名媛直播

Greetings everyone!

I am a complete novice in growing a bonsai and i got a lingustrum a bit over a year ago.
It was growing new small branches and leaves in a reassuring rate (i couldn't keep up with trimming it), but all this until March (a few months after i repotted it/trimmed root/changed it - if it has any connection).
Till then it gradually stopped growing new leaves and the previous ones started falling. It keeps giving super tiny leaves/branches but they turn brown on their tip and die as well (seen in pictures).
This came out of the blue and cannot really find any solid reason behind this. I have never seen a bug on it or any spots so i do not lean towards a disease.
I did not change watering routing.

The two main hypotheses i have are the following:
1. Since February i occasionally had to put it in another house (same climate very similar room conditions) a few time. Could that have affected it that much?
2. More than half a year ago, I tried to give it a shape with wire and it seems that i damaged one of the low branches that died since then. Could it be that because i did not trim the branch, the rest of the branches died as well?

It is worth mentioning that the core of the bonsai is green inside, so it does not seem to me like it is being underwatered, just that the branches/leaves do not get strong and die for whatever reason.

Any thoughts on the issue and how to save my bonsai?

Thank you very much!

The tree is stressed because it hasn't experienced any true dormancy period for a very long time.

People think that a stable climate are good for bonsai. But really, take your time and investigate where it thrives and the climate there. I guess it is ligusturum sinense, invasive in many parts of USA. Not indoors, but outdoors. No tree is invasive indoors

Hello Tropfrog,

First of all thank you very much for taking the time to reply, i appreciate it!
So for now on i will have it outdoors in a shadowy spot. By lack of true dormancy period, are you suggesting that this occasional house change i mentioned is to blame? Any other practical suggestion, shall i cut the branches that grow no leaves at all will that help?

Thank you very much for your reply and i welcome any further info/suggestion to help save my bonsai!

Trees outside have two dormant cycles. Every night the sun goes down and it gets real dark, so all the photosynthesis work stops and the tree gets to rest that part of its metabolism.

Every winter the tree drops its leaves when it starts to get dark for long periods, and the entire tree shuts down. There are chemical things that happen related to cold air. Different tree have different winter dormancy requirements, but any temperate zone plant needs cold to rest. Around here there are a couple of months of pretty chilly days and nights and a couple of nights of below freezing. In upstate New York there are months of below freezing and the trees all do just fine. Bringing those trees down here would kill them because they would not get that long dormant period.

Trees indoors rarely get temperatures even close to freezing, and they are bombarded half the night with indoor lighting. Neither of these is good for the tree.

Ligusturum sinense is not a decidious tree. If healthy it will keep its foliage all year.

No, change of home is not to blame. The tree needs to be kept cool in winter. If not it will burn out all it's recources and slowly suffer and die. So outdoors in summer and depending on your local climate protected or outdoors in winter. Never ever keep it in living room conditions in winter.

Thank you both for your answers, i appreciate it!
So, you believe that the problem here is that i had my bonsai indoors all the time?
I moved it outdoors now. In the place where i am, temperature outside spans from 5C-40C (41F-104F) and indoors 16C-30C (60F-86F) - as i never use air conditioning.
Therefore, shall i keep it outdoors all year long?
Do you suggest any other action? Stop using fertilizer? Cut the dead branches? Anything?

I live in a lot colder climate and keep mine in heated overwintering room at 5c in winter. If you never experience temperatures below 5c you are in a perfect climate to keep the tree outdoors all year round. If the tree survives it will burst into new growth come next spring.

No fertilizer, no pruning, just watering and waiting.

Oh, yes.....The move outdoors can pose a risk of stress as well. Better start in a shaded position and slowly move it into full sun during a 4-6 weeks period.

Thank you very much Tropfrog!
So by no pruning you mean not even chopping the dead branches now, right?
Thank you very much for your advice!! Let's hope!

If you are absoluttely sure the branches is dead it makes no harm cutting them off. However, you cannot be sure. I have had sinense branches leaf less for a full season and next season they start to grow secondary branches and leafs.

So for now I see no reason to cut anything. Even if they don't benefit the health of the tree they don't harm the tree. This is a rescue project, not a styling project. If grown good next season I would go in and to the initial styling in spring 2024. 名媛直播 is a marathon, not a sprint.

Thank you very much once again Tropfrog. Yes, potentially cutting them if it helps rescue it is what i meant. I will not do anything then!
Watering and waiting!
Thanks a lot and hope your advice pays off!!