What’s happening and how can I save it?

[OwenR]

Forgive me if this has been covered before.

Please, could anyone help tell me what’s going on here (see pics)?
About 4-5 days ago I noticed some of the leaves on one side had turned v dark (almost black). I initially thought it might be sun burn - Id left it out too long in the sun one afternoon! But it seems that the ‘blackness’ is spreading further into the middle leaves now.
Most of them are still supple and are hard to pull off. The dark seems to start at the tip and more on the underside of the leaf before taking over the whole leaf.
Could it be over fertilisation? Too much/too little water? I cant see any bugs on the leaves and prior to this it seemed to be thriving (leaves getting bigger n bigger, flowering regularly).
Any advice would be hugely appreciated.sorry I’m a passionate newbie.

many thanks.

 

[Carol 83]

Could it be over fertilisation? Too much/too little water?

Could be any or none of them. Fukien Tea's sometimes like to shed leaves and act dead just because they can. I'm not trying to make light of your situation, they are just finicky trees. Hard to tell what kind of soil it's in, so that could be part of the problem. Looks like a lot of the roots are exposed as well. There are some here who have luck with them, so maybe they will chime in. I have personally sworn off them. Welcome to the site!!

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Fukien tea trees love the heat and humidity - but do not like wet roots. They have a well-deserved reputation for causing people grief, because they are often broadly available, look pretty, and usually come potted in bad soil

Can we get some photos of the soil and the roots?

[EDIT] I don't know if this is helpful, but here is a Fukien tea that I own, that I unabashedly bought from a home improvement store last year just to see how it would do in North Carolina winters. (I left the majority of my tropical trees behind when I moved here in 2020). I transplanted it into better soil and planted it in a pond basket, which is my guarantee against root rot I overwintered it in my basement (in a sunny window) and it is doing just fine. Letting the growth run to get some more girth in the trunk. It is out in full sun, top shelf of my bench, hot temps.

 

[OwenR]

Hey Carole & Bonsai nut,

Thanks so much for taking the time to get back to me.
I’d read that they were v temperamental things, but it’d appeared to be doing so well for the last couple of months I thought I might have started to finally understand Bonsai’s a little (I’ve killed quite a few prior to this - I think largely because I was just ignorant and lazy!).
I have to admit this is unlikely to be the best specimen of Fukien, let alone decent bonsai- my 3 yr old heard me and my wife talking about my love for them, and when my wife pointed out what they were when in the local garden centre my daughter decided to surprise me with it. So essentially what I’m trying to say is that it’s probably poorly potted with not the best soil or drainage. Nevertheless I’d love to be able to keep it alive.
I watered it earlier today but just taken some pic of the soil if that helps? Would it be helpful to take it out of the pot so you can see the roots better?

 

[OwenR]

This is a recent pic of the soil/roots just prior to watering it

 

[OwenR]

Could be any or none of them. Fukien Tea's sometimes like to shed leaves and act dead just because they can. I'm not trying to make light of your situation, they are just finicky trees. Hard to tell what kind of soil it's in, so that could be part of the problem. Looks like a lot of the roots are exposed as well. There are some here who have luck with them, so maybe they will chime in. I have personally sworn off them. Welcome to the site!!

Ps. Meant to also say thank you for being so welcoming.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I have to admit this is unlikely to be the best specimen of Fukien, let alone decent bonsai

First rule of bonsai: The only bad bonsai is a dead bonsai

I have some trees that looked pretty bad 20 years ago... but look pretty good today. If the tree is alive, there is ALWAYS a path forward.

But that gets to the second rule of bonsai: To be successful you have to keep it alive. So much of bonsai comes down to basic horticulture. Sadly, many of the trees you see sold as "bonsai" in general stores are already set up to fail. You are so much better off buying a pre-bonsai from a bonsai nursery - who at least will set you on the right path. Many times I believe you might get better (and perhaps more rewarding) results from yanking trees out of your yard.

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[Underdog]

This is the season the repot tropicals.