Help. I think my serissa is dying

Amit

Hi all.

I really hope you can help me with my serissa which I was given as a birthday gift a few months ago

I have had it about 4 months now and has been on a gradual decline since I got it.

I have tried different positions and different watering techniques too.

I have attached pictures of its current state. It currently lives on my hall way table in front of a window where it gets good light.

There is a radiator opposite but its hasn't been on.

Basically the leaves are turning black and shriveling up. Not only old leaves, but tiny new shoots too. 3 of the branches have lost all growth and haven’t had new buds at all.. and another 2 seem to be on the way out.

I am almost positive its not over watering.. I stick my finger into the granules at the edge of the root ball and only water when the peat feels barely moist. I have a 1 liter watering can and generally use half to two thirds of the can per water.. and at the moment it works out to a watering about every 3-4 days. I also mist the tree every now and again.

I have tried spray the plant with fungicides a couple of times but no change.

About a month a go.. I did try the immersion method of watering and after a while.. I found a tiny slug like creature and two tiny (about 5mm) snail near the base of the tree.. but I got rid of those and haven’t seen anything like it since.. I don’t know how they got there as the tree has always been in doors so I can only assume they were in there from when the tree was shipped.

Also around the same time.. there was a white fluffy fungus growing on the granules.. but that also seems to have gone now.

Below are a whole load of pics of the tree and its location.

Is there any way to make this tree recover? Is there maybe a bonsai expert near ruislip west london that could take a look at it?

Thanks
Amit

http://www.c4ppy.net/bonsai/bonsai001.jpg

http://www.c4ppy.net/bonsai/bonsai002.jpg

http://www.c4ppy.net/bonsai/bonsai003.jpg

http://www.c4ppy.net/bonsai/bonsai004.jpg

http://www.c4ppy.net/bonsai/bonsai005.jpg

http://www.c4ppy.net/bonsai/bonsai006.jpg

http://www.c4ppy.net/bonsai/bonsai007.jpg

http://www.c4ppy.net/bonsai/bonsai008.jpg

http://www.c4ppy.net/bonsai/bonsai009.jpg

Stymie

Amit hi!.
Try to give it more light and humidity but don't keep moving it around because they rebel against that. Leave any fertilizer alone for the moment. There's an article at the top of this forum which might help. You are not the only person on here having problems with Serissa but when it is settled to a regime that it likes, you may be rewarded with a nice tree.

Amit

Stymie thanks for your help.

I read the sticky before I posted.. and I have read pretty much every serissa related thread on the internet Razz

Re more light.. the last few nights.. I have been leaving the hall light on at night but doesnt seem to be having much effect..

Also I dont really move it at all.. only twice in the last couple of months and that was only a trip to the kitchen and back to try immersion watering..

Every thing I have read suggests that leaves turning black is to do with over watering.. but I cant be over watering it so am wondering if there could be anything else at foot?

Maybe some sort of pest problem or disease?

also brand new shots with leaves only a couple of mm in size are also turning black and shriveling up... not just existing leaves.

Lastly the lower branches that have lost their leaves and have been that way for a couple of months now.. will they ever re bud? or are they dead and therefore need chopping off?

I have noticed the tree producing a reasonable amount of suckers which I chop off as soon as I see them.

Amit

emorrin

Regarding lighting, the hallway light will have little to no effect. One suggestion is to use fluorescent lighting as supplementary lighting. You can use an ordinary lamp and buy a Compact Fluorescent Light (CFL) to replace an ordinary incandescent light bulb. The trick is to have the light only a few inches from the plant. Fluorescent light bulbs do not emit allot of heat so it is safe to do safe. Many people use 4 foot fluorescent light tubes to provide such lighting. I have provided a link below with additional info.

http://www.bonsaihunk.us/info/IndoorLight.html

Serissas are notorious for having problems. It seems if you breath on them wrong, they will drop their leaves. The trick is finding the right environment for it (i.e. right amount of light, position, temp, humidity, etc.). Once you figure this out, a Serissa is easy to care for.

graham

Hi mate,if the tree is producing suckers,i'd hazard a guess that theres die back in the branches...have you done a scratch test?
I cant think of any bonsai nursery's near to you...only one at worpleston,nr guildford.

Crazeegang

Looking at your pictures I would say that doesn't look like enough light. There is a fence outside that window that will be blocking some of the light. Can you place it in better natural light?

Have you repotted the tree or did it come as it is? It looks from the picture that it has been repotted recently. If so then this could be causing the problems. The tree will shed new growth if the roots have been trimmed too much.

Can't suggest much else as I had no luck with my serissa but I now suspect mine didn't have enough light as it was in a window that was always in the shade.

Regards

Toni

Carol · Posted: Thu Jul 24, 2008 2:58 am Post subject: Help. I think my serissa is dying

Hello, Amit, and welcome.

It might also help if you can provide some extra humidity. Try finding a tray or similar appreciably larger than the pot, fill the tray with gravel, stones, marbles, whatever and fill with water to just below the level of the stones. Sit