HELP Please!! New owner...and the leaves are wilting....

[bmogo]

Hello All,

New owner of a bonsai here...it was a gift about 6 months ago, and it has been doing very well actually. I water it once a week by submersion of the entire pot for about 10 minutes. All summer it did fine. In September I did give it some food.

My problem is this....in the last week very suddenly the leaves are curling and wilting. They are not dried out, they are like rubber. It looks like it needs water, but I never miss a Saturday watering. Even so, I watered it two days ago. It sits on my window sill in my office, never in direct sunlight. The temp in the house is about 68 - 70 degrees F. I tried uploading two pictures of it that I just took but I'm not sure how to do that here. I can email them to anyone who might be able to help with this. Help Please!!!....I'm only a new owner, but I really enjoy this tree.

[Newt]

Hi Bmogo,

Try posting your picture on a free site like photobucket. Do you know the name of your plant?

Newt

[bmogo]

I'm a novice at sites like Photobucket, etc...if you want to email to me privately I'll send you the pics.

My address is: bmogo49-forumsATyahoo.com

replace the AT with the @

Thanks.

By the way, all I know from the tag that came with it is that it's an indoor bonsai, from Nurserymen's Exchange and they call it a "Bloom-Rite", and I'm sure that tells you nothing.

Bob

[Newt]

Bob, sorry but I don't give my personal e-mail addy to people I don't know and you have just started posting here.

You are correct that the label doesn't really tell me anything.

Wilting can be due to several factors. Overwatering, underwatering, plant is so rootbound that it can't take up water or some type of root rot has occurred. I suspect the last one is your problem. GENTLY take the plant out of the pot and look at the roots to see if they are black or rotten. You may have to cut away the rotten parts. Dip your cutting tool in a solution of one part bleach to nine parts water between cuts and after you are done. Rinse them thoroughly and dry well when done. Repot in fresh potting soil after you have washed the pot and dipped it in the bleach solution.

Newt

[bmogo]

And I understand not giving out your email address. The one I am using here is set up in my Yahoo account just for this purpose, and I don't give out my real address.

Thanks for the advice, I will follow your suggestions as they make more sense than anything else at this juncture.

Bob

[Newt]

Please let me know what you discover when you unpot your plant.

If I had more then one e-mail address to read I'd definately end up in the funny farm. I can get a couple of hundred mails a day, and that's not spam!

Newt

[Gnome]

Bob,

Go here: http://imageshack.us/ "Browse" to the location on your PC where the image resides then click the "Host it" button.

After the file is done uploading choose the appropriate image code from the list, "thumbnail for forums" is good. Left click on the code to highlight the code then right click and COPY the code.

Come back here and right click and PASTE the code into your next post.

Norm

[Newt]

Norm, thank you so much for those instructions!

Newt

[Gnome]

Newt,

You're welcome.

Norm

[bmogo]

Here it is...and thank you.

[Gnome]

Bob,

Sorry I can't make out the species with the condition the tree is in. If you don't' know the species how do you know that it is a species suitable for indoor culture?

I assume that the pot has adequate drainage, at least two holes around one half inch. Is the top dressing (white rocks) glued in place? If so it must be removed. even if it not affixed it is not helping you identify when the tree needs to be watered. Same goes for the loose moss, remove all this stuff and describe the soil beneath.

Does the soil appear to be very heavy in peat, dark and moist and primarily organic material. Many purchased trees are potted in very dense organic soil that aids in shipping but is not conducive to long term health, especially considering the watering schedule that you have been adhering to. Please review these threads.

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3422&sid=b8cf0c81bf3b2b4ed9a9024b801d78c8

http://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3530&sid=b8cf0c81bf3b2b4ed9a9024b801d78c8

You cannot water on any kind of schedule. The only thing that can be put on a schedule is you, check the tree daily and water only as necessary. The soil should be allowed to dry out a bit before you water thoroughly again. Also, please discontinue your submersion watering and begin watering from above, submersion may be more convenient for an indoor tree but it has a tendency to let salts build up in the soil. Watering from above helps to flush out any minerals that may accumulate.

As Newt suggested earlier, there is a good possibility that there is root rot due to over-watering. When you do re-pot it you will need to improve the quality (drainage/aeration) of the soil but this is another can of worms. Read the links, check the soil and get back to us.

Norm

[ynot]

Excellent advice Gnome [as allways]

I also am having a difficult time wrt ID....? Ficus Retusa ....maybe?

When you do re-pot it you will need to improve the quality (drainage/aeration) of the soil but this is another can of worms.

Translation: NO potting soil [Its not appropriate for bonsai... more on that later.

ynot

[Newt]

Ynot, I'm not very knowledgeable about bonsai. I have suggested that it may need repotting, and it certainly looks that way to me. So what type of pottimg medium do you recommend?

I also agree it appears to be a Ficus retusa.

Newt

[ynot]

... So what type of pottimg medium do you recommend?

I also agree it appears to be a Ficus retusa.

Newt

Newt,
No worries, I am glad you asked that.

It is all in the soil sticky, Alot of info about specific materials [and their properties/benefits/negatives..etc] is contained in the links in the soil sticky.

I may edit that actually to give some examples of materials people use [I/O and O] and the their properties.[ I have no time to do this at the moment.]


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

Gnome also refered to this link and another excellent thread that explains the reasoning behind the 'no potting soil' statement.

There are those who use it and have their plants survive....

I maintain that there is a signifigant difference between 'survival' and 'thriving'.
In my experience the difference in development [wrt a fibrous hairy feeder root system-Which enhances the entire trees development] is substantial.
There is additional discussion about this in the other thread Gnome linked to.


ynot

[Newt]

Ynot, thanks for your help!

Newt