Are the Leaves on your Bonsai Dry & Crispy?

If the leaves on your bonsai tree remain green, but are dry and crispy, then your bonsai could have dried out at some stage. Alternatively  or it is in such a hot position that water cannot be transferred from the roots to the leaves quickly enough. Dry crispy bonsai leaves are indicative for one of two things:

• The soil of your bonsai has dried out. The symptoms are usually very quick (ie. within 24 hours). The top of the bonsai is usually the worst affected because the top of the tree is furthest from the roots where any water is.
• The position where your bonsai tree is kept is too hot. Again the top of the tree will be worst affected and the leaves will go dry and crispy. The will feel papery in texture. The symptoms will be quick, but the soil may not have dried out. Essentially what has happened is it that your bonsai cannot translocate any water in the pot from the roots to the leaves quickly enough to prevent dehydration.

Both of these can unfortunately result in the death of the bonsai if total dehydration has occurred.

Is your bonsai still alive? – How to check.

To ascertain whether your bonsai is still alive, make a small cut on the trunk or branches in a couple of places. If there is a green layer (Cambium layer) just under the bark then it is still alive. A brown layer would suggest that it is sadly dead. Please do check in several places as it is normal to have ‘veins’ which are alive and some which show no evidence of green.
If there are still signs of life, then keep it cool and moist (just damp and not too wet) until new shoots appear. We recommend a bright position but out of direct sunlight. Be patient as this may take a long time (several weeks or months depending upon the time of year).

Misting the branches and twigs is good practice.

Our best advice, in addition to keeping the soil damp, is to mist the branches twice daily with water, to maintain humidity. Furthermore, if you have a garden please place any dry indoor bonsai outside in a sheltered semi shaded location. Please don’t forget its out there! It will still need to be kept damp.

If you ever notice that your bonsai has become too dry and the leaves have wilted please stand the bonsai in water. Ensure the water covers the entire pot for 10 minutes. This will evenly re-wet the entire root ball. Then return to checking the watering as normal and keep the soil damp. Please do not over-compensate by over-watering. If a bonsai dries out and drops its leaves it will actually need less water because it is not transpiring!

Don’t forget to mist your bonsai daily with water, this will aid the recovery and help maintain the humidity. It will also speed up the recovery process, so any new leaf buds should emerge more quickly.

Spotty Leaves On Your Bonsai Tree – Black Spots on Bonsai Leaves

Black Spot

Black spot is a fungal disease which affects the leaves.
On a bonsai this usually shows as small dark coloured spots on the leaves.
It is easy to treat but you will need to spray the foliage with a fungicide (available from garden centres).
It is important to repeat spray according to the instructions on the bottle.
If your bonsai does have black spot you will probably notice spots on all the leaves (new and old). If the spots are only on the old leaves please read on!

Old Leaves

Old leaves (ie not the new growing tips) frequently show small spots. These leaves will drop and new ones will replace them. This is just a sign of aging. If there are no spots on newer/younger foliage them I would suspect that this is the cause.

Red Spider Mite

Red Spider Mite is a very tiny pest, which is just visible with the naked eye but can go un-notiiced. It is the symptoms which normally become apparant in the first instance. Red Spider thrives in warm, dry conditions so rarely affects outdoor bonsai.
Bonsai affected by red spider mite tend to display a pale mottling on the leaves. If you look closely fine silk-like webbing and hanging leaves can also be seen.
Eventually a bonsai with red spider mite will start dropping leaves.
To treat for red spider mite we recommend that you spray twice weekly with plant invigorator. Spray to run off so that the leaves, branches, trunk and under the leaves are dripping. Repeat twice a week for 4 weeks and then return to using weekly.

Please keep in touch!

An eco-friendly bonsai tree from a small, independent UK business who are conscious about their sustainability and are helping to fight the fight for clean air.If you are unsure about which bonsai tree is best for you, for your gift, or you have any other queries, please contact us and one of our friendly team will get back to you. Make sure you sign up for our newsletter  (at the bottom of the page) for priority access to new products and exclusive offers. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Pinterest for behind the scenes, tutorials and lots of other care advice!

Yellowing leaves… .

..do not always mean that you have a problem. A number of trees, some evergreens included, have leaves which turn yellow at a certain time of the year. Autumn is, of course, when leaves on deciduous trees change colour and fall. Evergreens such as Chinese Elms and Serissas can change colour during and after the winter period. So how do you know if something is wrong?

Is your bonsai deciduous and if so, what time of year is it?

If it is not autumn or your bonsai is evergreen, which of the leaves are changing colour? Old leaves on the inside of the tree, new leaves throughout or both? It is quite common for trees, especially evergreens, to shed old leaves that are tired and replace them with new ones. If, however, all the leaves are turning including the new shoots, then there is a problem.

Please note:
A bonsai is a living work of art and seasonal changes can sometimes be experienced. Please do not be concerned if, within 2-3 weeks of delivery, your bonsai shows signs of yellowing or falling leaves (normally the older leaves and not the new growing tips). Not all bonsai exhibit these symptoms but it is not uncommon especially in Chinese Elms during early spring. Leaf drop is usually quickly followed by a growth period. Within a few weeks you should notice new bright green leaves starting to develop. These are often slightly larger in size but reduce with time and pruning.

Please keep in touch!

An eco-friendly bonsai tree from a small, independent UK business who are conscious about their sustainability and are helping to fight the fight for clean air.

If you are unsure about which bonsai tree is best for you, for your gift, or you have any other queries, please contact us and one of our friendly team will get back to you.

Make sure you sign up for our newsletter  (at the bottom of the page) for priority access to new products and exclusive offers. You can also find us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and Pinterest for behind the scenes, tutorials and lots of other care advice!