First, don't think of experience with bonsai right now. Bonsai is an art form, and it sounds like focus on the horticulture is what is needed. FT is a tropical- they like heat and humidity (though those water trays really seem to have little effect), good air circulation, and LOTS of light. They are a little finicky and show their unhappiness by dropping leaves, which will grow back in plenty when the stress is removed. They are just as likely to have lost leaves from shipping stress as heat during shipping. If there is full sun in the sun room, great. If little air circulation, a rotating fan that rustles the leaves in its rotation should be great. Try to keep foliage several inches from the glass windows to prevent cooking leaves when the sun is beating down. Most people are trying to remove humidity from their houses in the summer, so it's hard to provide it for the plant indoors but they do like high humidity. Oh, and they don't like to have the roots stay wet but don't like to dry out completely either. If soil predominantly too wet, leaves will start to get some black in them, go a little limp, fall off. If too dry, browning and crispy and falling off. Sites like bonsaiempire and bonsaitoolchest may have more info- I'm just sharing my experiences. If you can keep it alive and thriving over a couple years, then look to bonsai development. If it becomes a shaggy monster during that time, you will have done well and the trunk should have thickened somewhat (though trunk thickening how-to's can fill a book and are better left for another day...).

ez

Hi ez....thanks so much for that helpful info! The sunroom does indeed have full sun since I usually keep the blinds up anyway. So if it can handle the heat, then it sounds like a fit location for it. There is a wide ledge that I have plants on and so keeping it back from the glass is not a problem. I did read, however, that it should NOT be in full sun for a few days after receiving it. Does that sound valid? So right now I have it in the house - which of course has the a/c on and it is getting indirect light from a southern window. This is probably not ideal according to what you are saying but I'm only doing it based on a review I read that suggested it be out of direct sun for awhile. If you advise otherwise, I'll get it out in the sunroom asap.

What about feeding? Something like regular Miracle-Gro ok?

Regards,

Keith

Plants need time to adapt from extended low light conditions to full sun. Unless you know where it sat in its former home, I would assume low light. Spend a couple weeks gradually increasing its exposure every few days. You will get 31 opinions for every 30 people you ask about things like soil and fertilizer. What seems to be happening is the classical approach, steeped in "because the masters said so", is being challenged by knew horticultural knowledge, and experimentation that has done things differently with good results. The answer I will give about fertilizer is that enough of the 'young Turks' have shown that it doesn't matter so much what fertilizer you use. The plant will take what it needs. Just don't go vastly to either extreme- none on one end, shovels full on the other.

ez

This plant was in a nursery and then in a truck for a few days in a box (with those styrofoam peanuts packed tight around every square inch of it - no wonder the leaves fell off) until it got to PA from MS. No idea what conditions it was in at the nursery where it came from. It was bought through Amazon.