Noob here. Where to start?

[BonsaiDrew]

So I went out and got my first bonsai after moving into new spot a couple months ago. I honestly dont know anything about caring for bonsai, except the little I've read recently. It's lost quiet a bit of leaves since, so I was a bit concerned, but read that this can be normal this season. Can someone help me identify my tree? Maybe lead me to some good information when starting the very basics from scratch? Any help is appreciated!

 

[vp999]

Im pretty sure its a Fukien tree, those things will drop leaves if you you move it to a diff zip code lol.

 

[Warpig]

How much sunlight does it get throughout the day?

 

[BonsaiDrew]

Im pretty sure its a Fukien tree, those things will drop leaves if you you move it to a diff zip code lol.

Lol yes I definitely noticed that. Hoping its just the season. Thanks for the name!

 

[BonsaiDrew]

How much sunlight does it get throughout the day?

I have it about six feet away from my big patio window, I open the blinds every morning and close at night. Not sure if that enough though.

 

[j evans]

Gonna have to have a class in manners here, WELCOME hope you enjoy everything the site has to offer. Great information and people.

 

[Warpig]

Six feet can be pretty far. Does the window even get much sunlight? South facing? I only ask because its alot easier to fix now then it is in six months if its dieing.

 

[Orion_metalhead]

What are your watering habits for this tree?

 

[TN_Jim]

Go towards the light!

 

[Carol 83]

Did you get it at Lowes by any chance, the pot and rocks look familiar. And I am not saying this to be snotty, in the least. I happened to find one there last spring with a decent trunk, without the S curve. I repotted it into bonsai soil and a better pot in the summer. It threw it's typical fit, when brought in for the winter, but has since back budded like crazy and has an abundance of flower buds.

 

[The Angry Vegan]

I would suggest moving it closer to the window and make sure the soil never dries out.

 

[BonsaiDrew]

Six feet can be pretty far. Does the window even get much sunlight? South facing? I only ask because its alot easier to fix now then it is in six months if its dieing.

Probably not as much as it could. the window is west facing. And I very much welcome the questions lol

 

[BonsaiDrew]

Gonna have to have a class in manners here, WELCOME hope you enjoy everything the site has to offer. Great information and people.

Thank you!

 

[BonsaiDrew]

Did you get it at Lowes by any chance, the pot and rocks look familiar. And I am not saying this to be snotty, in the least. I happened to find one there last spring with a decent trunk, without the S curve. I repotted it into bonsai soil and a better pot in the summer. It threw it's typical fit, when brought in for the winter, but has since back budded like crazy and has an abundance of flower buds.

I did lol. So that something I could look into doing? Kind of scared of repotting but im sure its simple

 

[BonsaiDrew]

I would suggest moving it closer to the window and make sure the soil never dries out.

Will do

What are your watering habits for this tree?

I water it every morning. If the soil doesn't feel dry then I wait till later in the afternoon or night or longer if necessary.

 

[BonsaiDrew]

I would suggest moving it closer to the window and make sure the soil never dries out.

Also, vegan's unite lol

 

[Carol 83]

I did lol. So that something I could look into doing? Kind of scared of repotting but im sure its simple

Not now, wait until it's outside and growing well in the late spring/summer. When you move it outside, once night time temps are over 50, put it in the shade for a week or so to acclimate it to the outdoors.

 

[TN_Jim]

Will do

I water it every morning. If the soil doesn't feel dry then I wait till later in the afternoon or night or longer if necessary.

Your tree is in some sort of soil akin to potting soil, but with more organic, not bonsai soil. therefore, you should not water this every day but rather treat like a houseplant in potting soil.

I water plants around my house in similar soil maybe once a week to month, & the air is blasting warm, shallow pot or not.

If your soil is never somewhat dry between watering, it will not breathe the way the roots need. Won't skin just fall off if it remains in water too long(?), yeesh, sorry, but really...rotten roots smell after awhile..and your plant can not conduct photosynthesis unless it can rip off an oxygen molecule from water it pulls up, and those leaves will never really turn off, just die off if roots are waterlogged like an aquatic plant...and this can look like under-watering, because it can no longer....

...have a big box ficus on top of the fridge (not close enough to window) in a relatively decent bonsai mix (not your water retentive soil) and I water it maybe every 3-4 days if its lucky...not saying do this just saying, better than the opposite of daily watering

 

[TN_Jim]

here’s that ficus. the last time I watered it was maybe 5 days ago, this species is a bit tougher than yours so beware the dark.. I put it in full sun when I picked it up. Also, this is the first bonsai pot I ever owned, potted this later summer with thoughts to come inside and airlayer top. I now neglect the star juniper that was in pot prior.