AusBonsai

Hi guys,
I have just purchased this Tree of a Thousand Stars, and just wanted some advice regarding the types of conditions they prefer, how often to feed them, and so on.
Also, any suggestions for the type of style that would suit my plant would be great, I was thinking maybe broom style but have heard this is hard to achieve?
Thanks for your help

Hi, Serissa, (tree of a thousand stars) are a very pretty little tree, they are a tropical, so if you have frosts etc, it is good to winter them at least inside, they do not like wet soil, nor should you allow them to dry out. slightly moist soil is best. in my experiance, they don't put out rampant roots, so don't require repotting every year.

there are others who have more experiance with serissa (my experiance is mainly in killing them)

broom style is no harder to do than any other style, so enjoy, and if you do kill it, don't let it put you off.

Hi Lenny
I have one Serrisa. Came out of the garden when I moved in. I think it is a cultivar of S. foetida (stinks when messed around), but looks a beaut. Mine is kept free-form, with various exposed roots and a generally clumped arrangement of stems. I like to haunted forest look - nothing classical about it!

It's a double white. Been in a pot for nearly 30 years. Outdoors all the time and survives frosts down to at least -5C (ground frozen solid in pot).
Usual fertiliser regime produces good, dark green growth and plenty of flowers.

foetid (foetida), Latin for stink I think.

Serrisa likes to be watered and fed, I have had one in a pot on death row (the shelf that gets little more than a passing glimpse) but I decided to put it closer to the house and give it heaps of food, it is loving me for it. They are fairly easy to look after and will make great specimens for informal upright or as Roger suggested, the haunted forest look as they do ground layer easily.
Pot it up a few sizes and enjoy mate.

Damian Bee wrote:foetid (foetida), Latin for stink I think.

Serissa foetida derives its name from the fetid smell of its bark and roots when they are crushed or cut. Foetida is literally 'foul-smelling' in Latin.

Source: http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Serissa.html

Thanks for the advice guys! I appreciate it a lot. Hopefully with this crazy Melbourne weather it fares okay...!
Is there any particular type of fertiliser that is highly recommended? 'cause I know you can get liquid ones, pallets, etc. I think I've heard Seasol (I think that's it, the seaweed one?) is pretty good? Any types I should avoid?

I have trialed Seamungus which is a pelletised all rounder on my plants and was pretty happy with the results but if you are going to buy it, just spend the thirty odd bucks and get the big bucket or if you only have a couple of trees, get the small one.
Just for the record, Seasol is not really a fertiliser but more of a tonic and growth promoter, it is mostly potassium that your plants will get from it, still good stuff though.

I'm not sure where i read it but i seem to recall something about how serissa has two main colours for flowers, the pink and the white. I seem to remember hearing that the white grows a lot quicker than the pink. Has anyone heard anything about this
I have a small training white serissa that had a large exposed root section. I was told to pot it deeper and cover the roots to get them thicker. I hadn't touched mine for about 5 months and it was sprouting and back budding all over the place and really wild on top too. They do love to explode, even from exposed roots.

My Serrisa had pink flowers in spring, but now they are totaly white.
They are still forming as pink buds, but the open ones are now white as snow.

A question though, is it to late in the year to repot a serissa?
I am in brisbane ans we have just started our really hot weather.

Stewart_Toowoomba wrote:I'm not sure where i read it but i seem to recall something about how serissa has two main colours for flowers, the pink and the white. I seem to remember hearing that the white grows a lot quicker than the pink. Has anyone heard anything about this

Hi Stewart, nice avatar

Serrisa does have those two colours but there is also a variegated form which is a good grower too.

Hi i got one of these today he was sick so i took him home to make him flourish
and found this website to http://www.bonsai4me.com/SpeciesGuide/Serissa.html might be of some use

Hi Lenny, I've had a varigated serrisa for about five years, collected from a shady spot in a previous garden and has always had white flowers. I've found it's a fairly tolerant species (got neglected early on surviving on minimal water), but dosen't like direct sun, I've always kept in shade (some even suggest indoors?) and watered same as my other bonsai, and potted generously to stimulate growth. growth can get a bit leggy, but regular trimming creates denser, bushier growth. Hope this helps

Ryan

Ive had one for 3 years i let it grow wild for 2 years Ive had no trouble with it what so ever. Ive trimmed it back about 3 weeks ago and it looks nice . Lots of pellets i use to feed mine and the flowers are purple. Maybe now is the time to give the trunk some movement. They bend quiet well