I'm pretty sure the OP has moved forward, but I'm sorry, I don't think a mix of potting soil and perlite is appropriate for this plant, or any plants in shallow pots. You cannot start with potting soil, mix it with an equal volume of perlite, and expect it to drain well. Adding that amount of perlite to the soil does not significantly change the drainage characteristics of the soil, it only reduces the total volume of water in the soil. The height of the PWT in the pot will be the same as if there was no perlite added, but WITH the perlite added, there will simply be a reduced volume of water in the PWT because the perlite is displacing some water. We can go back to the pudding thing again. You cannot add perlite to pudding and make it drain well. In the same vein, you cannot add perlite to potting soil and make it drain well ..... unless, you have a very high % of perlite, which is what Jack suggested to begin with. It's just very difficult to find a place in bonsai culture for soils that have a notable presences of fine particulates. I think that is pretty much accepted across the board. If we assume it's a root issue, I would have carefully removed a portion of the soil around the root mass and repotted the plant into a larger terra-cotta container or a container with mesh sides, filled with a 50/50 mix of chopped sphagnum moss (not peat - sphagnum moss) and either perlite, screened Turface, or NAPA floor dry (which is calcined diatomaceous earth). I would have employed a wick, inserted into the drain hole to assure there was no perched water in the soil during recovery. It's a very distinct possibility that the problem is insect related. Please look the plant over carefully for the telltale bumps on branches and foliage that advertise the presence of scale, as these plants seem to be magnets for the pests, and treat if appropriate. Al

The last compost tea I made was probably in 2003. I saw no change in the plants or grass after using it so I quit. Now I should also say that I was using sodium thiosulfate to clear the chlorine before brewing. Sodium thiosulfate has become known as a chemical fungicide, so I was probably not getting much activity in my tea.

Northspruce, thanks for pointing out these are hybrid teas, not true teas... no problem in pointing that out. The name Sunsprite does ring a bit of a bell for me... I went out today and looked and the bloom still has its petals, but maybe they will drop shortly. They do seem to fall cleanly from older flowers on the same plant. SCG, I planted these deep when first planted, and on a slant to maximize the amount of stem underground. The crowns are probably about 20 cm below soil level. Each winter I mulch with leaves or straw to about a foot or two depth (sorry for mixing imperial and metric) but the above ground parts usually die to soil level anyway. They grow back quickly from the stems and crown that are underground.

I was just able to contact the hybridizer to ask about 'Sister Jane'. He says it is definitely a hybrid tea with blooms of 4 - 4.5 inches. The Modern Roses 12 database has been changed to show it as a hybrid tea per the hybridizer's request. Sorry for the confusion. Gremlins do still creep into the works from time to time.