Joep
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Leaves turning brown on my Fukien tea

Hello,

I have a Fukien Tea bonsai and recently it has stopped blooming, yet now there are some leaves turning brown and falling off. Is this normal after a blooming period? I water it when the soil is dry to touch and check it with toothpicks to see when it needs watering, I also fertilize it with an organic fertilizer about once every two weeks during the summer. I do not see any signs of insects like white spiders mites, yet I did catch a big white spider on the drip tray the other day. Can anyone tell me if its normal for a Fukien tea to drop some leaves after the blooming period. It is also still putting out a lot of new growth.

imafan26
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I can't tell you if it is normal. Fukien tea in my yard is a weed, the leaves do not really turn brown at any time.

Joep
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Heres how the leaves look like
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GardeningCook
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That looks normal to me.

Joep
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Well the leaves in the middle are half dark green and are hanging down. I'm worried as about a hand full of leaves has fallen off in the last couple of days most leaves are brown at the stems and have dried out partially beginning from the stems ( don't know if stem is the right word, the part which connects it to the twig ) Is this due ot overwatering or a different cause?

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GardeningCook
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Well, if you're watering as you originally stated - checking the soil to be sure watering is actually required rather than just on a set schedule - I don't see how watering could be the problem. What is the lighting situation? Have you been able to acclimate your tree to the great outdoors yet? Because poor/inadequate lighting could also be causing your problems. In the meantime, do stop feeding your tree, because if it's under stress, fertilizing is the worst thing you could be doing.

Joep
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It gets about 3 hours of direct light in the morning, and for the rest it sits in full light of the window, not in the shadow. I think I will let it dry a little before I water it again and stop feeding it for now. As for putting it outside I live in an apartment so theres only one spot where I can put it but It would still receive the same amount of light. Would you maybe have any Idea of what the drying out could be ? Fungie, or anything like that. It might be burn from over fertilizing as I am not sure what amounts of liquid fertilizer. I use an organic fertilizer which I need to mix 5 ml with 1L but how much do I give my plant?

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GardeningCook
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I'm sorry to repeat this again, but I really believe it needs to be outside 24/7 - at least during the spring/summer/fall months. Can't recommend anything else that might help you keep it alive.

Joep
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What is the minimum temp it can be in ?

Joep
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And thank you for the great help! I will try and put it outside I live in London and it is about 20 decrees celcius during the say here sometimes 30, What would be the best way to acclimate a fukien tea to outdoors?

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GardeningCook
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Fukien Tea does best in direct sunlight, but if yours has been living indoors, you may want to start (if you can) with just a few hours of outdoor sun at a time - maybe put it in semi-shade to start off with. (Again, not sure what your outdoor circumstances are being in London & all.)

As far as temps, what you have going on there now is just fine, but you'd want to bring your tree inside before temps drop below 4.5 Celsius (40 Fahrenheit here). Then until next Spring when temps warm up again, tree should be in the very brightest window you have available. Then back outdoors again for the Spring/Summer season.

I know it sounds like a pain in the a** - trust me, I have a bunch of them that get dragged in & out throughout the year - lol! But it is rewarding in its own way. :)

Joep
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Okay, The sun is on my balcony in the early morning so would it be alright to put it outside at night at 12 ( temp is about 12 celcius) and than take it inside at 11 in the morning when the sun is off of it again ?

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GardeningCook
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I really don't know. You might get away with that, or might not. "Direct sun", which is in everything I've ever read about Fukien Tea means direct sun all day (once acclimated). I can't say if yours will do well with just a few hours of sun per day.

Joep
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Hmmm well I might considor a bright light on it than, I will do some research on how much watts is needed. Thank you again alot !:)

Joep
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Here is how some of the leaves look like btw
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