How do I nurse this Bonsai back to health?

[CheesedCream]

Hey everyone,

Before I begin I'd just like to note that this is only my 3rd post on these forums so I apologise if this is in the wrong place or if I've violated any rules! I'm also still pretty new to Bonsai so I might not be able to understand some of the terminology and concepts a few of you veterans may talk about so please be patient with me!

Anyways, I currently own two Bonsai's at home in my room: a Grafted Banyan Fig, which I have had for nearly 2 years now, and another species of 'fig' Bonsai which was recently given to me by my mum. Unfortunately, the reason she gave it to me is because it is, well, somewhat dead? When she first got the plant, it was a beautiful little fig Bonsai with lots of small light leaves around a wide curling trunk base that used to almost resemble a lizard (in my eyes at least). It pains me to say this, but my mum never really took the Bonsai seriously and consistently forgot to water and care for the tree, but often when she did water it, she just left it sitting in the sink for 3 hours! The result of all that negligence is a Bonsai that has hardly any leaves, a pale trunk, brown discoloured shoots and large patches of ugly moisture near the base of the trunk. I have attached a link to a few pictures I took of the plant from different angles so you guys get a visual idea as to what I'm talking about:

http://imgur.com/a/cefEh

I would really like to nurse this little guy back to health and restore it to its former glory, but I don't really know how to go about it or if its even too far gone. I'm hesitant to water the plant due to the large splotches of moistures around the base of the trunk, which is concerning me the most. Any ideas on how I could bring this Bonsai back from the dead?

Thanks in advance, Dallas.

[dansai]

Hi Dallas,

Being a fig you may still have a chance for this one to pull through. From the pics it does look very sick.

A question, are the rocks on top glued on? This common practice for "Bonsai" purchased at department/ hardware stores to prevent soil from falling out in transport, but is very detrimental to the health of the tree.

As for what to do, the first thing I would do is get it out of the pot that it is in. Remove old soil from the roots but try and leave as much root intact as possible. Remove any that are soft and mushy. Get hold of some good quality potting mix, or better still, if there is a Bonsai nursery near you go and get some Bonsai potting mix from them. Repot the fig into a normal plastic pot a little larger than what it was in before. Remove any dead branches and twigs. Place in a bright position inside where there is good air flow until there is no chance of frost and then place outside in a warm sunny position for the whole summer. Trees are much happier outside in the elements and will grow much better for it. Once it has regained its health you can bring it inside, but much better if its only for a week or so at a time.

As for watering, dunking the pot is ok and will ensure the whole root ball gets wet. How regular to water is a hard thing to advise on, especially when plants are kept inside. A good rule with figs is that the mix should never dry out, but also never stay soggy and wet. When watering it is best to give the tree plenty of water until it runs freely out the drain holes of the pot each time you water. This will not only ensure the potting mix is wet, but also pull fresh air into the mix which is essential for good root growth.

Once it is healthy again and growing strong, you can look at potting back into the ceramic pot it was in. I would wait until summer time to do this as you will need to root prune and figs respond better in the warmer weather. Which means you may need to wait 18 months before returning it to its pot.

Good Luck and don't be afraid to ask more questions. Many helpful people here.

[Bougy Fan]

The biggest problem is you say you keep them in your room. Bonsai must live outside - can be displayed inside for a few days in a fortnight. They are trees - they live in the outdoors. Move it outside into a spot that gets part sun and it should massive improvements.

[Jarad]

The only thing I can add is check out the link below for info on resizing and uploading photos to the forum. The pictures you've added the link to are too large and take too long to load, so I haven't bothered looking at them.
viewtopic.php?f=97&t=161&start=0

[kcpoole]

The only thing I can add is check out the link below for info on resizing and uploading photos to the forum. The pictures you've added the link to are too large and take too long to load, so I haven't bothered looking at them.
viewtopic.php?f=97&t=161&start=0

x2
poor internet connections are still the norm in Oz and files hosted offsite I rarely bother with as they are all blocked from work anyway
https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... lay_online

Ken

[CheesedCream]

Hi Dallas,

Being a fig you may still have a chance for this one to pull through. From the pics it does look very sick.

A question, are the rocks on top glued on? This common practice for "Bonsai" purchased at department/ hardware stores to prevent soil from falling out in transport, but is very detrimental to the health of the tree.

As for what to do, the first thing I would do is get it out of the pot that it is in. Remove old soil from the roots but try and leave as much root intact as possible. Remove any that are soft and mushy. Get hold of some good quality potting mix, or better still, if there is a Bonsai nursery near you go and get some Bonsai potting mix from them. Repot the fig into a normal plastic pot a little larger than what it was in before. Remove any dead branches and twigs. Place in a bright position inside where there is good air flow until there is no chance of frost and then place outside in a warm sunny position for the whole summer. Trees are much happier outside in the elements and will grow much better for it. Once it has regained its health you can bring it inside, but much better if its only for a week or so at a time.

