Dying Bonsai :-(

[odette100]

Hello,

I am a new bonsai owner. I bought a Ixora and a Juniper. Unfortunately, I kind of neglected my "little pets" and they dried out. The Juniper is faring alright but I am afraid that the Ixora is barely alive. I watered them both and added fertilizer. Anyone have advice for me?

Thanks.

Comments

[nulldevice]

Water 'em and hope for the best. I wouldn't fertilize now, since it's late in the seasons and you don't want the juniper growing new roots or foliage before you stash it for winter (unless you're using a low-nitrogen fertilizer).

Be aware that the juniper may actually be doing a lot worse than it looks. Evergreens stay green and healthy-looking long after damage has been done.

[odette100]

Thanks. How often should I water? Every day?

[nulldevice]

Daily. You shouldn't let the soil dry out.

Where are you storing this tree in the winter?

[odette100]

In my living room. They were never outdoors. I just bought them a few weeks ago.

[nulldevice]

Ahh. See, Juniper are outdoor bonsai. Unless it's a tropical plant, it needs a cold period to go dormant and store energy for the spring. I don't remember offhand what the other one is.

Does it have real soil or is it a "mallsai" with the rocks glued down?
If it's got the rocks, break 'em off and get it into real soil stat. BOnsai soil is preferred, but any loose, fast-draining soil will do (I've seen people pot them in very small-grain gravel) Those rocks/glue will keep any water from getting to the plant. If it's not a glue-down, it should be outside to get sun and then stored in an unheated garage, basement, shed or coldframe for the winter months (generally around thanksgiving to about april, depending on where you live).

[odette100]

Yes, it has real soil. The little rocks are on top and not glued on. They have bonsai soil.

You keep them stored in the winter months without sun exposure at all? I live in Canada.

[nulldevice]

Yep. In the real world they'd probably be covered by snow.

(also, it's good to hear it's not a mallsai. Hooray!)

Once they go cold, they don't need much, if any, light. I live in Wisconsin, and we get some cold winters. The big deal is protecting them from wind and direct sun - since they don't have deep earthbound roots they can dry out real fast. They're not growing in the winter, so if you put them in the garage, water them occasionally to keep the plant from drying out (especially before a big freeze) they should survive the winter.

I know a few bonsai folk who dig a hole in the ground, put the trees in it, and cover them with straw.

Tropicals - ficuses, schifflera, natal plum, bougainvillia, etc - will need to be kept warm and moist year-round.

Pretty much any shrub that will grow in your yard will survive as a bonsai in your area, if taken care of properly. I tend to buy my bonsai as nursery shrub stock and pare 'em down from there, since it's cheaper and easier to get stuff that I know will survive in the climate.

[morlockkid]

Hmm I had two that died on me really fast, I bought them from the hardware store and they did have glued rocks, so I got the feeling that they didn't get much water. But I couldn't save them in time.

[jutecat]

one of my junipers that died looked very alive aside from the fact that the branches were dry, brittle, and snapped off :(

[nulldevice]

Yeah, they look fine...fine...fine...oops it's dead. One of my shimpaku did that this year. It was fine all spring and summer then turned brown in less than a week.