Do you by any chance know what the species is?

When you watered, did you ever mist or get water on the trunk and leaves? I've learned that the roots get a lot of water but the plant needs to be misted occasionally to keep it hydrated between waterings.

If all else fails, plant it in the ground or a large pot (not a bonsai pot) and see if that can help it bounce back.

No too sure but looking at my book I'd say ligustrum sinense Chinese privet. Strange thing is that it's getting loads of new growth but all the old established leaves are drying up, dropping off and leaving the old aged stems there as a bunch of twigs. I was told by a guy in a shop to put it in a bathroom for a while as the steam will be great for it. Only problem is I don't get much light in my bathroom.
What's ur thoughts bud?

Oh that's another thing that might also be a problem. The light, in North America (at least in the advice I had heard/read) the ideal growing areas in houses should only get filtered sun/morning light, if it gets too much light it also may start to lose leaves.

As for steam from the shower, it would be about the same as misting it, I normally mist mine 2-3 times a day, with a cheap spray bottle I got at the hardware store, in summer (it's crazy dry here) and once or twice a day in winter (still dry but not as hot).

If you want to do the shower method you can always bring it into the bathroom while you shower and then take it back out to whatever area you normally keep the plant.

Hello, Paul!

Gentlemen, misting does not work to increase humidity for more than a few seconds at most.
In fact, misting may invite pests or fungal issues on leaves that don't have time to dry.

To increase humidity, a wide tray of stones (with water poured into the tray) is a better technique.
Aiming a fan at the tray to icrease evaporation will make it even more effective. Then simply place
the pot on top of the stones in the humidity tray. The more trays, the better.

Indoors, you need to provide as much light as possible.

Outdoor shade is many times brighter than the brightest window indoors.

Next, let's talk about soil. Paul, what kind of mix is your tree in?
Most problems with plants can be traced to an inappropriate soil choice.

Josh

Hi all,

Thanks loads so far for the help and advice. My tree is slap bang in front of my living room widow however the UK is a tad dull at the moment :0(
Soil wise, again..novice, it's in what it came in however it's all covered with gravel. Giving the best answer I can, it is in a large-ish pot, but a large section is full of gravel with the actual bonsai in one corner in what kooks like more root that soil.. Just to reiterate tho guys, it's getting TONS of new growth, it's just the older more established branches and leaves that are just drying up and dying. As such it aint carrying the "aged" look anymore and is starting to just look like a young plant.

Is the gravel glued down?

Josh

No just piled in mate

I'm guessing you have this tree indoors? It's likely going dormant in response to decreasing photoperiod (longer nights). Put the tree outdoors & allow it to have a cold rest. In spring, before it wakes, repot it. Repotting includes removing all the old soil; pruning the roots appropriately, concentrating on removing the largest roots and those directly under the trunk; and repotting into an appropriate free-draining soil. Fortunately, you'll have all winter to research the 'how' part of what I just outlined.

If you misidentified the species, it's important to get it right before you stick the plant outdoors. If it's a tropical plant, your described symptoms might be caused by extreme root congestion and its accompanying maladies, or any one of a number of other issues there is not enough info to isolate.

Al

Guys,

Thanks for all your advise... I'm trying to figure out the species to get this right so will post again soon. I will say however that misting twice a day has made the new growth really develop so hopefully that's all it was.
Can we post pics on here or would anyone be prepared to give an email address so I can send a pic, hopefully someone will identify the species straight away. Can you believe the shop I got it from didn't have a clue..OMG! :0(

Please don't put a lot of faith in the value of misting. The impact on humidity levels is virtually nil. There are about 1,500 minutes in a day, with the effects of misting lasting for about 10 of them. You needn't look too far beyond the 10:1,500 comparison to see how ineffective misting is.

Al

You can email me a picture if you'd like - or load to a web photo hosting site. They'll supply your photo with a HTML link you can copy paste into the text box here.

I don't put too much faith in the humidity tray either since it's not a closed environment and (I did try it with humidity tests) it didn't do much in a dry room either since it's not a closed environment.

If you want to boost humidity you would need to put a cloche or dome over the tray itself.

Hey, Wizzard, I didn't mean to confuse you.

The humidity tray is simply a *better* technique than misting.
But neither method is going to really ramp up the humidity...unless, as you say,
you modify the room or growing area (make efforts to close or enclose the system).

When Al and I mention the humidity tray to folks, it's really in this context:
if you're going to take the time to mist anyway, you might as well use the slightly
more effective method (which won't break the bank).

Josh

Ah, I take it that the name is more of a misnomer then (just in case anyone has different ideas the misting was with a spray bottle).

It is so incredibly dry here that misting/spraying a few times a day is the only option to keep the leaves/trunk hydrated between waterings. I've also learned that traditional methods for rooting cuttings won't work here short of sealing the cutting up in a container of wet soil.