As for watering, dunking the pot is ok and will ensure the whole root ball gets wet. How regular to water is a hard thing to advise on, especially when plants are kept inside. A good rule with figs is that the mix should never dry out, but also never stay soggy and wet. When watering it is best to give the tree plenty of water until it runs freely out the drain holes of the pot each time you water. This will not only ensure the potting mix is wet, but also pull fresh air into the mix which is essential for good root growth.

Once it is healthy again and growing strong, you can look at potting back into the ceramic pot it was in. I would wait until summer time to do this as you will need to root prune and figs respond better in the warmer weather. Which means you may need to wait 18 months before returning it to its pot.

Good Luck and don't be afraid to ask more questions. Many helpful people here.

This is exactly what I need, thank you so much! I will look into finding some Bonsai potting mix and a new pot over the next few days and try to transfer the tree as soon as possible. In answer to your question about the rocks glued on the surface of the dirt, I have just spent the last half hour removing them all so I can access the soil much more easily. It seems like this will be a fairly long term project which I guess will be interesting to test my commitment to Bonsai thanks again!

[CheesedCream]

The biggest problem is you say you keep them in your room. Bonsai must live outside - can be displayed inside for a few days in a fortnight. They are trees - they live in the outdoors. Move it outside into a spot that gets part sun and it should massive improvements.

Yes, I've been hearing this advice a lot Unfortunately due to the fact that I have 3 dogs at home that will eat everything they can get their paws on, it's been hard for me to find a good spot for the plants that live in my room. I have a little balcony that gets a bit of sun in the morning and is lightly shaded during the day, so what I've started doing is putting the plants out there first thing in the morning when I wake up and bring them back in just before I go to bed. This also ensure that they don't get too cold overnight in the winter and perhaps in the summer I'll reverse the routine so that they don't get too hot during the day. Is that an reliable method of giving the Bonsai sunlight and fresh air or will it cause my plants issues down the line?

[CheesedCream]

The only thing I can add is check out the link below for info on resizing and uploading photos to the forum. The pictures you've added the link to are too large and take too long to load, so I haven't bothered looking at them.
viewtopic.php?f=97&t=161&start=0

I'm terribly sorry about that, being new to the forums here I didn't take that into account. I'll work on resizing them and reuploading them as soon as possible.

[Ryceman3]

From a long term perspective it is always better outside than in, the balcony sounds like a better option than your room. Not sure how cold you get but bringing it indoors overnight during winter isn't a bad idea - during summer I think you can leave it out there 24/7 ... I reckon that would be my plan. Good luck with it.

[Ray M]

Hi Dallas,

The biggest problem is you say you keep them in your room. Bonsai must live outside - can be displayed inside for a few days in a fortnight. They are trees - they live in the outdoors. Move it outside into a spot that gets part sun and it should massive improvements.

Yes, I've been hearing this advice a lot Unfortunately due to the fact that I have 3 dogs at home that will eat everything they can get their paws on, it's been hard for me to find a good spot for the plants that live in my room. I have a little balcony that gets a bit of sun in the morning and is lightly shaded during the day, so what I've started doing is putting the plants out there first thing in the morning when I wake up and bring them back in just before I go to bed. This also ensure that they don't get too cold overnight in the winter and perhaps in the summer I'll reverse the routine so that they don't get too hot during the day. Is that an reliable method of giving the Bonsai sunlight and fresh air or will it cause my plants issues down the line?

Looking at your photos I think the tree is retrievable. Put the tree out on the balcony and leave it there. Trees need night and day. The advise that Dansai gave you is good. Get rid of the stones. I don't know if you have ever given the tree any fertilizer. Until the tree recovers I would give it a drink of Seasol a couple of times a week. Putting the tree outside will be most important.

Regards Ray

[melbrackstone]

Hi Dallas,

You're getting lots of good advice here. I'd say there's hope for the tree, from what I know of figs here in Brisbane. SA might be a little colder in winter, is all. They are very tough, usually!

[kcpoole]

Hi Dallas,

You're getting lots of good advice here. I'd say there's hope for the tree, from what I know of figs here in Brisbane. SA might be a little colder in winter, is all. They are very tough, usually!

The only time we need to worry about cold in winter is when temps get below freezing and / or when heavy frost are likely.
In western Sydney suburbia I have not had to worry about cold or frost so they stay outside all year round.

Ken