Dying serissa foetida

Fri Dec 29, 2006 4:48 pm

Hey im a new owner of a bonsai tree unfortunatly i got a serissa foetida and i did not know that they are so fussy and that it is not recomended as a beginner tree. Ive had it for about 8 months or so its about 4 years old but the last couple of months the tree has lost its leaves doesnt fllower anymore and when new leaves appear at the start of a branch they turn brown and black after a 4 or 5 days and falls off. At the end of all the branches no more leaves are growing.

I do not know what to do to fix this or what is wrong i do like the tree because when i bought it it had beautiful little white flowers all over and now its dull and looks like its dying.

HELP PLEASE? :oops:

Fri Dec 29, 2006 5:27 pm

Toysoilder,

I don't grow this species so any insight I might offer is second hand.

Check out this link: http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Serissa.html

This page states:

brown and crispy leaves indicate lack of water or lack of humidity.

Your problem seems to coincide with the beginning of the heating season, at least in my area, perhaps this is a humidity issue. Our homes are very dry. Make sure it is not near a heat source. Consider the use of a humidity tray.

Norm

Fri Dec 29, 2006 5:30 pm

Thank you for the reply what is a humidity tray??

Fri Dec 29, 2006 7:47 pm

Toysoilder,

You're welcome. A humidity tray is a wide, shallow dish with about an inch of clean gravel in it. It is filled with water to just below the level of the gravel. This increases the humidity in the area of the plant. Make sure that no water can wick up into the pot through osmosis.

Norm