On 18 Sep 2004 at 13:30, Irenie wrote:

Hello all, wondering if what is happening with my 8 year old serissa is
normal or whether i should be worried. Over the last week or so it has
been steadily loosing leaves. The loss of leaves has moved in quite a
systematic way, beginning from one side of the tree and moving to the
other until now there is only a small cluster left at one end of the
branches. The leaves show no sign of ill health or dryness before they
fall off and the ones left look perfectly healthy although i expect
they will also fall off in the next few days. Could anyone tell me if
this is normal behaviour for this time of year for a serissa. I've
thought that it could be normal as some trees do loose their leaves in
autumn but it seems strange that the leaves dont dry out before they
fall off as with other trees. The weather was warm and sunny here in
london up until about a week ago when it has gone alot colder and
cloudy. Could this have had an effect? I keep it inside where its light
but not in direct sunlight. Due to having moved house recently and other
things I have been less regimented about watering times (soaking up to
base of trunk in bowl of water at room temperature roughly every few
days as needed) but it has been kept constantly moist. I have been
fertilising every two weeks as its been summer. Please help someone.
Irenie

The tree is 8 years old. How long have YOU had it?

Serissa do lose their leaves at will, but normally the leaves
turn yellow first.

If I had to guess, you have been keeping the tree TOO "moist."
The fact that the defoliation started on one side them moved
across may indicate a root problem. Anyway, keep a broken-off
stub of a chopstick in your soil. Withdraw it every day and
touch the dirty end. If it feels damp, do NOT water.

It is best to water trees from the TOP -- like rain -- despite
what most instructions that come with the trees say.

I don't know what to tell you about THIS tree. If it IS a root
problem, you should repot -- removing all the black, soft,
smelly roots. If not, this is a poor time of year for a
beginner to repot anything, much less a Serissa. Still, you
should lift the tree from its pot and look carefully at the
roots. If they are yellow/which/light brown, put the tree back
in the pot, and water as above.

If they're black and fall apart at a touch, remove all soil and
all rotten roots, and repot in a fast-draining bonsai soil. ALL
the leaves will fall at this point. Water well, then DO NOT
WATER AGAIN until the soil is dry-ish (as above). Give it good
light. A south windowsill is best for indoor trees if you don't
have grow-lights.

Don't fertilize for at least a month.

Good luck.

Jim Lewis - - Tallahassee, FL - When we see
land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it
with love and respect - Aldo Leopold - A Sand County Almanac

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