Help! Fukien Tea Bonsai

[threelittlelights13]

Hi! A friend of mine received a Fukien Tea bonsai as a gift two months ago and has struggled to keep it alive, so I have taken the tree in an attempt to save it. I am a plant person, but my bonsai experience is limited to my own Fukien Tea which has always been healthy.

The soil is damp and compacted and smells slightly and there is while mold growing on the bark.

My original idea was to just give it good care, place it at a south facing window, supplement with a grow light when necessary and take care with watering schedule, but now I’m thinking maybe it should be repotted because the soil seems to be problematic ... but I don’t want to stress the tree more.

I know this might be beyond saving, but I was hoping to get some opinions. The tree is quite old and it’s just sad to see it die.

 

[Versal]

Personally I would wait on repotting until after you see some new growth. Whenever I pot my Fukien into new soil, it throws a small tantrum

 

[threelittlelights13]

Thank you for the input! It’s so hard because I want to “do” something, but the smartest thing might just be to wait it out And see what happens.

 

[rootpuma]

yep just wait and see what happens. moving it to your location it may also throw a fit and drop all the leaves. A repot will just cause more stress. Let it push new growth for a few months and then repot, but be ready because it will get upset again.