I just picked this guy up and threw it into a pot about an hour ago, but the seller doesn’t know what kind of tree it is. I asked them and they said “bonsai”. Cool.

Is it a ficus or maybe something else? The 3 loved leaves have me a bit confused.

It’s a Fukian Tea, apparently.

Correct, and it is a notoriously difficult plant to keep alive. Where are you keeping it?

It’s in an East facing window. Why are they so hard to care for? I really like this thing. Any tips for keeping it alive would be greatly appreciated.

It really needs to be outside, that is a major item- if you look at the help section 90%of tje questions / problems is about trees that are dying because they are inside.

Thanks, lucR. I moved it onto the patio and I think it should be pretty happy there. Our climate in Houston isn’t much different than Fujian province outside of the winter months. Even then it will mostly have to come inside only at night I think. It has a crepe myrtle above it that should keep the soil from drying out during the summer and ,the myrtle being deciduous, will allow full sunlight during the winter.

I read some care sheets about Fujian Teas, but I didn’t see any information about pests. Are they very susceptible to any bugs or fungi that you know of?

And here it is today! Unfortunately, the jasmine was severely stunted by the ice apocalypse of 2021.

So...This is the very same fukien that started this thread??

Well done on keeping it alive this long. Please share your care.

You need to start treating it as abonsai or eventually it will cease to be a bonsai.

That's correct. It is the very same one. I took the other member's advice and moved it outside, only bringing it inside if the temperature falls below 40 degrees fahrenheit. I keep it in Tiny Roots deciduous mix with a carpet of locally collected moss on top. The moss is beautiful and it keeps the soil from drying too quickly. This tree has dropped its leaves any time the soil became too dry, but I've been successful in catching it early enough for the tree to pull through. Another benefit of the moss is that it serves as a visual reminder for watering as it starts to dry out long before the tree becomes dehydrated. During the summer I have to water this tree twice a day. It is more cold tolerant than people think it is, but it hates to dry out. I did have to save it from an aphid infestation about 2 years ago. For that I used a high pressure hose followed by slightly soapy water. I give it a few drops of liquid bonsai fertilizer mixed with a cup of water every so often during the growing season and I do treat it very much as a bonsai. While it is larger than it used to be, it could be much larger than it currently is. It's a prolific grower. I have spent many hours trimming it into its current form and I've learned that the leaves make a nice tea. I have drank it numerous times and it does seem to soothe the stomach, as people say it does. It's one of my very favorite plants that I own.