THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH MY FUKIEN CARMONA - please help

[toasttmaster]

Hello kind bonsai experts,

I have had this tree for around a year and a half, but I'm not sure exactly how old it is. There have been no leaves on it for a while now, since around mid-April.
Although, some leaves have finally started growing back- ON ONE BRANCH
Nowhere else.
I am confused as there seems to be absolutely no signs of growth on other buds on the tree.
I repotted the tree around a month ago.
I live in Cheshire, England.
Is my boy dead??

 

[rockm]

The top of your tree is dead. The withered bark is a sign of that. The lower branch is the only living part of the tree (you can confirm by scratching into the bark of the top branches and trunk to see if there is green cambium tissue under the bark. If it's brown when scratched hard with you thumbnail, it's dead)

The soil in the pot looks extremely bad --wet and clogged. The lower branch is struggling to push growth. If this were mine, I'd pull it out, wash the soil off the roots, and repot into decent prepared bonsai soil. But at this point, sadly, I wouldn't be too optimistic about survival.

 

[toasttmaster]

The top of your tree is dead. The withered bark is a sign of that. The lower branch is the only living part of the tree (you can confirm by scratching into the bark of the top branches and trunk to see if there is green cambium tissue under the bark. If it's brown when scratched hard with you thumbnail, it's dead)

The soil in the pot looks extremely bad --wet and clogged. The lower branch is struggling to push growth. If this were mine, I'd pull it out, wash the soil off the roots, and repot into decent prepared bonsai soil. But at this point, sadly, I wouldn't be too optimistic about survival.

damn okay thank you very much for the speedy reply!

 

[toasttmaster]

The top of your tree is dead. The withered bark is a sign of that. The lower branch is the only living part of the tree (you can confirm by scratching into the bark of the top branches and trunk to see if there is green cambium tissue under the bark. If it's brown when scratched hard with you thumbnail, it's dead)

The soil in the pot looks extremely bad --wet and clogged. The lower branch is struggling to push growth. If this were mine, I'd pull it out, wash the soil off the roots, and repot into decent prepared bonsai soil. But at this point, sadly, I wouldn't be too optimistic about survival.

Hey, just for future reference, do you know how this might have happened? Is it just the soil or something? because the leaves were looking terrible before i repotted it too..
I dont want this happening again so i want to know what went wrong
Thank you!

 

[rockm]

Hey, just for future reference, do you know how this might have happened? Is it just the soil or something? because the leaves were looking terrible before i repotted it too..
I dont want this happening again so i want to know what went wrong
Thank you!

A few things:

Indoor bonsai are not all that easy to care for. Carmona is not easy either.
Watering is one of the most difficult tasks in bonsai. Indoor bonsai don't need a lot of water.

Indoor lighting even six inches from a window is exponentially dimmer than direct sunlight. Plants weren't built to live inside. You have to adjust to the plant's needs. They can't adapt to yours.

Soil is everything--it is literally the foundation that everything else is built on. Bad soil complicates everything. repotting is more than just cutting the outside edges of the root mass.

There is much to learn with your first, second or even third tree. Most people wind up killing their first one. It's a watershed moment for the owner--keep at it, learn from the mistakes or decide it's not for you.

Get a few books--try not to look at the Internet for advice -- find a reputable, reliable place (like here) online and stick with it. Ficus is an easier, more forgiving species for indoor culture.