HELP!!! SATSUKI BONSAI DYING :((

[Mikko22]

I am new to growing satsuki bonsai, id appreciate knowledge and teaching but please no disrespecting in the thread.

I got satsuki starters and got excited and bought a medium sized satsuki to and grow.

I repotted the medium satsuki and the next two days it started wilting and the leaves browning.

The way i repotted it was with acidic soil, slow release fertilizer and rocks on the bottom for drainage. I added moss on top so it wouldnt dry out because during my research it says that satsukis like moist soil.

i watered it once after repotting and just mist it once a day. I was planning on watering it every3-4 days because the soil retains a lot of moisture.

now the question is, how do i make the satsuki thrive again and what are the basic care for it? I did what most bonsai masters said in videos and nothing too extra but i did something wrong because its still wilting.

please i need advice. Thank you.

 

[BonsaiDTLA]

Hi Mikko22, when did you perform the repot? Also, it would help members if you could go to your profile page and put your location in there. Then it will show up under your name, so we would be better able to give you advice suited to your climate

 

[KillerButts]

Just guessing here. Leafs look sunburnt, I think if that was a chemical burn from over fertilization you would see a more consistent browning/burning on the leafs and not so much on each tip. It would be better to see after a close up of a few leafs.

The moss is also suspect. A strong sun, possible over watering and moss suffocating evaporation and oxygen could be the trifecta. I would get rid of the moss ASAP and put the pot at a angle to aid drainage. I would also keep it out of direct sun from 11-3pm at least for now.

 

[Mikko22]

Hi Mikko22, when did you perform the repot? Also, it would help members if you could go to your profile page and put your location in there. Then it will show up under your name, so we would be better able to give you advice suited to your climate

Thank you for the response. I live in northern california.
I performed the repot 2 days ago. Is there a specific season or month to repot satsukis?

 

[Paradox]

Thank you for the response. I live in northern california.
I performed the repot 2 days ago. Is there a specific season or month to repot satsukis?

Did it look like that when you repotted it or after?

 

[Mikko22]

Did it look like that when you repotted it or after?

It’s after. I put the satsuki under filtered sunlight, watered it til the water went out of the drainage, and then misted it the next two days

 

[Mikko22]

How can i revive it? How can i make it thrive again? Please say its not too late.

 

[Mikecheck123]

I am new to growing satsuki bonsai, id appreciate knowledge and teaching but please no disrespecting in the thread.

I got satsuki starters and got excited and bought a medium sized satsuki to and grow.

I repotted the medium satsuki and the next two days it started wilting and the leaves browning.

The way i repotted it was with acidic soil, slow release fertilizer and rocks on the bottom for drainage. I added moss on top so it wouldnt dry out because during my research it says that satsukis like moist soil.

i watered it once after repotting and just mist it once a day. I was planning on watering it every3-4 days because the soil retains a lot of moisture.

now the question is, how do i make the satsuki thrive again and what are the basic care for it? I did what most bonsai masters said in videos and nothing too extra but i did something wrong because its still wilting.

please i need advice. Thank you.

Repotting now was a huge mistake. Especially in a San Jose heat wave. Needs to happen at the start of spring.

And then not watering it during said heat wave also isn't helping.

What kind of "acidic soil" are you using? It needs to be well draining, not moisture retentive.

Well what to do now that the leaves are dead and the roots are toast and we're coming up on a 100F heat wave? Hard to say.

If this were mine I'd slip pot it into a 5 gallon nursery container--a tall one, in well draining bonsai soil, keep it in full shade, and water it every day, multiple times per day during the upcoming heat wave hell scape.

And then just keep your fingers crossed.

 

[leatherback]

Hm.. Lesson learned? First ask, then work?

In any case.. You trimmed the roots. The plant dorpped it leaves. The youngest branches seem succuluent, which means it is not completely dead.

I would keep it out of sun & wind for the time being. Not sure what the weather is but if you have high temps and low humidity, I would focus on getting the humidity up. A transparant plastic bag is a huge help. Put the pot and plant in it and close the top. Every day "air" the bag for 10 minutes so you avoid huge fungal issues. Water sparingly but never let the substrate go fully dry.

I do not see the benefit of putting it into a larger container, tbh. I would leave the plant alone as much as possible and give it time to recover.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Repotting now was a huge mistake. Especially in a San Jose heat wave. Needs to happen at the start of spring.

And then not watering it during said heat wave also isn't helping.

What kind of "acidic soil" are you using? It needs to be well draining, not moisture retentive.

Well what to do now that the leaves are dead and the roots are toast and we're coming up on a 100F heat wave? Hard to say.

If this were mine I'd slip pot it into a 5 gallon nursery container--a tall one, in well draining bonsai soil, keep it in full shade, and water it every day, multiple times per day during the upcoming heat wave hell scape.

And then just keep your fingers crossed.

Right you are @Mikecheck123!

Nowadays most repotting happens in early Spring or just after flowering, but that's done less now even by the Japanese growers due to the climate changing there.

The problem with identifying issues with azaleas is that over and under watering and over fertilizing all look pretty much the same. In this case, I'd not hazard a accurate guess, but rather focus on recovery.

I too would repot it in a 5 gallon nursery container, but would be inclined to put it in a 30% peat and 70% small bark and water it really well. After all this is an Emergency Room case we are talking about, so unorthodox treatment is called for.

Once drained, put it in a cool place with filtered sunlight if at all possible. Then I'd put a large clear plastic bag over the entire shooting match and close it off underneath so you can get in it easily.

Then mist inside the bag a couple times a day for a week without disturbing the leaves and see if you get any recovery. If not, keep it up for another week or two. Once the leaves go down, things are in a bad way. You may lose them all, but if the plant is healthy, you may get back budding.... especially in warmer areas, out of the direct sun.

But keep it somewhere at least in the very low 80's and no direct sunlight. Fluorescent lighting will work, just keep the azalea at least 3 feet from the light.

I just had a Shinsen Satsuki crash. I thought it was toast two weeks ago. All the leaves looked very similar to yours. I followed the above procedure. Its still in the bag, but at least 2 clusters of leaves have really tightened up. If that continues in another week, I'll be taking the bag off for an hour and see what happens.

Cheers
DSD sends

 

[Mikko22]

Ill work on that and will update after thank you

 

[sorce]

Get rid of that anal probe, it ain't helping!

Welcome to Crazy!

I wouldn't mist them.

Sorce