TeaTime
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My bonsai is dying. Help

Hi.

I've had my bonsai since january and it's been looking ok, thought I had finaly figured out how to treat it. I've been wathering it when it starts to look less peakye. (after 2-3days.)
I have no idea what kind of bonsai it is. But now all the leafs on the top has fallen off and the rest are ether srivled up or hanfing down. Still green though. The soil is still wet. It seams like it doesent souk up the wather. Its been standing in the window, and where I live we don't have much sun. But suddenly this week we had two realy sunny days and thats when it colapsed. Is it game over for it or can I somehow save it`?

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rainbowgardener
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Really hard to help without more info. Since you don't know what kind of tree it is, please post a couple pictures and maybe we can help you figure that out.

Tell us where you are located and what the weather has been like.

"The soil is still wet" and "it doesn't soak up the water" sound contradictory. But both of them suggest that the soil is a peat based potting soil, which is all wrong for bonsai trees. Peat is hard to wet, when it is dry the water will just roll off it, but once it is wet it stays wet way too long.

If that is true, you will need to repot your tree in to bonsai soil, which is very gritty/mineral and free draining, doesn't hang on to the water like peat. If it is spring where you are, this is a good time to do that.

Once the weather is warm you will want to get your tree gradually used to being outdoors and let it vacation outside.

TeaTime
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I live on the vest coast of Norway. The wether here is moustly cloudy and windy.

"The soil is still wet" and "it doesn't soak up the water" was bad formualtion on my part. What I ment is that after two or so days the soil gets dryer and thats when I wather it. But now I havent watherd it since tuesday, and its still wet like the three isn't soaking up the whater form the soil. I haven't wathered it more or less than uasually. Its in the soil and pot that it came in form the flower store it was bought.

I've added some photos of the three
Attachments
bilde 3.JPG
bilde 2.JPG
bilde 1.JPG

TeaTime
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....well, thank you guys. You've been most helpfull...

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rainbowgardener
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well, we have a couple regulars who are very knowledgeable about bonsai. Since I am not, I was hoping one of them would come by. Since they haven't showed, I'll make another stab at it.

Your soil definitely looks too organic/ peaty/ moisture holding. You really need to re pot it in to real bonsai soil which is very inorganic/ gritty/ free draining. This thread has some links to info about bonsai soil from one of those experts I mentioned:

https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... php?t=3530

It still looks like it should be salvageable. When the weather warms up you will want to get it outside.

Look in to chopstick method for knowing when to water. Stick a wooden chopstick down into the soil and leave it for awhile (10 minutes or anywhere up to all the time). Pull it out. If it is dark/moist, the soil is still wet, don't water. If not, water.

Now you have everything I know on the topic and any other help will have to come from someone who knows more.

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Gnome
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TeaTime,

Your bonsai is an example of Zanthoxylum or Chinese Pepper. I don't grow this species but we see them on the forum from time to time.

Besides the heavy soil that was already noted, another contributor to its decline would be poor lighting. Growing trees indoors is difficult and without supplemental lighting even more so.

Here is an older thread on this species.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... hp?t=14359

And a more recent one.
https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... 40&t=56880

Sorry for the delayed response.

Norm



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