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Serissa - canopy foilage dead but roots are sprouting?
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Author:  dolce.lindele [ 18 May 2012, 01:15 ]
Post subject:  Serissa - canopy foilage dead but roots are sprouting?
I'm a new bonsai owner, self taught through literature. I purchased this Serissa last fall, and have been cultivating it since. I make sure to keep the soil moist, I keep it in a humidity tray, regularly pinch back new growth, and occasionally do more intense trimming as needed. It's an indoor variety and I keep it at a regular room temperature, not too close to a window but still getting ample sunlight.

Its leaves began withering and dying around March, so the first week of April I repotted it, using the appropriate soil and taking care to clean and detangle the roots. Unfortunately, it continued to wither to the point where it is now. All of the leaves on the canopy are withered, dried, and dead. I thought for certain I must have killed the poor thing, but it has recently surprised me with some healthy looking brand new growths at the base of the tree, growing from the exposed root system.

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I'm not even sure what exactly is wrong, and therefore don't know what to do either. But I'd really love to have that beautiful, dense foilage it once had (that I had to constantly pinch back to keep under control!) back on it's canopy.

What should I do?

Thanks!
Author:  John Farnan [ 18 May 2012, 08:37 ]
Post subject:  Re: Serissa - canopy foilage dead but roots are sprouting?
Hiya
At a quick glance it look to me like it has been dried out
were you away on holiday or anything?
Author:  Gwen Potter [ 18 May 2012, 11:02 ]
Post subject:  Re: Serissa - canopy foilage dead but roots are sprouting?
The main tree looks dead. Just scrape the bark of the tree with your fingernail and see if it is green underneath. Green is alive; brown is dead. If it is brown, I would cut the whole tree off above the new foliage at the bottom and start growing more of a bush style instead.
Despite what some outlets say in regard to 'indoor' trees being easy, they are not. It is very, very difficult to replicate the conditions they require for healthy growth and a long life.
If you want to try something easier, buy a tree which is tolerant of our climate. Some of our sponsors have inexpensive beginner trees which can stand outside all year, maybe with a little protection in the worst of the winter. Believe me, they are much easier.
Good luck with your serissa.
Author:  John Farnan [ 18 May 2012, 11:09 ]
Post subject:  Re: Serissa - canopy foilage dead but roots are sprouting?
Gwen Potter wrote:
The main tree looks dead. Just scrape the bark of the tree with your fingernail and see if it is green underneath. Green is alive; brown is dead. If it is brown, I would cut the whole tree off above the new foliage at the bottom and start growing more of a bush style instead.
Despite what some outlets say in regard to 'indoor' trees being easy, they are not. It is very, very difficult to replicate the conditions they require for healthy growth and a long life.
If you want to try something easier, buy a tree which is tolerant of our climate. Some of our sponsors have inexpensive beginner trees which can stand outside all year, maybe with a little protection in the worst of the winter. Believe me, they are much easier.
Good luck with your serissa.


I have never ever been able to keep one of these alive maybe in a more modern house not so prone to temp changes i might get away wit hit but in an old house where the temps changes all the time its forgettaboutit :202thumbdown:
Author:  mytree [ 18 May 2012, 11:30 ]
Post subject:  Re: Serissa - canopy foilage dead but roots are sprouting?
looks like the tree from the base upover has died and its growing from the roots,try a scrape test. i agree there hard to keep them alive.
Author:  NickB [ 18 May 2012, 12:33 ]
Post subject:  Re: Serissa - canopy foilage dead but roots are sprouting?
The good news is that your tree is still alive, but the bad is that it is finished as a Bonsai. All that top growth now looks to be dead, which is the trees way of surviving after trauma, ie drought or over watering. The roots are still alive to an extent, but the only way to salvage something is to totally re grow all branches. You may as well get another.

Do yourself a favour and try outdoor Bonsai. Much easier to keep. (Assuming you have outdoor space). Most members on here have outdoor trees.
Author:  bonsai eejit [ 18 May 2012, 14:53 ]
Post subject:  Re: Serissa - canopy foilage dead but roots are sprouting?
Top looks dead but, if you are willing wait, cut off all the dead bits back to the new shoots, put into a bigger pot for a year and give it free growth. Next year you can start styling your clump style Serrissa which will have a pretty nice root base.

In the mean time, if it has to be indoor, stick to Chinese Elm, but as suggested above, better to opt for out door bonsai.
Author:  Jerry Norbury [ 18 May 2012, 15:35 ]
Post subject:  Re: Serissa - canopy foilage dead but roots are sprouting?
I've got a Serissa outside now which did exactly this - and is growing new leaves as we speak - they are deceptive...so it MAY not be dead and it MAY take some time to get new leaves.
Author:  Tom [ 18 May 2012, 21:55 ]
Post subject:  Re: Serissa - canopy foilage dead but roots are sprouting?
When pruning bonsais they should be allowed a period (say a couple of months) of free growth allowing them to regain their vigour and keep them healthy, instead of regularly pruning back new growth which can severely weaken the tree.
Author:  splendidplumage [ 18 May 2012, 22:57 ]
Post subject:  Re: Serissa - canopy foilage dead but roots are sprouting?
Even though you do not say where you live, by the fact you say you have had it since the fall rather than autumn I am assuming you do not live in UK but maybe US.

The serissa you have does not look like the imported from china type we get here on UK. I get the impression that there are more types available in US as garden plants.

So I can not get too specific because your serissa may be more or less tolerant of certain things than the ones we have. Also the min and max temperatures and light levels it gets may well be different there.

Generally with bonsai during the summer you water them every day. The main thing I am seeing here at the moment from new owners of indoor bonsai from people who have only owned them since the autumn/winter is that people have got used to only watering them a few times a week. I think sometimes they then assume that is the norm but as it gets warmer and the trees start to need watering more often they do not notice it needs increasing soon enough and they start to suffer.

Note for example that the soil does not look wet in your photo.

I trimmed the dead away today from one that was left with me looking completely dead in the new year that has now regrown in more palces than I had expected it to and could look reasonable eventually.

So keep it in as close to the equivalent of a greenhouse as you can and keep it watered and see what it does. You could grow a smaller tree in a few years from the bit at the bottom as a last resort even if it does not grow from higher up.
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