Serissa Help Required

[RD117]

I bought a Serissa from Bonsai Direct a few months ago and it's now looking a little sorry for itself. I contacted the company for some advice and they informed me I had been over watering it. I only water the Serissa when the top soil is dry and the rootball begins to dry. I also mist the leaves every day to help with humidity.

I believe the soil is retaining too much water and there may potentially be some root rot. Some of the leaves have developed yellow/black tips with some of the leaves going black completely.

I've ordered some new soil to repot the Serissa and inspect the roots. I'm just looking for some advice on whether this soil will be suitable and if repotting is the best idea.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Serissa are notoriously fickle about being moved around to begin with. If you have to keep it inside to avoid freezing temps, try to keep it the same spot all the time.

The soil looks muddy, so a repot to better soil would help, though if your climate is headed to winter, the timing is not good. Instead you might try “soji”, which is essentially carefully scraping off the top half of the current soil without disturbing the roots too much, and replacing it with fresh soil; something less retentive. Then work it in with a chopstick to incorporate the new soil throughout. Do a search here and you will find some posts on the technique. It’s safer for this situation.

Good luck.