Fukien Tea with Frostbite...

[Becky82]

Hi all. I received a Fukien Tea tree as a Christmas gift, but I believe it got frosted on the journey (I know it was left on the porch upon delivery . I have contacted the nursery it came from and was instructed to cut back all of the dead/dying leaves, but thought I would check in with you all for some input. The leaves are dry and not a "bright green" as the healthy ones down low are, they also have white spots on them. This is my first Bonsai, so any wisdom you have to share for a newbie is appreciated! I attempted to include a pic, but am not sure if I was successful.

 

[aml1014]

I'm sorry that this is your first experience. I'd remove all of the dead leaves as they instructed and get it into as much sun as you can. Be easy on the water until it shows signs of recovery. An easy way to monitor water is to stick a chopstick or BBQ skewer in the soil halfway between the pots edge and the trunk and pull it out once a day to see if it is damp, if so leave it alone, if dry then give it some water unail ithe drains from the bottom.
Welcome to the nuthouse!

Aaron

 

[Becky82]

I'm sorry that this is your first experience. I'd remove all of the dead leaves as they instructed and get it into as much sun as you can. Be easy on the water until it shows signs of recovery. An easy way to monitor water is to stick a chopstick or BBQ skewer in the soil halfway between the pots edge and the trunk and pull it out once a day to see if it is damp, if so leave it alone, if dry then give it some water unail ithe drains from the bottom.
Welcome to the nuthouse!

Aaron

Thank you Aaron! I am super excited about it and have faith it will come around and be just lovely. I want to make sure I give "him" all the best opportunities to thrive.
-Becky

 

[aml1014]

Thank you Aaron! I am super excited about it and have faith it will come around and be just lovely. I want to make sure I give "him" all the best opportunities to thrive.
-Becky

I never lose faith I'm my trees, I've gotten good at telling when they die but I used to keep them around a long time to make sure, many times they came back, sometimes not. So don't lose faith, but don't be torn if it doesn't make it. Stick around here for awhile and learn, you'll progress very quickly I promise.

Anyone who has done this for a few years can admit to their fair share of dead trees. Hell, I even have an area called "the burn pile" and I've been at it for 3 years seriously (5 years not reading or doing research).

Aaron

 

[sorce]

5 years down the road you will thank your package deliverer for killing off that top for you!

What can Brown do for you?

Give you the opportunity to style a better tree!

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[aml1014]

5 years down the road you will thank your package deliverer for killing off that top for you!

What can Brown do for you?

Give you the opportunity to style a better tree!

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

Basically what I did to this one
Lop off the top 5/6 of the tree and repot into something smaller

Aaron

 

[Underdog]

I got nearly the same tree shipped to Ohio from Florida about 3 weeks ago. It was very cold too but not as bad as yours. Mine has been dropping leaves daily. So much so I've been using the vacuum cleaner to suck them off the tree. Almost all original leaves are now gone but it has been replacing them quickly with shiny new smaller leaves.

I wouldn't rush to remove them as they will remove themselves soon enough.

 

[sorce]

nearly the same tree

My grandma had old steel cookie cutters.
Not sure if I can smell the new plastic ones....or if it's the cookies.....

Sorce

 

[Underdog]

It was a gift as well

 

[Solange]

My grandma had old steel cookie cutters.
Not sure if I can smell the new plastic ones....or if it's the cookies.....

Sorce

If you find yourself confusing plastic smell with cookie smell it may be a stroke!

 

[sorce]

If you find yourself confusing plastic smell with cookie smell it may be a stroke!

That would suck.

It just smells like cookie cutter up in here!

And it ain't even broccoli flavored!

At least OP got a new head start!

Sorce