I got my girlfriend a Azalea Bonsai and it's dying... HELP :(

BonsaiBro

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The place I bought from says it's 3 years old.

Please see pictures. Soil is moist, no breaks in watering, no excessive sun, indoor only, It bloomed for a week when we got it, now it looks like he's on his way out :(

Not enough water? Too much water? Not enough sun? Too much sun? Needs to be trimmed? Needs to be replanted?

Assistance in any form is appreciated

photo.jpgphoto (2).jpgphoto (1).jpg
 

Redwood Ryan

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Welcome!

Needs to be outdoors and watered less. Why are you not giving it breaks between waterings?? Never water to a schedule.
 

Ang3lfir3

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The place I bought from says it's 3 years old.

Please see pictures. Soil is moist, no breaks in watering, no excessive sun, indoor only, It bloomed for a week when we got it, now it looks like he's on his way out :(

Not enough water? Too much water? Not enough sun? Too much sun? Needs to be trimmed? Needs to be replanted?

Assistance in any form is appreciated

the bolded section highlights the actual problem .... trees belong outdoors .... all of them ... no really they do... I promise .... take it outside ... place in shady spot ... water when it gets mostly dry ..... and cross your fingers.... next time ... ignore anyone who tells you to keep bonsai indoors ... especially if they are selling you something ...

lets recap: outside... where plants grow .... always

ok good ... :)

[those of you thinking about tropicals please don't confuse the issue here]


ohhh and welcome to the forums ..... I'll be nicer in the future ....
 

edprocoat

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Yup, definetly outdoors ! The soil looks drenched in the photo, its not getting enough light. I would utilize Ang3flr3's advice and move it to the fresh air in some shade and see if it may recover. Do not fertilize it either as its real weak right now. If it gets stronger and shows signs of recovery as in new green growth I would then give it more sunlight. Leaves turning brown like that usually means root rot, sometimes fungus, either way they are not known to recover often.

ed
 

BonsaiBro

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Outside, less watering... thank you.

What should we do regarding bugs?

Aphids, ants, snails, spiders, etc? We have them all around here. Not in huge quantities but definitely enough to make growing anything outside problematic
 

Harunobu

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It isn't dying. At least not yet. The leaves are damaged. Could be fertilizer burn. But since you didn't mention fertilizing and it looks very wet, you need to water it less.

So yes, outside, in shade during peak hours and don't water it until the soil starts to dry up a bit. Many trees can have really dry soil. Azalea like a bit more moisture. But right now it seems really wet and you have having problems.

Depending where you live, azalea can be very resistant or a bit susceptible to insects. Nothing to be worried about right now. There are no plants growing outside because they would instantly be ravaged by insects?

Seems a bit like a case of kindness doing harm. All plants evolved to survive in nature. Azalea are no different. Now harsh winter can be a problem, but you are probably on the northern hemisphere.
 

Lil-Bonsai

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help...

what's wrong with my plant..... someone please help you guys said to put it outside so i did now it looks like it is doing worse then before... :(
 

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Redwood Ryan

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what's wrong with my plant..... someone please help you guys said to put it outside so i did now it looks like it is doing worse then before... :(

Welcome!

It's probably not dying due to being outdoors, but due to overwatering. Only water when the soil is dry, and in that peaty soil you really have to watch yourself.
 

Lil-Bonsai

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thanks!! i only water it once a day and half way through the day the soil gets super dry. :-/
 

Redwood Ryan

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thanks!! i only water it once a day and half way through the day the soil gets super dry. :-/


It may be just the surface of the soil that is drying out, but the bottom layer is staying wet. Keep a chopstick (or similar) jammed down in the soil. Pull it out every once in a while, if it's wet, don't water. If it's dry, water.
 

Lil-Bonsai

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when i touch the soil when its dry it really feels dry. But i will try the chopstick idea that sounds pretty neat :) so normally you dont water it everyday or what... beacuse yea i was watering every day... the soil looked very dry and sad.
 

Lil-Bonsai

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Does anyone think my bonsai will live???
 

Redwood Ryan

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Your tree doesn't look too far off. Just place it in the shade for a week or two and watch your watering. It should recover.
 

Adair M

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I keep my azalea in 100% kanuma. Kanuma is a volcanic grit that is acidic. I do not have any peat in the soil mix. Water runs right thru it. I do have a layer of spaghnum moss laid on top so the kanuma won't shift around when I water. I do water every day, but the tree is out in full sun.

Your soil looks very "peaty". Peat is acidic, which is good for azalea, but really holds water like a sponge. I suspect you have some root rot from overwatering, and keeping it indoors.

What would I do if I were you and the tree were mine? I'd take it to a bonsai shop and have them do an "emergency repot". They'll take it out of the container, lift the rootball, and inspect the roots. If any are rotten, they'll remove them. Then they should put in a layer of kanuma to the bottom of the pot, and wire the tree back in.

Next spring, you can repot the thing and remove all the existing soil and replace with kanuma.
 

Adair M

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What part of the country do you live? Is it in light shade or heavy shade? Light shade would be better.

The brown tips on the leaves are due to excess water. Those leaves will not "heal", they may in fact fall off.

MY azalea is growing new shoots. If yours starts to grow new shoots, you're good. Azaleas will stop growing if the nighttime temps (low) get much above 75 degrees. Most of the country has been having a heat wave, so that may have slowed yours down. Give it another week.
 

Lil-Bonsai

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I live in southern California. It has been really hot. I believe it is in light shade. I have not noticed any new shoots.... im just worried that its going to die :-(
 

Harunobu

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Azalea don't do well in large parts of southern California. I don't know the details, but at some point it just gets too hot for them. I hear on top of that you guys have a heat wave. So try to keep it outside in as cool a place as possible.
 

Lil-Bonsai

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yes we are having a heat wave it has been 100 all week... i keep it outdoors in the full shade but it still looks very sad... any ideas on how to keep it alive...
 
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