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HELP!!! I'm a MORON, I killed it (?) in 7 days!!!

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ev.sergey
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stevetb77
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HELP!!!  I'm a MORON, I killed it (?) in 7 days!!! Empty HELP!!! I'm a MORON, I killed it (?) in 7 days!!!

Post  stevetb77 Sat May 11, 2013 11:38 pm

It was a beautiful, noble tree.
A week later it looks dead or near death.

I am ashamed. I have lost my honor.
Please, I must seppuku myself if I can't save this once noble tree.

I had always wanted a bonsai, I have a spot in my home office reserved for one.
My girlfriend picked this Elm (?) bonsai up at a swapmeet for $35. Seemed like a great deal.

It was full, covered in green leaves when she brought it to me as a surprise.
Absolutely beautiful.
Now it's dropped 95% of the leaves and is almost dead (if not completely dead) just over a week later.

She told me they told her that I need to water it daily. I thought that was ridiculous! I would kill it like that! So I intelligently (hah!) watered it every other day, no more than every two days.

I am ignorant, know next to nothing about bonsai. I thought I would have time to figure it out before I managed to kill the poor tree. I was apparently wrong.

1) Is it an actual bonsai and was it cared for / planted correctly before she purchased it? Did it ever have a chance to begin with? I have no idea!

2) I think most likely is that I drowned the poor thing. I haven't watered it for 4 days now, the bottom half of the soil is still holding moisture.

3) Notice what looks like a crack at the base of the tree, with white stuff around it (fungus?).

I would be grateful for any advice potentially leading to the salvation of this poor, innocent, once grand and noble tree.

Otherwise it's seppuku time.

I understand in advance if you call BPS (Bonsai Protective Services) and they come take my tree away from me. No hard feelings. Save the poor tree!



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Post  Jake16 Sun May 12, 2013 3:30 am

Are the leaves turning yellow then falling off or just browning?
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Post  tap pi lu Sun May 12, 2013 10:50 am

you have left it too long in the dark and dry. evidence that cobweb covered
Calm down, replant, make cool place and there was light. remove damaged parts. and moisturizing daily. have fun
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Post  Velodog2 Sun May 12, 2013 4:33 pm

It's not your fault. It has been victim of the worst repotting I have ever seen. All that space between the roots you see should be filled with a well draining bonsai soil.

It still has a few healthy leaves, possibly fed by parts of the root ball that still have soil. So you may not lose the entire thing. If there is a nursery nearby experienced w bonsai you should take it there and have them pot it properly. If not then get some appropriate soil (I'm not going into what that is here. At this point any soil is probably better than nothing) and do your best to work it into the roots using a thin stick - chopsticks are usually used. Do this now.

Then water it thoroughly. And get it outdoors in the shade. It is an outdoor tree.

Not a great intro to bonsai for you. If you are serious about the hobby do a bunch of reading, and try again.

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Post  ev.sergey Sun May 12, 2013 7:32 pm

Your tree is visible web. It seems the tree is damaged mites or aphids.

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Post  Andre Beaurain Mon May 13, 2013 9:04 am

The cob-webs are Red spider mites, its not a spider ad all, evidence of bad air circulation.

You can get rid of the mites by blasting from the bottom of the tree with a hose.

Good luck
Love and light
Andre Beaurain
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Post  stevetb77 Sat Jun 01, 2013 4:50 am

Thanks to all who cared enough about this poor innocent tree to give your feedback. Your tips helped me nurse it back to good health. Look at the difference!
I'm surprised just how fast it came back! And this pic is a week old!! Now I need to learn how to prune and style it I imagine..
THANKS AGAIN!!! I love happy endings! = )

HELP!!!  I'm a MORON, I killed it (?) in 7 days!!! Happy%20bonsai

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Post  rps Sat Jun 01, 2013 3:51 pm

yep, that's a vigorous looking little tree. in my opinion, your next move should be a re-pot --- not so much a new pot [the one you have will do] as cleaning up the roots and getting it into some decent well-draining soil. if nothing else, please fill in the apparent gap along the end showing in the photo.
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Post  bonsaisr Sat Jun 01, 2013 4:03 pm

Despite the advice from others, I would not repot at this time. It is a temperate tree, & should be repotted in early spring. The most important thing is to keep it outdoors. You can't water a bonsai on a schedule. Use a wooden chopstick or a pencil; water when the bottom of the soil starts to dry. Use houseplant fertilizer.
Meanwhile join the nearest bonsai club & get some books out of the library.
Iris
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Post  JimLewis Sat Jun 01, 2013 4:33 pm

bonsaisr wrote:Despite the advice from others, I would not repot at this time. It is a temperate tree, & should be repotted in early spring. The most important thing is to keep it outdoors. You can't water a bonsai on a schedule. Use a wooden chopstick or a pencil; water when the bottom of the soil starts to dry. Use houseplant fertilizer.
Meanwhile join the nearest bonsai club & get some books out of the library.
Iris

I'd amend the no repot advice a bit by saying if you can find a pot that is maybe an inch deeper and a couple inches wider and longer, you can lift it from this pot and put in the other, filling in underneath and around the edges after you've wired the tree firmly into the pot. Still, watch the watering, jin a club, and do a full root prune next spring.
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Post  rps Sat Jun 01, 2013 4:41 pm

footnote to my own urgings: jim and iris are right. i sometimes zone on zones --- frighteningly late spring here this year, i have some larch that are just breaking bud now.
i do, however, stand firmly by my comment to 'mind the [soil] gap'.
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Post  bonsaisr Sat Jun 01, 2013 11:06 pm

Steve mentioned that he has a spot in his home office where he plans to keep his bonsai. Caution. If you want permanent greenery in the office, get an aspidistra. We all like bonsai in the office. To achieve this, you need half a dozen or so healthy bonsai. Rotate them in the office a few days at a time, then put them back in their growing area.
Iris
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