Bonsai ID & mold??

wakeboarder · White Belt Joined: 13 Feb 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Ontario

Hi,
I just got a bonsai tree from home depot about a month ago. I don't know what type it is, although from the research I've tried to do my best guess is some kind of ficus. However I am likely wrong. If anyone could help ID it, it would be much appreciated.
I don't think doing too well - a few leaves have fallen off, including one that was fairly new & small. Also, there have been 2 small leaves so far which turned black then fell off - apparently this means it has fungus? Again, any help would be greatly appreciated, I really want the little guy to make it!

It lives on my desk about a foot away from a west facing window - I leave the blinds open all day, but never open the window in the winter. I've been watering it most days, but if the top of the soil feels damp at all I don't water it. My room is usually around 21.5C according to the thermostat.

Here are some pictures:
http://img230.imageshack.us/img230/6457/bonsaipg2.th.jpg
http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/8255/bonsai2gk7.th.jpg
sorry for the terrible quality, I don't have a proper camera (only my phone).

I should also mention that I am in university, it is midterm time, and I have no car, so I can't really go get anything for it or do anything extremely time-consuming for awhile.

Thanks in advance!

jimothy · Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 8:08 am Post subject: Re: Bonsai ID & mold??

When I click on the links I only get thumbnail images, rather than full size - perhaps you could check the code for the full-size ones?

However, I can see enough to know that it's no ficus - they don't have big flowers like that!

The dropping leaves are most likely due to a sudden change in conditions - make sure you keep it in a humid, relatively cool, and well-lit position until we can see those bigger pics and id it for you properly.

wakeboarder · White Belt Joined: 13 Feb 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Ontario

You're right, I posted the wrong links. Here are the full-size images, although they are still quite bad quality. http://img85.imageshack.us/img85/8895/bonsai3hc4.jpg
http://img227.imageshack.us/img227/5595/bonsai1cc0.jpg
It's kind of hard to tell from those, but the flowers basically look like 3 pink leaves sort of curled into each other. When I first got it, they were kind of tight/the 3 were close together, but they have opened up since then. There are 3 little prongs inside each flower.
Hope this helps.

jimothy · Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 4:09 pm Post subject: Re: Bonsai ID & mold??

Ah!

it's a bougainvillea.

It's a climbing, mediterranean plant, so will probably need to be kept indoors overwinter in canada.

Having said that, it really doesn't want to be anywhere too warm at this time, as too much warmth without enough sunlight will cause it to grow "leggy" - spindly and weak. Try to keep it in the coolest (but still frost-free) location possible, whilst giving it the maximum in terms of direct sunlight.

Keep the soil BARELY moist just watering often enough to stop it drying out completely.

In the spring, you'll want to put it outside where it can soak up the sun properly.

wakeboarder · White Belt Joined: 13 Feb 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Ontario

A quick wiki search on bougainvillea looks like a perfect match - I hope mine eventually becomes as nice as the pictures on there!

Anyway, I'll start leaving it right by the windowsill and watering less often.
Should I be worried about the blackened leaves? I saw somewhere that black leaves means fungus - this would make sense considering I had been watering it every day. I guess I'll see if it keeps happening when I water it less often.

Thanks so much for your help!

jimothy · Posted: Wed Feb 13, 2008 7:11 pm Post subject: Re: Bonsai ID & mold??

Whilst black spot on leaves may indicate the presence of some sort of fungus, it's not due to you overwatering - this causes rotting of the roots, followed by shrivelling and browning of the foliage as the tree struggles to get enough moisture from the soil.

Black on the leaves MAY be sooty mould, and if this is the case, then it's often a secondary condition caused by scale or mealy bugs.

A good, close-up, IN FOCUS (use your camers's "macro" mode if it has one) photograph of one of the offending leaves (both sides) may allow us to diagnose a problem.

wakeboarder · White Belt Joined: 13 Feb 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Ontario

Actually I threw out both the black leaves, and I don't have a real camera(only my camera phone). But if more leaves turn black, I'll try to borrow a camera and post pics.
Thanks again

wakeboarder · White Belt Joined: 13 Feb 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Ontario

Hi again -
Last night one of the flowers fell off, and when I looked at it, I noticed that the 3 prongs in the middle were all sort of twisted and sort of shriveled up at the end - is this normal?
The other flower has the same sort of thing happening, but to a lesser extent.
Also, I saw somewhere on the internet that I should cut off fading blooms - should I do anything now that it fell off?
Thanks

TB420 · Posted: Thu Mar 06, 2008 4:03 am Post subject: Re: Bonsai ID & mold??

Remove the base of the flower where the petals were attached. If it got pollinated it will make seeds. You don't want that, you want it to grow.

Tom

wakeboarder · White Belt Joined: 13 Feb 2008 Posts: 6 Location: Ontario

So I'm back, not for the best of reasons though.
My bonsai seems to be dying. It started to flower a lot about a week ago, but since then almost all the leaves have turned pale & fallen off.
I have no idea what to do, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Surrey John · Posted: Tue Apr 15, 2008 8:06 am Post subject: Re: Bonsai ID & mold??

Wakeborder - I think everyone reading your posts will be sympathising with you at this moment. We have all at some time or another had to stand by helplessly and watch one of our trees seem to fail, and it isn't a good feeling, so<