Finickey Fukien Tea

Hello all, I am new to the site and i was wondering if someone may be able to help me? I bought a small fukien tea bonsai this summer and when i got it, it was perfect. Full of nice bright green growing foliage, but i repotted it because it came from costa farms in florida and i do not like the co co peat i believe it is that they put them in. It stays too wet and theres nothing for drainage and no holes in the pot. I noticed about two weeks or so later some leaves were turning yellow. I didnt think too much of it bcuz i know it can take a while for a plant to adjust to its new climate. But then they started falling off at a rate of several a day. Ive tried everything, i thought maybe it was getting too much water, i tried that. I tried giving it more water that didnt work either. I checked for bugs on the plant and in the soil, nothing. Cant find any fungus anywhere either. I dont give it fertilizer anymore or superthrive because everytime i try to feed it it makes it worse. Ive done everything i know to do from watering to lighting to feeding to temperature to everything in between. Its still doing this, it has been putting out new growth the whole time but its very small and imature. If i dont figure it out soon theres not going to be anything left on the tree and it may die. Can someone help please?

Thanks, Jake

Unfortunately, Fukien tea is widely sold, but it is not a good species for beginners, especially small specimens in the North. Where are you keeping it? For the winter, it will require a warm, very well lit, & probably humid location. Did you repot it into a pot with a drain hole, into bonsai soil?
Iris

i cant keep fkin tea trees alive either !! its the only species i have now given up on as our house doesnt have the humidity needed to keep them happy.

the above advice is very good, and if the tree is still hanging on worth trying, but if it dies dont lose heart - just dont buy another one ! go for a chinese elm next and you will succeed for sure.

good luck marcus

I've been doing Bonsai for 4 seasons now and I just graduated to Japanese Maples, I don't think I'll ever be good enough to try Fukien Tea.

I have read if they are moved even from one window to another they flip out and drop all their leaves. Just leave it alone now, no ferts, no nothing, just keep it evenly moist see if it lives. What you might be experiencing is a transplant shock, Iris is very correct these are Tricky and are too often sold as EZ beginners trees.
-Jay

I am also new to this sight.

I just started with bonsai so am a total rookie. I bought a Fukien tree not realizing they where not for begginers,

looking for some help. the first month I had it was doing great. now on the second month and not so good. the leaves
started getting white spots on them and now are drying and turning brown and falling off like crazy. I did have it under a grow
lamp and moved it to a south window. when I first moved it, it started getting little buds and look like it was going to flower,(never did)

now it is going bear with all leaves falling off, I have kept the soil moist and tried fertilizer but to no avail.
have moved it back to grow light yesterday, hoping that will help

any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
thanks
natalie

FT don't like changes in their environment - they need fairly constant temps, absolute min 50F, good humidity & light. I bought one 3 years ago, it lives permanently on my bathroom windowsill right by a SW facing window, the only 'problem' I have with it is it puts out too much new growth in summer and then needs constant pruning. It's in flower all year round and is one of my favourite trees.

Dave

I had the same problems described here with FT tree.  Research led me to three changes that turned things around- they like A LOT of light, and grow right up around the T5 fluorescent 6500K grow lights I switched to.  They like air movement, so they are the closest to the fan in my tropicals room.  They don't like to get as dry as my ficus trees, so I water them a little more often.

As stated, they can be finnicky.  I lost most of the leaves every winter for the first few years, until I started getting the right conditions.  Now they stay happy.  If you repotted this time of year, shock for a while is pretty certain(though you were smart to do it, since it wasn't well potted).  They like to be repotted in Summer, and they love heat and humidity.

They grow well from cuttings, btw.