Hi, nice present, but difficult plant even for experienced growers! It's vital that it get really high light all day, and a windowsill won't do it (except maybe in spring/summer) otherwise. Bonsai growers will hang full spectrum bulb fluorescents (you can get short ones) 6" above the tree x 15 hrs/day, plus for requisite humidity you'll want a wide plastic drip tray made for large pots - filled with stones and water, but the water must not be quite as high as the stones because when you keep the pot on them, you don't want water wicking back in and rotting the roots. As well, you must water only when the tree needs it, not to some house plant type of schedule... and that might be when the top 1/2" of soil is dry for instance, but you'll need to get a feel for it by testing every day (most plants need watering less often over winter, but that's still diff. for every one, and yours may be reacting to shorter days now). The real trick however, is to have it planted not in the often cheap and peaty soil it came in (which doesn't dry well at all deep in the pot even if the surface looks dry), but to get it into a 50/50 mix of coarse particle soil (ask at a garden ctre because most potting soils are mostly peat) and lots of grit - smaller aquarium gravel is great, though perlite's better than nothing. And don't put any gravel/shards/etc. as a layer on the bottom. When you repot, you'll also want to check the roots - if they're circling the rootball, you need to cut off 1/3 of them with a sharp knife or scissors, carefully loosening and/or cutting others underneath if they're too long, and repotting in layers making sure the soil gets into crevices between roots, tapping as you go. This should be done every 2 yrs, but I suggest now that you first deal with the lighting and watering issues before repotting. Good luck, but if you lose it for any reason, don't feel bad - serissas are not easy trees for anyone (and another good reason not to give bonsai as gifts unless you know the giftee is experienced!).

Lucy
Thanks very much for all your advice. Sounds very complex but we will give it a go. Wish us luck I think we might need it!

Don't belive it!(no offence to you lucy, my experiences differ) my first bonsai was a double white serissa and it still lives, though i've killed a few since. however they are inclined to sulk whenever the conditions around them changes, which is when the leaves yellow and drop. generally the ones here are treated a bit more like houseplants then bonsai here. and we basically plant them in high quality potting mix, usu mirical grow and make sure they dont get completely dry for more then a day or two, and dont get swamped either. as for humidity, our summers, when they are outside are rather humid and they like them, and our winters, when they are inside are fairly dry and they like them just a bit less. i'll agree that they are not like ficuses that are well nigh impossible to kill, but they aren't as difficult to kill as some seem to think. if its a varigated kind, it will be harder to keep. if you could tell me a bit about your climate and your specific serrisa i might be able to help a bit more. my experience with store-bought ones is that they will be much pickyer than those that i grow, generally don't overwater, don't panic when they sulk and be consistant with them. feel free to email me and i'll help as i can.

I would have to echo charpixpix419 on this one... I've had mine for about 6 years now without any real hassle (varigated variety). It has only been inside (dang squirels snack on it / knock it over outside) on a window sill (done fine on both south and west facing windows). The only problem I've had was when I neglected it (no water) for a week and a half to two weeks... it was bone dry! I continued to water it (hoping for the best), but it was pretty obvious it was gone as I knew it. After sitting in the pot for another month or so (I'm optimistic), I decided to throw it away. I cut the trunk at the base and started to pull the roots out. I only got them an inch or so out of the pot before I got distracted by something else. More days passed before I got a chance to get back to it, but when I did return (to my extreme surprise), new leaves were emerging from the roots I had exposed.

Before that incident, I rooted a cutting from the same tree. It's probably around a year old now and growing like a weed. We recently went on vacation (8 days) and it was as happy when I returned as when I just left. It actually surprised me with two blooms when we got home!

So after all that rambling... the best advise I have to offer is to mess with the tree as little as possible. Leave it alone and only water when the soil has started to become dry. Right now, mine (the cutting) is in a 6" pot. When I water, I soak it until water is flowing out of the bottom (I water it in the sink). I don't water again until the top of the soil looks dry. Sometimes the soil around the top edge will begin to draw back (1/4" or so) before I water again. Obviously the time between waterings will depend on the size of the plant and the pot it is in. For mine, it likes water every 7 to 10 days. From what I've read here and in other places, the worst thing you can do is overwater a Serissa. From my experience, too much water will turn the leaves black (starting at the edges), while lack of water will turn them yellow / brittle. Either way, the affected leaf falls off the tree at some point.

Good Luck!

John

I know it wasn't intended for me, but this information really helped me alot. I was getting worried about my serissa, for the leaves were all going yellow and withering away, but thing is I've been doing what you guys have said for the past 2 months. I guess what didn't help me was that I bought it at the start of winter. Also, I hate the dirt that came with it. It's all rocky and the big roots are sticking out. I was wondering if it was possible to repot it in the same pot but with new fresh earth? Or is it too young?

I guess luck is what kept me going with serissa. I'd seen one as a bonsai but the price stopped me! Later saw a plant for sale and bought several. I took one and placed it in a hypertufa pot and when it started leafing out began trimming the branches/leaves. After four years it is now looking like a little tree with the trunk being about 1/2"dia. It lived outside in its pot year round and always came back and flowered for me. Last spring I placed it into a different pot and made a miniature scene with it. My grandson almost destroyed it!! It is now recovering in a friend's greenhouse. Being in a milder climate it is happy outside year 'round. I would post a pic but don't know how here. Sharon

I'm just getting into bonsai and got several serissa in a trade. They are still pretty small but reading all these posts I guess I'd better move them into more light. Full sun? Maybe not here on the coast? So far they are doing well, out on the deck but no sun right now.
Thanks for the info!
Tally HO!

Hi Everyone,
I too have a serissa bonsai that I have purchased within the last couple of months. I just had a few quick questions. it has been doing fine in terms of watering and lighting, dropped a couple leaves at first but that seems to have subsided. It is on the smaller side so I was planning to repot it as soon as spring hits and I was wondering how I go about this to encourage the most growth? Next I wanted to know how and when I prune it? and finally was wondering if anyone knows how to get it to bloom or if thats simply something to wait for? Oh, and as a final thing it was wired when I got it and the wire was cutting into the trunk I removed the wiring and wanted to know will I need to continue to wire it in upcoming growing months to keep its shape?