Hi folks! I decided I finally needed a bonsai disease FAQ, but
haven't been successful at getting it included on the website
(webmaster on very long vacation?). I thought I'd post it here and
get your reactions and comments. These questions probably represent
90% of the queries I get on the webpage.




Bonsai Disease FAQ

Q: I don't know what kind of tree I have. Does it matter?

A: Yes. Each species of bonsai has specific care requirements, and I
can't help you very well if I don't know what tree you have. You
may have an outdoor bonsai that you are mistakenly keeping indoors,
for instance. In addition, many fungi and insects that attack trees
are host-specific, so if I don't know what kind of tree you have,
I'll have a hard time identifiying what pest you have.

You should take your tree to a reputable nursery (a nursery that
specializes in bonsai or has a staff that clearly knows what they're
talking about) and have the tree identified. The nursery can give
you care instructions for your tree.

Q: My indoor juniper is brittle. What should I do?

A: Junipers are not indoor bonsai, despite what you may have been
told when you bought it. They require high levels of light and
humidity, things not found in the average house unless the house has
a glassed-in conservatory, or unless you install fluorescent lighting
and a humidifier. Junipers also do better with a cold dormant period
in winter. All in all, it's best to keep junipers outdoors.

Your juniper is probably dead (junipers tend to look alive long after
they've given up the ghost), but you can make sure by scratching a
small area at the base of the trunk with a toothpick. If you see
green inner bark, the tree is still alive. You can move it outside
(to deep shade at first) and hope for the best.

Q: I water my indoor fig every other day and mist it each morning. Is that OK?

A: No. You should never water bonsai on a fixed schedule; water when
the soil is barely moist an inch down. For an indoor bonsai, that's
generally every 3-4 days. Misting does very little to change the
relative humidity in your house; you need a humidifier, or a plant
that tolerates dry air (and figs do).

Q: My Serissa ("tree of a thousand stars") has leaves that yellow and
drop off. What's wrong?

A: Serissas are very finicky plants; any change in their environment
can make them drop leaves. In addition, they will drop leaves if
attacked by spidermites or if they are over- or under-watered.

Q: My indoor bonsai has twigs that are dying back, and the leaves are sticky.

A: The tree may have aphids, mealy bugs or scale insects, all of
which suck sap and secrete a sticky honeydew. Look carefully for
insects. Mealy bugs are woolly and scale insects look like shiny
bumps. Both will scrape off easily, and "bleed" when poked. Aphids
can be washed off with a hard stream of water. Adult mealy bugs and
scales are resistant to insecticides but can be removed by hand; an
insecticide labeled for indoor control of these insects can be used
to kill the immature "crawler" stage.

Q: My indoor bonsai came with rocks glued on the surface of soil.
Water runs right off the surface, so I've been immersing the whole
pot. Is that OK?

A: Immersing is OK, but if you have more than one bonsai, you could
spreat root diseases from pot to pot by using the same water to
immerse them. Most people water from the top. No *real* bonsai has
rocks glued to the soil; you bought a mass-produced bonsai. You
should pry the rocks off (if they won't come loose, soak the entire
pot in a bucket of water until they do. Now check the soil
underneath: is it regular peaty potting soil? Bonsai need a coarse,
well-draining mix. If yours isn't, repot in a mix specially designed
for bonsai or cacti, or mix your own, using 50% gravel (coarse sand,
turface, or granite chicken grit) and 50% fine bark compost.

Q: I'm in Hawaii and my bonsai looks like this (includes large,
out-of-focus jpeg of tree). What's wrong?

A: It's hard for me to diagnose a problem like that from a thousand
miles away. You should take your tree to your nearest County
Cooperative Extension Office and let them look at it. For a nominal
fee (usually about $20), they'll diagnose the problem and tell you
the best method of control.

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Good Day to All,

Nina typed -
A: Junipers are not indoor bonsai, despite what you may have been
told when you bought it. They require high levels of light and
humidity, things not found in the average house unless the house has
a glassed-in conservatory, or unless you install fluorescent lighting
and a humidifier. Junipers also do better with a cold dormant period
in winter. All in all, it's best to keep junipers outdoors.

Thanks Nina,
a million,

everyone else can grow junipers down here [ Shimpaku,Procumbens,
San Jose' and so on],but not me.
I suspected it was humidity.Now I wonder if I can rectify that one?

I have seen over 12 year old junipers down here grown from cuttings,
so even the cold period may be a minimal need.

Okay,we try again.
Bet you never thought of Tropical islands as being low in humidity.
It's the dry season and constant breeze.
Thanks again.
Khaimraj
[West Indies/Caribbean,
Sempre Spring Zone].

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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

This would be one of the cases where I would admit to
lack-of-experience; I have no idea how to care for a juniper in the
tropics. You're probably right that dry winds are a bad thing.

As for the whole issue of cold dormancy, I've discussed the topic
before (see archives) and it's not something that there's been a lot
of research on, outside of the cold requirements of orchard trees.
The consensus seems to be that temperate plants require cold dormancy
in order to put out a synchronous burst of flowers and new roots in
spring. Since many of us do transplanting and root pruning in
spring, we are dependent on that burst of growth. It may not be
necessary to the survival of the tree, but it does tend to anchor the
tree in a predictable cycle.

everyone else can grow junipers down here [ Shimpaku,Procumbens,
San Jose' and so on],but not me.
I suspected it was humidity.Now I wonder if I can rectify that one?

