No sun and cool = no good for such a tropical that loves heat, humidity and sun. It's not the same as a large tree outdoors that you would put in light shade for a season, but the black leaves tell me it was either already too wet before repotting or got soaked afterward (and overwatering is not easy for F. teas that usually take a lot). I also wonder what kind of mix you put it into - that could also have made a big difference if it was not only very different (a bit of the 'old' stuff is sometimes a good idea near the roots - as with inground trees) but somehow intrinsically wrong for it.

LARKE,,I ment i repotted it inside the house,,,,no sun and cool during the repotting..i left some soil on the roots,,all i really did was slip pot to a bigger pot for more growth.the mix is the same thing it was in since i got it.. can,t figure this one out..thanks john

Not really 'Larke', I have a couple of large FTs and this isn't always the case. Almost any change in the environment of the tree will cause it to pitch a fit...anything at all.

Overwatering and underwatering will cause the leaves to yellow and drop, underwatering will (or from my observation) cause leaves to turn black and/or yellow and drop. Moving the tree a few yards will cause the same thing. Turning the tree will also cause it to pitch a fit.

There is a happy medium in watering which I have yet to find.

What makes a difference here is the size of the tree but I'll explain this a little.
Mine are older and larger, the biggest is almost a meter high with a 10" base and average trunk size of about 4"...while it always has yellowing leaves, if 50 of them turn yellow and drop there are still a few thousand more. It's also still pushing new growth.

John has a small tree, a major change can completly defoliate the tree in a few days. As long as it's healthy it will come back. It should anyway.

The mix doesn't seem to matter all that much as long as it drains pretty well (so the roots don't sit in water) but should stay evenly and slightly moist between waterings. My one is growing well in a mix of sand and basalt chips, the other is in sand and what looks like rice paddy mud. Both trees grow about the same -- and pitch regular fits over nothing.

They are just a very finicky tree. You will always have problems with it in your area and the survival will be in question.

I was working on the big one last evening, after 2 days of solid rain here. It had yellowing leaves--black leaves--leaves with yellowing margins but also has a ton of new growth--covered with flowers (which the mites will destroy before they are open for a few hours) and some fruit. This morning it had more yellowing leaves, probably because I did some wiring and pissed it off again.

They are just a big pain in the butt, whatever you do will cause problems. The good news is that they will probably survive it because they will acliamitize to the changes.

Bob

Well, I guess I've just been lucky with them... but that's not necessarily saying a lot as I'm just as unlucky with supposedly ridiculously easy stuff. I understand you repotted inside, but also thought you meant you then put in a cool and dullish place afterward (inside or otherwise). Really all I could do was give a few guesses, right? I'm very fussy about humidity and light however with them, and they keep growing... just my experience here.

THANK YOU,,Larke and Bob,, well the tree now has no leaves,bare branches..do you think it will leaf out again or not??? also where should i put the poor thing?? you both know i just killed two larch trees,,they were suppose to be easy too ha ha.. good thing my elms are good and the maples..thanks john

I figure that you watered it good after repotting...I'd place it in an area where it gets partial shade all day and leave it for a while. It can help to wet down the area around the tree a few times a day for humidity. Even with the break in the weather here I'm still hosing down the back courtyard a few times a day.

Bob

THANKS BOB,,The little tree is not much but i just don,t like to loose trees unless it is my choice..i follow all your post but you know that already..we will see how the tree goes for the next few weeks..take care john

I don't know if I'd wet it down, but would put it in the hospital (a glass bell that I have, or clear baggie, but keep a very close eye out for the first sign of mildew).

I'm not talking about wetting down the tree but the area around it to create more humidity, a large area and i'd keep it fairly wet most of the time (again not the tree). I figure he watered the tree after re-potting, it won't need any more water till it starts to leaf out again.

While the glass bell or a baggie MAY be a good idea and may work, I have never done that for the reason you mentioned...mildew.

Hi everyone,

I just bought my first Fukien Tea Bonsai tree and I was wondering what books i should get and read in order to know what to do. Any suggestions?

Also If anyone has any suggestions where to get the cheapest supplies and what to get Please let me know.

Don't buy whole books for one tree which, seeing as it isn't the easiest to grow even for experienced people, may or may not do very well for long enough to matter... by the time you've read the book either the tree will be doing OK anyhow, or it will be gone. You don't need supplies except a pot with a good sized drain hole in it, the pot being a little wider and lower than a houseplant type.

What climate (area) are you in?

The tree will need high humidity, but that doesn't mean watering indiscriminately, it means keeping it humid from the outside. Water when the top 1/2-1" of soil is dry... but then not knowing what soil mix it's already in, it's not easy to really say. It will also need lots of sun, but the important thing is that it gets many hours of sun a day, up to 15 if possible, and in winter that may mean using a particular type of fluorescent just a few inches above it... but don't rush out yet to buy anything until you see how things go for now. A tray definitely wider than the pot, with pebbles in it large enough to keep the pot from ever touching the water in the tray (so as not to rot roots that will wick water inside) is a good idea to keep humidity up around the pot, especially in winter. Do not do any pruning or repotting at the moment until you see if you can keep it alive for a few months at least, then come back here and talk about it. Good luck!