Difficulty with Serrisa

[novak]

Hi all,

I'm a complete novice to bonsai. However, my sister gave me a bonsai as a birthday present in late July; it's a Serrisa Foetida and I'd say that it would have been about a year old when she got it. The place where she bought it is a general nursery with a small section devoted to just bonsai.

Unfortunately, it seems to have died for no apparent reason. I'd followed the instructions it came with pretty much to the letter and when it started showing signs that it was under stress I tried everything to revive it. After the leaves had dropped off, I cut one of the branches to see the color of the cambium - very faded green, almost grey. The moss around the base of the trunk had also died.

Just as I was about to throw the whole thing out, I noticed (pic 2) that there was a tiny shoot beside the now dead tree coming up from the soil. It's been growing now for about two weeks. I'm not sure what to do though - I'm worried that whatever killed in the first place will eventually kill the sapling. I'm tempted to just pull the dead tree out and cut it off from the new part, or even just start from scratch with a cutting from a different tree.

I'd be grateful for any advice you could give me.

Here are the pics

[LLK]

Hi NovaK and welcome! The world of bonsai can be a frustrating one at times, and the Serissa has always contributed a good share to it. It's a popular plant with commercial bonsai growers, as it grows quickly and makes a charming little tree, especially when in flower. No wonder its common name is "tree of a thousand stars". Some people have quite a success with it, others not at all, and it's difficult to define what exactly causes the one or the other. However, most often the cause of a new bonsai dying in the hands of a newbie is overwatering of the little tree. Also, while the Serissa needs sun, it is also frost tender. It does best out of doors in a protected, frost-free spot, with morning sun. As to your little shoot, in your place I would remove it with as many roots as you can find, and put it in another small pot, with a good potting mix to which you add about a 30% of coarse river sand. Keep it moist, not wet, and pray.
Best wishes,

Lisa

[alpineart]

Hi NovaK , Welcome to Ausbonsai and the world of Bonsai in general .I have many serrisa Foetida's and they seem to be rather robust in my area .If this is a purchased trainer in a bonsai pot , check the soil for signs of Bond-crete .There is quite a few so called wholesalers that actually use bond-crete to hold the stones in place for transit purposes ,unfortunately when used it runs through the stones and into the soil where it set like concrete and glues the roots and soil together .This practice is widely used and unfortunately its buyer beware . I recieve or purchase many pots from nurseries that cant understand why their trainers die, Once pointed out the become quite disappointed and many have stopped stocking Bonsai Trainers because the loss outways the profit . Hope this info helps . Cheers Alpineart

[paddles]

I understand your pain, I kill serrissas regularly, however, the last one did similar to yours pushing up a shoot at the side of the old trunk, My suggestion is, plant it in the garden (somewhere protected from frost, since you are in melb) they make a lovely garden plant, and eventually, you might dig it back up one day to make into a bonsai again. in the meantime, join a local club, and welcome to the hobby!!!

[fae]

Great suggestion from puddles. After it starts to grow, take some cuttings as they strike easily.
They strike as easily as they die. Not a plant to form a life long attachment to.

Fiona

[novak]

Thanks for the advice, I think I might just plant the shoot in the garden and leave it there. Odd that it's not a plant to form a long attachment to. I would have thought that that's a huge part of the appeal for enthusiasts - investing all of that time and patience to grow a tree that will last for decades. So I certainly won't be in a hurry to grow another Serrisa.

I was thinking of taking a cutting from either a fig tree (apparently they're more forgiving of beginners) in the backyard or else from an oak tree in the local park.

[paddles]

if you join the local club, you will get advice, and access to cheep starters, many bonsai enthusiasts start with little, and end up with many. or you can walk into any nursery and purchase something like a trident maple starter (hard to kill) or (my current favourite) find someone with a plum tree, that has seedlings underneath (again, clubs are a great way to find this info)