Have I killed ficus bonsai?!

[Krystal]

I kind of took over looking after my bf's ficus bonsai because it was looking a bit sad, sitting in his kitchen in the dark.

A couple of months ago we repotted it in the same pot but I gave it a mix of potting mix and peat moss (or sphagnum?).
We then put it in the bathroom, where there is heaps of bright, indirect light. It got a tiny bit of fertiliser and some seaweed extract. It exploded in growth, literally doubled in leaf number (I counted).

Then after about 5 weeks the leaves began to yellow and fall off. I panicked and thought maybe we repotted it too low, because the bottom of the trunks looked soft and wet. So I took it out and raised the soil level a bit. That was a couple of weeks ago.

Since then it is literally down to it's last green leaf. I am devastated and feeling so guilty because I thought I was making it better for my bf. I've moved it back to it's original place in the kitchen.

Additionally, I water it thoroughly about once a week, by putting it in a sink and flushing it with water. I try not to water it until the soil is almost dry.

Today, I squeezed one part of the trunk. It feels a little spongey. Another trunk feels firm and normal. I have noticed a kind of fluff on another trunk, like the trunk has fluffed up.

I would immensely appreciate any advice on how to hopefully salvage the tree.

[Brian]

I would say by your description that its been water logged and has root rot.

[marleey73]

Sounds like it has been tortured to death poor thing.

[Sno]

Hi Krystal . Sounds like to much water . If it were mine I would repot it into a more open potting mix ie something like a cactus mix that has no sphagnum moss .when you repot remove any black rotting roots but try to leave as many roots on it as possible . If you have a place outside that is dappled shade grow it there till it puts on new leaves then slowly over a couple of weeks introduce to more sun . Once it has recovered the more light it gets the better . The trick is not to overwater it , as a general rule let the potting mix nearly dry out (just damp) between watering it . This can vary due to many reasons ie how much light ,how big the tree is etc so it's up to you to work out .The spongey bits may probably die off so be prepared to cut that off before it spreads to the rest of the plant . When you grow it inside the more light the better . Hope this helps a bit .
Cheers Craig

[Ray M]

Hi Krystal,
Your fig is waterlogged. You could try the following to see if you can save it. Make some new soil ready to repot the tree. You can use the potting mix, but do not mix any peat moss or sphagnum moss into the mix. Purchase some Scotts Orchid Potting Mix, and mix this with your potting mix. Mix it at a ratio of 50/50.

Remove the tree out of the pot and wash off all the existing soil. Have a close look at the trunks. If one of them appears to be dead/rotted, remove that trunk.

Repot the tree with the new mix. If you can put the tree outside in a shaded area for a while to see if it will recover would be very helpful for the tree. Do not fertilize the tree. If you plant it in the new mix you can water it every day. Give it a water with Seasol a few times a week. The ratio for the Seasol is 25ml per 9 litre of water. If you mix 3ml into 1 litre that will work well. Only mix enough Seasol to use, don't store mixed Seasol. Once you have new growth you can then use some liquid fertilizer, like Charlie Carp or Powerfeed.

Once you see the tree is recovering and there is new growth you can move it out into more sun.

Hope it recovers for you.

Regards Ray

[Bougy Fan]

Everything that Ray said. Remember it is a tree that has to live outside - generally speaking you can take a bonsai inside for a week in every month. When you have it in a proper mix that is not holding too much water you can learn how to water it properly. Good luck

[Brian]

I think half the problem has been not enough sunlight. Perhaps take the advice listed above and leave it outside in semi shade for a few weeks to recover.

[kcpoole]

All of the above will not help.

Check out this wiki Page for some help https://www.ausbonsai.com.au/wiki/index. ... ai_healthy

Ken