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I am a new bonsai owner and although I've read up on the subject and am listening to advice from professionals, I think that I am killing my portulacaria. When I bought it almost two months ago, it was full of beautiful leaves, and looked very healthy. It has since been loosing leaves at what I'm now realizing is an alarming rate. The leaves that are left are very tiny, and I have a reoccurring problem of leaves that look completely burnt and crispy. I'm not sure why I didn't realize that this is a big problem until now.

I know that when I first got it, I was watering too often, but for the past couple watering sessions, I've waited until the soil about 1 cm below the surface is no longer moist. Then I water it until the entire soil is wet, wait a few minutes and do it again. I don't allow the water to sit in the drip tray below. My bonsai sits about a foot away from a large south facing window.

Can somebody please explain to me what these symptoms mean and what I'm doing wrong? What should I do to fix it? Is my poor bonsai dying because of my poor treatment? Does it stand a chance, or is it too late?

Thank you so much for your help!

msfalc1 wrote: I know that when I first got it, I was watering too often

This probably caused root problems - probably root rot.

for the past couple watering sessions, I've waited until the soil about 1 cm below the surface is no longer moist. Then I water it until the entire soil is wet, wait a few minutes and do it again

You're still overwatering it. Let it dry out completely, then water it. As it has no leaves left, you can keep the watering to a minimum until you see signs of recovery.

Auk is right, it IS a succulent so you gotta water it like one. They don't mind not getting water for a week or 2 after the soil has dried out completely.. but when you overwater them they throw a tantrum.. and leaves right away.

Best indicator (in future) is the leaves.
10 Water
20 wait until the soil is dry
30 wait until the first leaves start to get wrinkles
40 goto 10

Okay, so I have listened to your suggestions and haven't watered my jade since my last post. It has since completely defoliated and then grew a few very small leaves on one side of the tree. The rest of it looks really pretty miserable and the soil is quite dry. Should I water it again today? If so, how much? Is there anything else that I should do? Would trimming back help it produce more growth?

Trimming is not something i would advise in this situation. You really are in a pickle of a situation here since the leaves aren't really big enough yet to easily monitor them.
Could you in as much detail as possible describe the microClimate the plant is being kept in? Have any of the branches begone sagging?

If you fully watered it a week ago and this was a fully foliated plant, seeing as the soil is entirely dry now, that's when i would wait another few days and then water.. but this one has so little area over which to loose water I'd wait another week, then dunk it for a few hours and then wait again.

This plant sits on a desk 6-12 inches away from the window. It is a large, south facing window and the plant gets full sun between about 9 and 2, and gets ambient light for the day. I would guess it to be about 68degF in the room on average, plus or minus a few degrees between day and night. The window is well insulated, so there is no noticeable draft. Sometimes I place the tree on top of the small refrigerator that sits right next to the desk and is about two inches taller. The top of the refrigerator can get somewhat cool to the touch, but not too bad.

I don't see any noticeable sagging in the branches. Some of them (mostly smaller twigs) look like they have dried out and look brittle and dead. However the branch with the most leaves also has longitudinal wrinkles along the branch. The larger of the leaves are a light green with very small, almost wrinkly texture. I am starting to see little leaves appear on 4 of the 9 main branch sections. Most of the leaves are on the 2 branches on the right side of the tree (the lowest long branch, and the one directly above it, 1 branch on the front that leans to the right and 1 on the back topmost branch. These locations are given with the front of the tree being the long side of the pot with the trunk leaning to the right side (front orientation in picture below).

Also, when I water it, I should let it sit in water for a few hours? Is my watering regime of pouring enough water over the top of the plant to let it drain out the bottom a couple times not good?

Listen to Graph and re-read what he wrote under 30.

I wouldn't let it sit in water for a few hours though.

Can you clarify that for me please? Is that in days?

Water, wait until soil is dry (about 10 days) and until the leaves start to wrinkle (about 20 days). Then wait another roughly 10 days after the leaves start to wrinkle until watering again?

msfalc1 wrote: Can you clarify that for me please? Is that in days?

Nope, those entries do not express days :woohoo: . That is a programming routine. That is the same thing as if Graph would have written:

1. (Step one)
2. (Step two)
3. (Step three)
4. (Step four)

Alain

msfalc1 wrote: However the branch with the most leaves also has longitudinal wrinkles along the branch. The larger of the leaves are a light green with very small, almost wrinkly texture.

Graph wrote: 30. wait until the first leaves start to get wrinkles, then 10. water

Not sure what's not clear.