun Jun 24, 2012 8:49 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Unfortunately, you've chosen a species that is not great for bonsai unless you can keep it outside year round. This isn't possible with Serissa in Chicago. So... focus on just letting it grow (outside) until fall, then bring it in and put it into an enclosure (like a fish tank) where you can keep humidity high (75% or higher) and use high powered aquarium plant lighting (dual or quad tube T5) for fall and winter. When it goes outside again in spring, then you can focus on some styling. But, honestly, the more you change with Serissa the worse your chances are of keeping it alive. They don't respond well to root pruning at all, which means mostly slip potting and minor root trims as it grows. AND, forewarning, while I've been able to keep Serissa *alive* for 5 or 6 years now, I can't get Serissa to *thrive*. The worst part is that you can nip a bud and have it respond by the whole branch dying back, dropping leaves and then recovering (fully or partially). It's also not very good with wire either, so it's a tree that takes you on its journey, no matter what you want to do, and it complains the entire way. If you find yourself in trouble with it and want to throw in the towel, many Ficus species, Portulacaria afra, Grewia species, just to name a few are MUCH more well suited to indoor culture. Overall, the easiest and most tree-like trees are the Ficus, particularly small leaved F. benjamina cultivars.
Thanks for such a quick response! Darn not the news I was expecting haha but determined to try n make it work!! Its actually been really hot this yr for Chicago weather (mid 90s) so hopefully the Serissa will enjoy it...so do I have to only rly worry once fall hits? Thanks for recommendations that best suite me, nxt tree I purchase in the near future will b more thought out -_-
As long as you keep it outside, yeah, you should be fine until night time temps drop below 50ºF. If there's a cold snap late summer, and you're worried, it can come in over night, but should go out again in the morning. When fall rolls around, hopefully you'll have some kind of terrarium set up. There's a guy on another board who has done tons of indoor terrarium work with bonsai and his results are fantastic. If you want a link to the thread PM me as I am not permitted to mention it here.