I think I'm on my third or fourth sageretia I just can't seem to keep them alive! I live in a sunny/humid area most of the time then winter comes along and ruins everything. I've tried everything I can think of, putting them in the sunniest part of my house, taking it in during the coldest period of winter and this time I just left it out and it got infected with some kind of spotted fungus. It's pretty much beyond saving and I'm planning on getting a new sacrifice soon (keeping it far away from the sick one). Any tips on how to keep this type of bonsai from drying out in the winter? I'll send a picture of my current one when I can but it's got less than ten leaves left and it's attempting to sprout new ones but I'm not getting my hopes up.

Also should I wait until spring to get a new bonsai? Maybe it's too soon to be moving on...?

PizzaMan wrote:

Any tips on how to keep this type of bonsai from drying out in the winter?

1. Stop trying with Sageretia
2. Start studying
3. Stop buying low quality mallsai
4. Buy material that is suitable for bonsai, preferably a local species, or a species that is known to do well in your local climate, outside
5. Start growing it. Be patient.

3 and 4 were my first responses, too.

Let me tell you why. I rapidly discovered while gardening in the hellhole of central Texas that not only does species matter, but so too does the plant's conditioning. Tomato seedlings purchased from a greenhouse were invariably weak, scrawny little things that had no real means of defense against the heat, sun, and wind. Even if you hardened them off, they didn't do great.
Seedlings brought up from the ground up becoming acclimated to those conditions through carefully monitored exposure, on the other hand, grew up just fine in that weather because they had integrated their defenses into their growth from the get-go. When you get dwarf plants topping five feet, you've done something right.
That something is making nature work for you. While it is certainly possible to grow a bonsai from seed, and I certainly recommend it for the practice if nothing else, you can also look into finding likely-looking saplings in your area to save yourself a few years. The advantage to these plants, called yamadori, is that they are already very much accustomed to living in your climate without human assistance.
Either that, or a Ficus. I'm sure it's possible to kill one, I just haven't managed it yet.

In addition, in fishkeeping it's considered bad form and unethical to keep getting specimens of a species you can't keep alive. There's no shame in realizing and recognizing that you just plain can't keep something, only in the refusal to admit your limits. Get some practice and experience with other trees, then come back to the Sageretia.

Not sure where you live. But I would use species that are locall, and can stay outdoors yearround. That is A LOT easier. Sageretia is a commercuial rip-off that is very hard to keep alive in a living room over winter.

Note: Do not confuse Yamadori with just any sapling you find on the side of the road. Yamadori is a whole different fish, and I do not recommend you starting on yamadori untill you have been able to keep a plant of the same species for several years.

... A thought occurs to me.
PizzaMan, you didn't mention watering. How much were you watering the plant?

Solaris wrote:

you can also look into finding likely-looking saplings in your area to save yourself a few years. The advantage to these plants, called yamadori

Not quite.
www.nibonsai.co.uk/bonsai-knowledge/yamadori/

"To the Japanese, not every tree dug from the Mountainside is classed as Yamadori. It has to show the battle of growing many years in its form, with its old cracked bark and its trunk twisted by the elements. Such trees are not easy found and the title, Yamadori, is not given lightly."

I was told to water it at least twice a week. I ended up usually watering it three times a week when it was dry and the soil got dry quicker. I was also told to never pour water on it and instead use a water tray and let the tree absorb the water. I only did that on my latest attempt though and it survived about as long as the previous ones. It's very possible that I over watered it.

I'm thinking about getting another Juniper bonsai instead. I've had one for 2 years it seems like a good beginner bonsai.

PizzaMan wrote:

I was told to water it at least twice a week. I ended up usually watering it three times a week when it was dry and the soil got dry quicker. I was also told to never pour water on it and instead use a water tray and let the tree absorb the water. I only did that on my latest attempt though and it survived about as long as the previous ones. It's very possible that I over watered it.

Good recipe to kill a tree. Next time do just the opposite. Every tree has different wattering needs, but my rule so far is let soil dry well but not like old bread. Then pour over soil just to get water leaking out of holes on bottom, then stop. For indoor in winter its like water once a week, in summer a bit shorter before next watering. Yet, its very depending on the soil and conditions, be that indoor or outdoor.

Auk wrote:

Solaris wrote:

you can also look into finding likely-looking saplings in your area to save yourself a few years. The advantage to these plants, called yamadori

Not quite.
www.nibonsai.co.uk/bonsai-knowledge/yamadori/

"To the Japanese, not every tree dug from the Mountainside is classed as Yamadori. It has to show the battle of growing many years in its form, with its old cracked bark and its trunk twisted by the elements. Such trees are not easy found and the title, Yamadori, is not given lightly."

I'm aware. I didn't particularly feel the need to spell out what I meant by 'likely-looking sapling', but good looking out.
After all, if they were common, there would be no effort required to make trees look that way, no?