Brush Cherry (Syzygium Australe) getting dry foliage

[Insect]

Hi,
3 weeks ago I bought a brush cherry from Bonsai Outlet in the mail. It came with 10% of inner leaves crispy, and plenty of outer growth. It began to drop more inner leaves, yet still grow, and drink a lot of water despite having organic soil. Last night I pass hands thru it and 50% of the leaves are crispy and come off. I contacted vendor 2 weeks ago, they said it was normal, just a worse progression now of same issues.
I have misted foliage, and all water used on tree is distilled, zero fertilizer, as when bought the tree looked like it had a lot of fertilizer as blue encrustments along soil. Branches are whitish dry, leaves had some whitish residue (when received), and otherwise it does have lush foliage and drinks a lot of water. I have begun misting leaves a little in the evenings.

Is it going to live? Ideas?

 

[Carol 83]

It's normal to lose leaves after shipping. If it's putting on new leaves, as you say, that's a good sign. You should clean up all of those dead leaves off of the soil, and maybe keep it in the shade to recover.

 

[penumbra]

I'd say that it is just shocked a bit and adjusting to new conditions. The problem I have with this plant is that it was a magnet for mealy bugs. I had 3 of them and they were not close to one another but they all got it. I have hundreds of plants that are clean and it is nearly time to group them inside so I trashed the smaller ones and the larger one will probably stay out in the cold.
Just saying, keep an eye on yours. BTW, it looks more like calcium than fertilizer build up.
Best of luck.

 

[Insect]

OK, thanks!
I do have what I feel are fungus gnats on it's soil already. So, 1mm long, translucent, and rectangular form when walking (no angled wings, antennae, spider legs, none of that). I have to describe with words, as they are smaller than anything a macro lens could catch. I've had these before on other trees, when moisture drops, they do too. The quandry, this plant drinks a lot, but bugs hang out in the soil. I think penumbra is right, maybe a bug propensity?
I like the tree's form, I have cherry trees along driveway, I like the look and workability of the specimen, but since few vendors sell as bonsai, maybe this is what they call a clue... I'll update in a couple of weeks; this is likely an excuse for me to buy some Neem Oil for purging them.
Below are picts from 9-4-19 when I notified the vendor. See the stuff caked on the trunk? Too much mineral for me.

 

[Forsoothe!]

Sounds like you have this tree in an exposure very unlike the vendor's. It should be outside in bright light or direct sun. Tell us where you are keeping this tree?

 

[Insect]

All my trees are indoors, AC to about 76F, under grow lights (about 1000lux for 12h) The quandry is... Can I use light as a catalyst to grow faster than it sheds? Or is it now a 'sick tree' and should be in gentle light indoors?

I don't understand outdoor bonsai, perhaps someone can share with me: I live in central VA next to a mountain, wind conditions here reach 60mph about 1x a year and 40mph much more often. No bonsai of any mass or shape would stay put for long. How would someone put such a tree outside?

 

[Forsoothe!]

Most of us are flatlanders and we tie them to the benches if necessary. 60 mph is enough to blow my benches over, so I guess I would have lots on the ground with wind-breaks. Basically, you do whatever it takes. It's kinda late in the season to transition a tree from a flatlander nursery to anywhere else because there isn't much of a growing season left to re-grow a new top. From now on, buy trees is spring where you can take advantage of the normal spring growth and still expect that your situation is always going to be problematic because it is so different from typical vendor's conditions. Put it in your situation and treat it like it's going to live, it should make an attempt to re-foliate.

 

[Shima]

This syzygium wants to be outside in the sun and moving air. Known as Lilly Pilly in Australia, it can be cut back hard and will back-bud well. Wetting the leaves in the evening is an invitation to all kinds of problems. I don't have a recent shot but this one was thought to be a bottle brush it's 1st 70+ years. Growing wild and untrained at the moment.

 

[Insect]

Nice one there, Shima.

I found mine to be languishing in the same way, so I repotted it. I found a root bound condition. Roots were even climbing under the drain screens, and those perimeter roots were pretty detached from the central region. I suppose the vendor sold it to me like this. New soil is inorganic + woodchips, and roots had to lose the perimeter band of roots. I hope this points it in the right direction. We shall see!

 

[Insect]

Update, 1 year later. This tree is in good condition. It started to come back early spring indoors, then it lived outside a lot in the summer. I just brought it back in, it's doing great. A switch to collected rainwater seems to have helped all my trees also.
There were a number of very low branches, I got rid of them, to make it an upright tree style.