poor one thousand star

[agata]

Hi guys.

So galad i found this forum and hopely with your help it wont be to late to rescue my poor and fussy bonsai friend.
I have it now for a year & everythink was fine (i wather & tream it as usual) untill the winter came in my newly changed apartment (which is aparently much colder than the last one). First i thout it might be a cold wind draft so i moved the tree away frome the window but it didnt seems to help much. One brunch went absolutely dry and rest of the lives is geting yellow and bronw and slowly falling too.
I know evergreens are not easy and they need lots of sunlight so im going to buy a fluorescent lamp but is there enythink else i can do to create more tropical conditions in cold apartment ? can i still rescue a dry branch?
pls help- Agata

[JerseyBonsai]

hello agata,
I'm fairly new to the hobby as well, but i think your tree sounds to be overworked and stressed. You mentioned it was an evergreen. If that is so...then i don't think you want to be creating tropical conditions. They need to go through a dormant cycle, and if they don't the poor guy will become weak and die . Like i said i am also fairly new to the art. But that seems like the most obvious problem to me.
Perhaps you could post the species and or pictures, this forum has alot of great experts that will immediately identify the problem

-Drew

[djlen]

Welcome agata,

Would you please post a picture of your tree so that we can ID it and advise from a more informed place.
The plant you speak of could be a Tropical or Semi-Tropical plant in which case it would require different care.

[Gnome]

Agata,

Do you by any chance mean 'Tree of a Thousand Stars' also called 'Snow Rose'? If so, this is properly known as Serissa. If this ID is correct your tree, although an evergreen, is not a temperate tree and would not fare well outside in cold weather.

I don't grow this species but from what I have read it can be difficult to keep, especially for novices. I think Len has experience with this plant so, if my tentative ID is correct, he can advise you better than I.

https://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Serissa.html

Norm

[djlen]

Yes, Serissa was what I was thinking but I hesitate to give any advise without seeing the tree.
Serissa is not difficult at all for me but I've heard others curse it. Same with Fukien Tea although I still have my Aphid issues with that.
But I digress.......agata, if you will please post a picture we can see what we're dealing with.

[djlen]

Here is a CloseUp of a Serissa variegated. Yours may or may not have the white borders on the leaves:
[url=https://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/djlen/Bonsai%20Pictures/?action=view&current=IMG_2686a.jpg][img]https://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/djlen/Bonsai%20Pictures/th_IMG_2686a.jpg[/img][/url]

Here is an Overall shot of the Serissa:
[url=https://s26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/djlen/Bonsai%20Pictures/?action=view&current=IMG_2689a.jpg][img]https://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c145/djlen/Bonsai%20Pictures/th_IMG_2689a.jpg[/img][/url]

Do they look similar to your tree? Please click on the thumb nails for a bigger image.

[agata]

https://www.kodakgallery.co.uk/BrowsePhotos.jsp?&localeid=en_GB&collid=6061685721233&page=1&upload_count=3&&localeid=en_GB&UV=261478042938_9493685721233

(copy and paste the link above into the address bar to see the pictures)
Thank u ever so much for responding so quickly.
This is for sure the tree of one thousand stars and i don't think is overworked as it was fine for a first year and i didn,t change the rutine.
However its still loosing its leaves and branches, and is getting very dry so aparently im doing somethink wrong.
help

[Rosaelyn]

If you have moved your tree several times recently, that will cause it stress. This could be what is causing it to lose leaves.

Also, you mentioned you moved. How long ago was that? Transporting your Serissa in a cold car, or worse yet a car with heavy blowing heater vents, will also stress and dry out a tree.

My suggestion would be to find a permanent place for your tree, where it does not have to worry about moving around anymore. Make sure this is a well-lit spot, preferably with some supplemental fluorescent lighting close over the tree. I would also carefully monitor its watering and keep a close eye out for any pests. While the tree is weak and stressed, it will be more susceptible to infestation.

Please let us know how it is doing soon. Best of luck with your little tree.

[agata]

Does the cold afect the tree a lot? and do i still have a chance to rescue nacked branches?

[agata]

it was absolutely fine for a few months after we moved. The tree started to get weaker and weaker since the winter came.

[djlen]

Yes, they can be picky about being move, drafts and chills.
I would follow Rosaelyn's advice above. Find a spot with warmth, bright light and leave it there for a while to recover.
Continuity is important for this plant.

[agata]

thank you guys and wish us good luck

[Decado]

I also have the same problem, I water it as it should be watered by the guide gnome posted and I keep it indoors by an east facing window but the leaves still die. I'm guessing it's one of 2 problems, either the cold coming from the window (which could be your problem as well) or the lack of humidity indoors (my house is around 40%). I'm going to try moving it to my basement under my grow light when it arrives and setting it next to a lava lamp for warmth (unless someone can think of a better radiant heat source), it won't get any more humidity but maybe this will help. I'll let you know how it fares.

[FLBonsai]

agata,

Seems like your serissa got a little chilly. If you do a get a fluorescent light I would highly recommend using a small humidity tray. Use any type of shallow tray and fill it half way or so with water. Place your bonsai tree inside the tray within its original pot, IMPORTANT the water should be at least a centimeter away from the drainage holes. By keeping a humidity tray below your bonsai it will spike the humidity in the surrounding area. The second benefit is that the lighting will heat the water and keep your tress surrounding environment warmer. If your tree continues to complain of the cold consider constructing a 3 sided box to trap more heat and humidity.

Best of luck![/i]

[Decado]

I guess my problem wasn't humidity or cold, there's hundreds of miniscule black bugs crawling around the soil.

[Tachigi]

I wouldn't be so worried about the cold...Serrisa are actually temperate plants and can be found in landscapes as far north as Tennessee.So its not really a tropical as many mistakenly take it for.

See this for info on Serissa and winter:

[url=https://bonsaivaultforum.freeforums.org/overwintering-serissa-t787.html?hilit=serissa]Over Wintering Serissa[/url]

Light, water, or a new environment most likely the cause for your tree to decide to sulk....so don't over water...keep it well lit and it'll bounce back.

[Gnome]

Tom,

Thanks, I had no idea that they were that tolerant of low temperatures. Our member who grow Serissa should find this very interesting. I have yet to explore this species, it's reputation as being finicky always scared me off.

Sounds like it could be handled similarly to a few Pomegranates that I have. A few cold nights early on then into the unheated garage. I only bring them inside when really cold weather threatens and even then I keep them in a relatively cool location.

Norm