Carmona bonsai help!!!

Slf1

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My carmona bonsai has no leaves at all, have all dropped off, slightly little white blooms but that’s about it! I think it’s dying! It gets good light, however it’s took a dramatic change since the weather change… can someone help!
 

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Leo in N E Illinois

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Yikes, its dead, or nearly dead.
Sorry to bear bad news.

Keep pot in sun, and keep moist for another month, just in case there is a spark of life left. Do not fertilize. At this point bug spray is pointless. If no sign of life. Pitch plant and potting media. Wash pot in hot water before reuse.
 

Slf1

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It still has blossoms of tiny tiny leaves and little white blossoms so I’m keeping hope! I have bonsai focus should I not use that? Can you elaborate pitch plant and potting media?
 

jandslegate

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It still has blossoms of tiny tiny leaves and little white blossoms so I’m keeping hope! I have bonsai focus should I not use that? Can you elaborate pitch plant and potting media?
If, after the given amount of time, there are no signs of life dispose of the plant, it's soil and wash the container thoroughly to eliminate the possibility of a pest or disease spreading to any other plants. Basically just precautions to sterilize the environment if it's unclear what effected the Carmona.
 

Slf1

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I’ll see how it goes for now.. thankyou for the advice!
 

penumbra

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I think it is alive but sulking. If the stem tips are green it would be good to have it in a proper bonsai mix. They do tend to suffer from root rot. Most people here hate them and cannot keep them alive. I rather like them despite the tendency to have periods when they appear untidy. I had four but lost one because it developed root rot. It would be helpful to know more about how you are keeping it. This might determine what went wrong.
The one below was started from a cutting 4 years ago.
IMG_6833.JPG
 

jandslegate

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I think it is alive but sulking. If the stem tips are green it would be good to have it in a proper bonsai mix. They do tend to suffer from root rot. Most people here hate them and cannot keep them alive. I rather like them despite the tendency to have periods when they appear untidy. I had four but lost one because it developed root rot. It would be helpful to know more about how you are keeping it. This might determine what went wrong.
The one below was started from a cutting 4 years ago.
View attachment 463413
They do like to sulk, lol. Mine shed a few leaves when it came inside. Not a ton, but enough to make me nervous. It seems to be happy again and pushing out shoots faster than I expected. So, OP, it's still worth holding out hope it bounces back.

One thing I'm curious about is the mention of flowers. If the tree is in a state of stress would it be more beneficial to remove flowers for the sake of energy or simply leave it be to recover in it's own. I'm not as experienced with Carmona (1 for 2 record) so I didn't want to give bad advice that could end up doing more harm than good.
 

penumbra

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It looks like it is pushing small leaves with the flowers. A close up photo is needed to know for certain.
 

Slf1

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They do like to sulk, lol. Mine shed a few leaves when it came inside. Not a ton, but enough to make me nervous. It seems to be happy again and pushing out shoots faster than I expected. So, OP, it's still worth holding out hope it bounces back.

One thing I'm curious about is the mention of flowers. If the tree is in a state of stress would it be more beneficial to remove flowers for the sake of energy or simply leave it be to recover in it's own. I'm not as experienced with Carmona (1 for 2 record) so I didn't want to give bad advice that could end up doing more harm than good.
They do like to sulk, lol. Mine shed a few leaves when it came inside. Not a ton, but enough to make me nervous. It seems to be happy again and pushing out shoots faster than I expected. So, OP, it's still worth holding out hope it bounces back.

One thing I'm curious about is the mention of flowers. If the tree is in a state of stress would it be more beneficial to remove flowers for the sake of energy or simply leave it be to recover in it's own. I'm not as experienced with Carmona (1 for 2 record) so I didn't want to give bad advice that could end up doing more harm than good.
I think it is alive but sulking. If the stem tips are green it would be good to have it in a proper bonsai mix. They do tend to suffer from root rot. Most people here hate them and cannot keep them alive. I rather like them despite the tendency to have periods when they appear untidy. I had four but lost one because it developed root rot. It would be helpful to know more about how you are keeping it. This might determine what went wrong.
The one below was started from a cutting 4 years ago.
View attachment 463413
I’m keeping it facing south from a window, it’s gone like this since the weather has changed I’d say start of November I check it every morning for dead leaves and remove them. I water it once every two weeks, I currently purchased bonsai focus which is diluted with water( haven’t used yet) I was thinking maybe it’s sulking because of not a lot of sunlight.. I can see from your photo you have some sort of light, can this be purchased online?
 

penumbra

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Light is good but a south facing window is good too. The one in the picture I showed has been under t5 fluorecent lights for four years and has never seen sunlight. If it is next to a window it could have gotten too cold. If you post your location in your profile it would help with the advice you receive.
 

Arnold

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The problem as always with those Carmonas malsais is the substrate, that awful mud they came ends killing them, either is too dry or too wet
 

Slf1

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Light is good but a south facing window is good too. The one in the picture I showed has been under t5 fluorecent lights for four years and has never seen sunlight. If it is next to a window it could have gotten too cold. If you post your location in your profile it would help with the advice you receive.
With the weather getting cold that’s when I noticed a big change to the tree, in regards to keeping it warm but getting good light is tricky!
 

Slf1

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Little update on the bonsai!
It still blooming and creating new leaves!
Think it’s just upset because of the winter..
I have noticed how dry it becomes very quickly! Do I water it more often? Tia
 

jandslegate

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Little update on the bonsai!
It still blooming and creating new leaves!
Think it’s just upset because of the winter..
I have noticed how dry it becomes very quickly! Do I water it more often? Tia
Ideally water as needed as opposed to on a schedule. So if the soil is legit dry then water. A humidifier will also help get things indoors through especially in winter when the heat comes on and the air is dry.
 
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