Serissa Foetida

[HedgeWitch]

Hi all
I have a Serissa Foetida (tree of a thousand stars) which I've had for about 18 months.
Just recently it's begun to drop it's leaves at an alarming rate and I think it may be due to root rot, due to overwatering.
Does anyone know what the best course of action (or inaction) would be best to help my little tree recover from this?
I've gone easy on the watering since, and just keep misting the remaining foliage daily but would appreciate any advice as I'd hate to lose my lovely tree!
Please help if you can!

[kdodds]

How often had you been watering previously? How often now? There are fungicides for root rot, but honestly I think the plant will make it or not on its own and these fungicides can often do harm as much as they do good. I haven't used them in bonsai, but in outdoor gardening I've seen them accelerate a condition that's halted. Have the leaves stopped falling yet? Have you removed the plant to confirm root rot? Serissa stinks, especially the roots, anyway, so you'd really need the visual confirmation.

[HedgeWitch]

My 'ex' had been watering it about every other day when it started to drop it's leaves. He's no longer around, so I've been trying to learn more about it's care! The leaf dropping appears to have halted, but I will have a look at the roots. I am reluctant to use anything at the moment as I don't want to worsen the situation!
Thanks for replying kdodds - I will try to post again tomorrow - hopefully with some pics!

[kdodds]

It sounds like you may have the situation in hand, then. Just as an aside, some Serissa cultivars have a very compact growing habit. As they get really dense, it becomes more and more likely that the inner leaves will die away en masse. This type of leaf dropping is usually nothing to worry about, other than that it's the tree telling you it may need some pruning.