Hello everyone,
After years of enjoying the idea of Bonsai, I've finally taken the plunge and taken up the practice with a small tree in my office. I purchased a Thousand Star Serissa Japonica, which was recommended to me by others and some reading that I had done online. The nursery from which I purchased it had the tree in its greenhouse. Below is what I've done thus far- I wanted to run it by the experts for a sanity check and to solicit any advice or guidance.
Once I took it back to my office, I did a soil moisture check with a wooden chopstick. It showed a little soil stuck to it when it was removed, which to me indicated that the soil needed a little (but not a lot) of water. I watered it, and placed it on the corner of my desk (which is next to a window- so it gets natural light about 4-6 hours a day plus indirect natural light and the overhead lights).
I left it overnight and returned this morning to find the soil still not very damp or moist, so I added more water. First question: should I leave the chopstick in there all the time, and simply remove and check it each day? I figured this would be the best way to learn the right watering schedule.
Then, I sprayed the tops and undersides of the leaves with a water mist, as my reading indicates that the tree prefers humid environments (which my office is not). Second question: any advice on how often I should mist the tree? Is there a visual indicator I could follow for this?
Looking at my tree now, there are a few (under 5) leaves with yellow tips...which concerns me. But I think this might be due to the initial shock of the move (out of the greenhouse) and a change in watering.
I would appreciate any advice or thoughts or guidance! thanks everyone.
Welcome to the forum rjones!
and furthermore welcome to the exciting world of bonsai :]
I don't like typing much so I will keep this short and let the other more experienced members add in anything I forget.
My first biggest concern is that no trees should be kept indoors without drastic modifications. Water only when the soil is dry and when you water soak all the medium. If your plant is currently in soil consider getting some proper mixture in the next few months or so.
Depending on where you live your serissa will appreciate lots of humidity and sunlight.
and furthermore welcome to the exciting world of bonsai :]
I don't like typing much so I will keep this short and let the other more experienced members add in anything I forget.
My first biggest concern is that no trees should be kept indoors without drastic modifications. Water only when the soil is dry and when you water soak all the medium. If your plant is currently in soil consider getting some proper mixture in the next few months or so.
Depending on where you live your serissa will appreciate lots of humidity and sunlight.
If you're planning on keeping it in a room which is not very humid, perhaps you should get a humidity tray. which is basically just a low tray that you can put your bonsai in. (keep the bonsai in the pot, don't take it out obviously) fill the bottom of it with a little bit of water, keeping the water at least 1cm away from the watering hole of the bonsai's pot. the humidity tray will slightly increase the temperature/humidify (obviously) of the plants environment. I'm still a beginner in the "practical" work of bonsai, but I've been reading and researching them for quite some time. perhaps though, you should wait for one of the "big shots" (forum mod for example) to approve this first 
I'm just repeating what I've heard others suggest, and what I've read up on the Serissa.
ps what kind of overhead lights do you have?
good luck with your tree, rjones!
I'm just repeating what I've heard others suggest, and what I've read up on the Serissa. ps what kind of overhead lights do you have?
good luck with your tree, rjones!
I second the lighting suspicion.
Office windows often have filters or shading (AKA tinting) on them to block frequencies of light. It is possible that these frequencies are in the range of usable light for this species. Just because a plant has exposure by a window does not mean it is getting usable light at a volume it is happy with.
There are threads explaining light in more detail.
Office windows often have filters or shading (AKA tinting) on them to block frequencies of light. It is possible that these frequencies are in the range of usable light for this species. Just because a plant has exposure by a window does not mean it is getting usable light at a volume it is happy with.
There are threads explaining light in more detail.