hi all i need help with one of my bonsai

[gothbabe1986]

hi i have 2 bonsai's a privet and a ficus. i have had them 2 years now and my ficus. i have had them both for about 2 yrs now. and my privet is loseing its leaves, it was fine last month then its leaves started to wither and fall off. im not sure when it was repotted last! could anyone help?
here are some pics of it.

las month


this month



and my health ficus




cheers

[Gnome]

gothbabe1986,

Has anything changed with the Privet? A missed watering or two, new fertilizer, change of location? Do you keep it inside or outside, and has this been consistent? In short, more information would really help us help you.

I have been helping my nephew with a privet I gave him and I have found that it requires repotting every year. I have a hunch that the tree is severely root bound. Whether or not this is the actual problem here is hard to say, slip it out of the pot and take a look.

Even if it is root bound now is not an ideal time to do this type of work, check first and let us know.

Norm

[snowblind]

hi gothbabe

i love the ficus it looks likr a happy little tree but i would think about re poting it into a proper bonsai pot wich will give the roots a little room to move and will help the tree no end

the first thing id do with the Privet is pull it out of the pot to see if its root bound if so trim and repot if not just check the soil condition and root condition then and here the crule to be kind part id cut back all the leafs and green shoots right back to the main trunk and woody branchs then just treet the tree like normal after a wile it will be send off shoots all over the place. yes it will look really bare with no leafs but it will help the tree out no end if its haveing a bad time and it wont look like that forever trust me

anyway good luck and keep us posted please feel free to msg me aswell if you wonna chat

[gothbabe1986]

the bonsai feed is the same, i always water it. mind you the soil was abit dusty when i bort it. i have checked the roots and it is root bound, some of the roots are comeing out of the drainage holes.
i keep it inside along with my ficus.
they used to be on my windowsill till this happend as my window gets all the sin, so i thought about putting them on a shelf near the window so they still get the sun, but not direct if you get me.
it has been on my window sill for about 2yrs and 3months then its leaves when like that so i have moved it a few days ago to a shelf.
when i go away to my partners for the weekend, its left to my mam to water.
and she is adamet she hasnt forgot to water them.
the soil holds the water ok.
the soil feels abit slimy, i noticed today there is some white stuff on the soil.

cheers amanda

[Gnome]

Amanda,

it has been on my window sill for about 2yrs and 3months...im not sure when it was repotted last!

If you've had this for two and a quarter years and never re-potted it the pot should be absolutely packed with roots if it was thriving. I suspect that the plant has not been doing terribly well for some time now. I have both Privet and Ficus and keep them outside, the Privet is outside year round and the Ficus just during summer.

Most bonsai will do better outside. Some can do well inside if provided the correct care but this is not always as easy as it might seem, especially for a casual grower. A very bright window, supplemental lighting, or both, are almost a necessity for indoor culture.

the soil feels abit slimy, i noticed today there is some white stuff on the soil.

The soil seems to be very dense/compacted/collapsed and would hold a lot of water. One possibility is that the soils is so dense that it excludes air and is wet for long periods of time. This can lead to a situation where the roots are dead/dying and can no longer take up enough water to support the foliage. What appears to be a lack of water (dry leaves) can actually be caused by watering too frequently. This is often made worse by attempting to revive the tree with, you guessed it, more water.

snowblind suggested re-potting it. While I am reluctant to recommend an ill timed re-potting in this case it may provide your best chance of resurrecting your tree. Unfortunately you are not likely to have any suitable potting medium on hand and the longer you wait the less likely a positive outcome becomes.

Trees roots need oxygen as much as water and the vast majority of bonsai enthusiasts use a mix that is very open and contains a high percentage of inorganic material of some sort.

Here are some threads for you to check out, read them over (follow the links as well) and get back to us with further questions. In the meantime hold off on watering it if the soil is damp.

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/v ... php?t=1479

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/v ... php?t=3422

Norm

[gothbabe1986]

hi thanks for the advice, my local garden center has bonsai compsot nd pots ect. so i can pick some up there. so i will repot it, just i was unsure, about repotting it as i didnt know when it was last done. so could i still save it buy repotting it? as i don't want to lose it as i got it in memory of someone close and it took me month's to pick one

cheers amanda

[snowblind]

tbh hun id give it a go sonner rather than later you wont lose anythging as the tree in the stae its in will probly die and you might if your lucky gain a healthyer tree

[gothbabe1986]

right, thanks

going out to get anew pot and come bonsai compost.
i will keep you all updated to see if he comes round.

cheers