Fukien Tea Yellowing Leaves

[GarlR]

I'm not exactly what I should do. The leaves just starting turning yellow (on some of leaves, not that many)

I've read a lot, and apparently it could be:

Overwatering
Underwatering
Pests
Fungi
Not enough minerals in soil
Too old soil
Root rot
Starting to see signs of stress from shipping it. (I've had it for about a week now)

Now I haven't had the chance to pick up some chopsticks, which I will try to get soon to help see if it is under/over watered. The soil seems pretty packed hard. I haven't heard from the ebay store that I sent a message about to see when it has been last potted. The soil drains pretty fast, it seems.

I removed a tiny cottonball web looking thing from between a cluster of branches. So far, I haven't seen any pests. However, I have yet to take a piece of white paper (I don't have any) to shake the branches and look under a bright light to see if I see any tiny pests.

The leaves looks like it had some white stuff on it, but when I sprayed some water, and rubbed it, it came off. So not sure if it is fungal.

The problem might stim from over/under watering, but my main concern is perhaps the soil. Should I try to repot it (I'd like to keep it in the same pot) with some new soil so I can look at the roots for root rot, or trim them if necessary? Or should I try some fertilizer? (Again I do not know the last time it was fertilized)

The soil looks mostly organic (its packed pretty tight, and I didn't want to inadventertly stress out the tree by digging in the soil, so I don't know the entire soil mix, but it has some crushed red lava rocks on top of the soil)

So, any ideas? Thanks! (Also I do not have any pictures. I doubt I will be able to get any tonight or tomorrow)

Disclaimer: Yes, I know it is harder to water small bonsai (5 inch or less) and 5 inch long containers, and a fussy type of tree. (It was only $27) So I know that I got myself into a tricky situation.

 

[stacy allen muse]

??????????????

 

[GarlR]

with all due respect, this is like the fifth My Fukien Tea leaves are yellowing thread this week...
can guarantee you will find your answer on the other 4...

Ha. But let me see if they are the same....as they might not be.

 

[stacy allen muse]

?????????????

 

[GarlR]

It is an indoor Fukien tea. Yeah yeah, I know there isn't such thing as an indoor bonsai.

I do have a T5 HO bulb over it though.

 

[GarlR]

I really couldn't find anything. I think I will just try to get a chopstick, and see how it goes.

If it dies, it dies. I think repotting it when it is already stressed is probably a bad idea.

 

[stacy allen muse]

??????????????

 

[GarlR]

(I saw those posts, but thanks for trying heh)
Post 1 doesn't help because....

He kept it at 50 degrees (a no no), took 2 weeks for soil to dry (a no no, and mine only takes a day or two for the top to dry...again no chopsticks, and don't wanna mess with soil with the tree being stressed...hard packed soil too)

So I don't think that really answers my question.

Post 2 doesn't help that much because....

Dario just said it is underwatering if the leaves become not waxy and wilt. Mine are still waxy.
They are still shiny, but just yellow. (Only about 4-5, but seems like there are more yellows than there were yesterday)

Hopefully this helps. I looked a lot of other fukien tea posts, and really didn't get the answer I was looking for.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Ok....since you keep asking, here is the secret to Fukein Teas that we save for special occasions....

ready?

Fukien Tea SUCK as bonsai when they get 3 miles outside their indigenous area. For exactly the reasons you have culled out of the other threads and listed in the OP. Plain and simple.

More? Most people SUCK at keeping trees that belong outside somewhere else, indoors. Also for the reasons you have listed. There are exceptions, of course. Perhaps you will be the third one.

The good news? This lesson appears to have only cost you $27...so far. And, in your area, there should be plenty of other options available that can provide an easier path to success outdoors, like tridents, hornbeams, Chinese Elm. Good luck.

 

[stacy allen muse]

????????????

 

[coh]

Ok....since you keep asking, here is the secret to Fukein Teas that we save for special occasions....

ready?

Fukien Tea SUCK as bonsai when they get 3 miles outside their indigenous area. For exactly the reasons you have culled out of the other threads and listed in the OP. Plain and simple.

More? Most people SUCK at keeping trees that belong outside somewhere else, indoors. Also for the reasons you have listed. There are exceptions, of course. Perhaps you will be the third one.

The good news? This lesson appears to have only cost you $27...so far. And, in your area, there should be plenty of other options available that can provide an easier path to success outdoors, like tridents, hornbeams, Chinese Elm. Good luck.

That seems to sum it up pretty well! I haven't grown fukien tea (and probably never will), but everything I've heard paints it as a difficult subject.

If you can't find evidence of an infestation, I think you have to assume the plant is reacting to the stress of (1) shipping, and (2) changing environment. It was probably grown in a greenhouse with lots of light and humidity...now it's on a table in a dry house under a single fluorescent light. It's probably going to drop most or all of its leaves. This is not unusual with tropicals...I purchased 2 willow leaf ficuses last fall and basically all the leaves yellowed and dropped within a couple of weeks. They both struggled through the winter, but came back to life during the summer. And they still look pretty good now that they've been in the house for a month or so.

Best advice would be to be very careful of the watering until the plant produces new leaves - it won't be using much water until then. Good luck...

