Indoor Jaboticaba help

[hawhit]

Hi,

I have a fairly young Jaboticaba that I got to keep in my office last July. It has done ok, but I am having trouble getting good ramification - many of the leaves end up half brown then fall off. However, it does push new growth as you can see in the photos. I haven't repotted it from the soil it came in, but it drains well. I also am now using the Bonsai Supply fertilizer (18-4-10) once a month and usually water it 3 times or so per week. The office window is on the 4th floor and gets a clear view of the east so it gets plenty of morning sun til it passes over the building.

Is it always going to struggle indoors? I don't have any control of the building temperature or humidity.

Any advice is appreciated!

 

[sorce]

I hope that desk doesn't slide! Hiyaa!

Welcome to Crazy!

I'd wait till the next full moon then Repot and cut the S out of it.

I reckon once everything it has is acclimated to that position it'll grow better.

Sorce

 

[hawhit]

Haha, it does look a little precarious, but no - it's part of a big cubicle and can't budge! I was trying to get it just a little closer to the window.

I've never heard of waiting for a full moon for a repot, but I'll give it a try. I had considered a repot since it has the same soil that it came with in July 2021. It drains fine, but not as freely as some of my other trees.

Wouldn't it have acclimated after a year in the same spot?

 

[DarkSceptor]

I live in Colombia and have a lovely Jaboticaba. This tree is an outdoors plant and needs full sunshine and breezes. Keeping it indoors it is difficult as you need to provide all of what it would get outdoors. So it needs a full day of sunlight (not just light) and it needs breezes on the tree and you need to make sure the leaves get watered as well as the soil. And when you water it, you need to water until the water runs out the bottom of the pot. Keep in mind it is native to Brazil so that is it's normal climate.

 

[leatherback]

This is what mine does in winter too. In summer the foliage stays nice and lush and when inside, over the months, the leaf tips dry out, even though the tree is happy to grow. Ramification needs to be forced by pruning or it grows long branches before any bifurbication takes place.

Jabuticaba care?

It IS looking great! Amazing work, Jelle. Thank you! Here is top hoping for flowers in winter. Any thoughts how to trigger them?

www.bonsainut.com

 

[hawhit]

Thanks @DarkSceptor and @leatherback for the replies. I think I’ll move it to my backyard this year until winter and hopefully get a lot more development. I’ve realized that “indoor bonsai” rarely means year round - just for the winter. My dwarf jade is the only one that did ok but it stays outside now and grows a ton. Lesson learned.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

@hawhit - Outdoors for summer and indoors for winter is really the best option for trees like Jaboticaba. If you want to keep a tree in that spot for display in your office, do like I do for my orchids. Rotate trees through from your collection. Bring a tree in for no more than a week, then switch it out for a different tree to display.

That window, unobstructed east exposure is not bad for growing many trees. If you were to add a small fan, like a computer cooling fan, to keep air moving, that would greatly help with the health of the trees. A light breeze also keeps spider mites and other pests away.

So rotate trees if possible, one week in, then back outside. And add a small fan off to the side to create a light breeze to keep the air moving past the leaves 24/7. This is especially helpful in episodes of full sun, but also good even at night, helps mix air down into potting media. Air movement keeps roots healthy. Go figure.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

A small collection of 10 to 20 trees and you can always have something rotating through your office display space.

 

[hawhit]

A small collection of 10 to 20 trees and you can always have something rotating through your office display space.

Thanks for the idea - I might try that next winter.