anitabj911
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Location: Iceland

Please help identify my bonsai - it is losing leaves

Hello,
I got a bonsai tree for Christmas and since then it has lost most of it leaves. Please help me identify it and get it repaired.
I think I have been over watering it - They told me to water it every 2 days which I have been doing. I live in Iceland and the temperature has been about -3 degrees Celsius and it is dark most of the day if that helps.

Thanks,
Tia
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Picture of the tree
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rainbowgardener
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Your tree would have been easier to identify when it had more leaves and your pictures blur when I click on them to enlarge.

But I THINK I see the distinctive notched leaf ends of the Fukien tea, aka Carmona. See what you think:

Image
https://indianabonsai.com/tag/fukien-tea/

It's been -3 deg C (27 deg F) outside, I presume, but your tree is inside, right? What temp do you keep inside? Have you given the tree any supplemental light to make up for very few hours of daylight? It needs at least four to six hours of daylight, more is better.

Lighting for bonsai (or any houseplant) needs to be a dedicated lamp, directly over it from just a few inches away, on for 16 hours a day:

Image
https://www.bonsaimary.com/growing-bonsa ... doors.html

doesn't need to be any fancy grow light, just a fluorescent bulb or tube. NOT old style incandescent, which give off too much heat and will burn your tree when close enough to do any good.

And yes, as frequently seems to happen, you were given very bad instructions about watering. NEVER water bonsai on a schedule. Water them when they need it, which is variable amounts of time, depending on temperature, light hours, soil, how rapidly it is growing, etc.

Here's a couple threads about how to water your bonsai and general care:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/bonsai/03/care.html

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... =36&t=1479

Use the chopstick method to know how wet/dry your soil is and don't water again until it is starting to dry out a bit.

And the soil it is in is very bad for it. Heavy in peat moss, holds too much water, excludes air, packs down. and here's a couple about how to water your bonsai and general care:

You will need to repot it in to good bonsai soil. Repotting is generally done in the spring, but your tree is not likely to survive until spring at this rate. I would go ahead and do it anyway. Here's an article about bonsai soil:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/bonsai/03/soil.html

Do NOT fertilize your tree at least until it starts to show new growth, preferably not until spring. At this point fertilizer is just another stress on it.

Best Wishes and keep us posted about how your little tree does.

anitabj911
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Thanks for the fast reply and great answers :D. Yes the picture you send looks like my bonsai. I have the tree inside and the temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius. I haven't been giving it extra light but will start now.


Thanks again,
Tia

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rainbowgardener
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Indoors in winter with furnace running, the air is very dry. Your tree will benefit from daily or at least several times a week misting of the leaves (especially when it has more leaves again!) and a humidity tray.

Image
https://urbanbonsai.files.wordpress.com ... -01-23.jpg

The tray (the bottom one in the picture) has water in it, but the gravel is to make sure that the bonsai pot is sitting OVER the water, not in it. It just helps keep a little more humidity in the air around the leaves.

anitabj911
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Thank you again - I have already put the tray under the tree and gotten it its own lamp. I have not found a store that sells bonsai soil so thanks to your link I will be able to make my own :) and hopefully the bonsai will get better in no time.

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rainbowgardener
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While you are working on nursing your tree back to health and learning how to take care of it and keep it thriving in its little pot, you can spend your time learning about the art of bonsai and thinking about what you want your tree to look like.

Study your tree, maybe make some drawings of it. Figure out which is the best aspect to be the front. Look for inspiration pictures:

Image
https://eschmidtpabonsai.files.wordpres ... g_9657.jpg

One design principle that you should think about when you are ready is this:

on curved trunks, branches should be placed on the outside of curves.

https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/what-a ... sign.1522/

you have some branches that are violating that principle and the placement of the rock not only looks awkward, but will make it difficult to foster branches on the outer part of the curve....

anitabj911
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Thank you I will do that - I can also see that my tree is getting better :D New leaves have started to grow.

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rainbowgardener
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:clap: :clap: :clap: Yay!!



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