Chris

 

[C.A. Young]

To start, I just want to register my disagreement about the comment that fukes suck as bonsai. I have a 20 year old specimen, a 40 year old specimen and a 65 year old specimen, and they spend seven months of the year indoors (I live in Canada; I think that's more than 3 miles out of their native habitat), and they thrive.

Here's something surprising though: every fall October - December, each one begins flowering heavily and shedding its oldest leaves, which turn yellow and fall off. So, to answer your question, though Fukes are evergreen, they do occasionally shed older less efficient leaves, and on healthy trees this process is often seasonal and the leaves turn bright yellow then fall. Moreover, if your tree's been repotted recently, you can expect some yellowing lost leaves.

You mentioned that you saw some whitish fluff on the leaves when you first got it. While I can't be sure without seeing the tree, this could be mealy bugs or some kind of wooly aphid. If this is the case, it will need to be dealt with. Here's how. First, go online and find yourself a systemic insecticide containing imidacloprid. A solution of 2.25% will be perfect. Ortho's got such a product and it comes in granules, so it works well in bonsai soil. Next, add the product (a teaspoon should do it) and baby your plant. This doesn't mean watering every day, or singing to it or anything, but daily misting with superthrive wouldn't hurt. Within ten days, your pest problem should be solved, and...what's more, your tree will be protected for 12 months. If it turns out that you didn't have any pests, and the yellowing leaves were just natural leaf replacement, this treatment won't have harmed the tree, and your get the added benefit of having 12 months insect protection.

As for lighting, T5's are alright for trees 12" and smaller, but if you're serious about keeping big specimen fukes indoors, you should consider running halides.

I'm trying to post a picture of regular leave dropping for you, so bear with me. Below is an awkward picture, but you can see a yellow leaf in centre frame. This is completely normal.

 

[Kevster]

I agree with C.A.
I have 2 tea trees that spend much of their time inside.

That said any time you bring a tropical inside you have to be serious about keeping them inside and give them all they need.

I might go a little overboard on with the tropicals I bring inside but look up some of my previous posts on indoor enclosures.

My tropicals don't "just get by" through the winter. They grow constantly push new growth and get pruned about three times in the 7-8 months they are inside.

All my plants get about 45watts of light per square foot, high humidity, and a temperature range of 75-85 degrees F.

 

[Kevster]

P.S.
Tea trees are very finicky and can be hard to keep.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

To start, I just want to register my disagreement about the comment that fukes suck as bonsai. I have a 20 year old specimen, a 40 year old specimen and a 65 year old specimen, and they spend seven months of the year indoors (I live in Canada; I think that's more than 3 miles out of their native habitat), and they thrive.

Here's something surprising though: every fall October - December, each one begins flowering heavily and shedding its oldest leaves, which turn yellow and fall off. So, to answer your question, though Fukes are evergreen, they do occasionally shed older less efficient leaves, and on healthy trees this process is often seasonal and the leaves turn bright yellow then fall. Moreover, if your tree's been repotted recently, you can expect some yellowing lost leaves.

You mentioned that you saw some whitish fluff on the leaves when you first got it. While I can't be sure without seeing the tree, this could be mealy bugs or some kind of wooly aphid. If this is the case, it will need to be dealt with. Here's how. First, go online and find yourself a systemic insecticide containing imidacloprid. A solution of 2.25% will be perfect. Ortho's got such a product and it comes in granules, so it works well in bonsai soil. Next, add the product (a teaspoon should do it) and baby your plant. This doesn't mean watering every day, or singing to it or anything, but daily misting with superthrive wouldn't hurt. Within ten days, your pest problem should be solved, and...what's more, your tree will be protected for 12 months. If it turns out that you didn't have any pests, and the yellowing leaves were just natural leaf replacement, this treatment won't have harmed the tree, and your get the added benefit of having 12 months insect protection.

As for lighting, T5's are alright for trees 12" and smaller, but if you're serious about keeping big specimen fukes indoors, you should consider running halides.

I'm trying to post a picture of regular leave dropping for you, so bear with me. Below is an awkward picture, but you can see a yellow leaf in centre frame. This is completely normal.

Good for you. Clearly you are one of the exceptions that I also mentioned in that post. I'd like to see a 65 year-old Canadian FT.

 

[JudyB]

I'd like to see a 65 year-old Canadian FT.

me too please!

 

[mat]

me too please!

Me three. Please don't take that a a sign that I don't believe you. I'd just like to see an old, well-cared for Fukien.

One item that has probably been mentioned here before, but bears repeating - these plants grow slowly. Even here in almost-tropical Florida it takes a while before they gain any girth (at least in my experience). This is another reason they might not make a good starter tree.

 

[C.A. Young]

65 year old Fuke

Here's a picture of my oldest fuke. The reason for the oversize pot is that I'm trying to fix the reverse taper on the lower trunk, and a little extra room is always helpful. I know it ain't the prettiest yet, but I'm confident that I can get it in ship shape within five years.

 

[JudyB]

Thanks for posting the photo, that is a large one!

 

[C.A. Young]

Thanks for posting the photo, that is a large one!

You're very welcome. Sorry about the poor picture quality, the only camera I own is the one on this computer.