I have seen over 12 year old junipers down here grown from cuttings,
so even the cold period may be a minimal need.

Okay,we try again.
Bet you never thought of Tropical islands as being low in humidity.
It's the dry season and constant breeze.
Thanks again.
Khaimraj
[West Indies/Caribbean,
Sempre Spring Zone].

************************************************* *******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Mike Page ++++
************************************************* *******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Mike Page ++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

You didn't mention the worst bonsai disease:
I already have 30 bonsai, but I go to conventions & can't resist buying once
more.
I spend the afternoon wiring and pruning bonsai or typing the bonsai club
newsletter, when I should be doing laundry or cooking dinner. Is there any
cure?
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

Hi, Nina.

Thanks for the FAQ. I've already forwarded it to our newsletter editor.

However, you raise a question with this excerpt.

Q: My indoor bonsai has twigs that are dying back, and the leaves are
sticky.

A: The tree may have aphids, mealy bugs or scale insects, all of
which suck sap and secrete a sticky honeydew. Look carefully for
insects. Mealy bugs are woolly and scale insects look like shiny
bumps. Both will scrape off easily, and "bleed" when poked. Aphids
can be washed off with a hard stream of water. Adult mealy bugs and
scales are resistant to insecticides but can be removed by hand; an
insecticide labeled for indoor control of these insects can be used
to kill the immature "crawler" stage.

I had thought that the insecticidal soap sprays worked by suffocating the
adults and poisoning juveniles (but leaving eggs unharmed). Is this
incorrect? Or does this statement reflect the odds against getting total
coverage with the spray?

Thanks.

Bart

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Hi Iris
2 years ago I decided to get rid of some of them and keep just 5-6 the best
ones . but I gave some nice ones too
and it is not the first time I do so ..
This springs I starteds having cravings with maples. a new japanese born
in the parc and sow a very strange Shi..,,dojojo one for a ridicoulous price
and I bought , than a Coral bark never seen before, bought , and an Orido
nishiki the only one tha was in the nursery for 20 dollars.. how could I resist
, and a second trident for something different ,bought ,and an atropoupoureum
for rock plantaion, bought, a nice Ginko seedling , taken , than I had the
chance to run inot two Judea trees in the wild tht I desired for years , just
after seing one in the nursery same size for 120 $ .. so I took the two for
free and a little carmona ..to see how difficult she is ..

and now I am plenty again tripled what i lost for cold and given away
not mentioning the cutting roots grafting and so on all in an apt
so be belive you are not alone with the virus ..
Just when you feel the bonsai Itch repeat yourself * be reasonable be
reasonablebe reasonable* as aMantra
Enjoy the summer and your bonsais life run so quick and we have to sip each
thing she offers ..
Theo

Iris Cohen wrote:

You didn't mention the worst bonsai disease:
I already have 30 bonsai, but I go to conventions & can't resist buying once
more.
I spend the afternoon wiring and pruning bonsai or typing the bonsai club
newsletter, when I should be doing laundry or cooking dinner. Is there any
cure?
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40
"If we see light at the end of the tunnel, It's the light of the oncoming
train."
Robert Lowell (1917-1977)

Adult mealy bugs and
scales are resistant to insecticides but can be removed by hand; an
insecticide labeled for indoor control of these insects can be used
to kill the immature "crawler" stage.

I had thought that the insecticidal soap sprays worked by suffocating the
adults and poisoning juveniles (but leaving eggs unharmed). Is this
incorrect? Or does this statement reflect the odds against getting total
coverage with the spray?

You are correct. One must get very good coverage to kill adult
scales. At any rate, there is nothing uglier than dead scales
clinging to branches; you have to remove them ANYWAY, so might as
well do it first.

But these are personal things. I often think I became a scientist
because it was a good treatment for my obsessive-compulsive behavior;
if I wasn't picking scales off trees, I'd be picking lint balls off
my sweaters....... You might be more "normal", and prefer to avoid
touching scales at all....
--
Nina Shishkoff

Frederick, MD

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+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

Yes there is a cu Auction off all your trees to benifit the IBC and
just continue your Orchid growing!!! :-D

Carl L. Rosner

Iris Cohen wrote:

You didn't mention the worst bonsai disease:
I already have 30 bonsai, but I go to conventions & can't resist buying once
more.
I spend the afternoon wiring and pruning bonsai or typing the bonsai club
newsletter, when I should be doing laundry or cooking dinner. Is there any
cure?
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40



************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Mike Page ++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++

There is the other disease not mentioned called "I
must make cuttings".

Kitsune Miko

--- Carl L Rosner wrote:
Yes there is a cu Auction off all your trees to
benifit the IBC and
just continue your Orchid growing!!! :-D

Carl L. Rosner

Iris Cohen wrote:

You didn't mention the worst bonsai disease:
I already have 30 bonsai, but I go to conventions &
can't resist buying once
more.
I spend the afternoon wiring and pruning bonsai or
typing the bonsai club
newsletter, when I should be doing laundry or
cooking dinner. Is there any
cure?
Iris,
Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40




************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Mike Page
++++

************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ:
http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail
+++++

************************************************** ******************************
++++Sponsored, in part, by Mike Page ++++
************************************************** ******************************
-- The IBC HOME PAGE & FAQ: http://www.internetbonsaiclub.org/ --
+++++ Questions? Help? e-mail +++++