Dear Members,
I’m brand new in the forum and on the Bonsai culture also. After a few month of thinking and a few weeks of research, I decided to buy a Pre Bonsai, instead of an already shaped tree.

Today I visited the local Bonsai nursery and now I’m a proud owner of a 10 year old Serissa foetida. The little tree already give a direction with his base form, but I’m still not 100% sure about the styling. I want to give few weeks or much more if he got shocked in his new place. He’ll living in a Southeast- South facing window (what we never open), or outside in a same orientation balcony in the summer if he likes it.

I would like to ask kindly your opinions and imaginations about him.

Hi and welcome Felidae.

What concerns me most here is lack of trunk, so far. You will need it as to move forward into shaping.

Good luck.

Thank you No, it won’t be easy, neither perfect, but hey..
Yeah, I didn’t found at first neither, cause it’s too bushy, but wait till he’ll drop some leaves cause of the “migration”.

I try to show the base structure from a picture with more adequate angle.



And these are my thoughts now, but it can change till I start to work with.

Besides small pruning, this is what I think to eliminate from the base structure:


Here a little wiring:


I’ll try to draw a clear image later, but here is what stays (around..ish...)


I’ll thinking and watching it for a time.

Good you have a plan.

You may look into Leatherback's website guide on the subject.

www.growingbonsai.net/growing/trunks/

It is a Serissa. You need to focus on keeping it alive first. Do not do anything else yet. They're touchy...

spacewood wrote: Good you have a plan.

You may look into Leatherback's website guide on the subject.

www.growingbonsai.net/growing/trunks/

Thanks for the link! I was there before to get some info and it’s really useful site. I’ll ask the nursery when they repotted the last time, but looks like it’s fine for now. I’ll manipulate with sacrifice branches in the first year or two to thicken here-there.

Auk wrote: It is a Serissa. You need to focus on keeping it alive first. Do not do anything else yet. They're touchy...

Thank you for the warning, Auk. I choose the species on purpose, cause I like to think about myself like “not your average rookie”. I don’t care if I read somewhere that I need watering like blabla or fertilizing like blabla. I observe the tree instead.
I won’t touch now. I wait that he starts the Serissa Migration Ritual, and when it’s over, slowly I’ll start to working with him, but before that, I’ll buy some mallsai to get some practice.

I thought to start to use a 6500K light or even a specific grow light to give more support. Someone have experience with bonsai + artificial light?

About the placement : I got it form a local nursery, which is 5 mins by car from my home. The position of the Serissas in their shelf was exactly the same (SE) where I placed, just we live in a bit higher altitude. Like this I try to reduce the stress.

My concern is about the humidity and temperature. I have a reptile room where those are perfect, but the air cleaner can cause problems, and no natural light there. If nothing else helps, I’ll free up a terrarium and give a proper setup with heating and constant hygro.

In which time interval they start to drop the leaves after moving?

Felidae wrote: ... I choose the species on purpose, cause I like to think about myself like “not your average rookie”. I don’t care if I read somewhere that I need watering like blabla or fertilizing like blabla. I observe the tree instead.

Good. I like this attitude.

Felidae wrote: ... My concern is about the humidity and temperature. I have a reptile room...

Serissas like to be outside. Try to keep it outdoors as much as possible.

Felidae wrote: ...In which time interval they start to drop the leaves after moving?

Immediately, if they are unhappy. Mine, if I move them from one point on the bench to another, already get sulking. Yellow leaves, dropping some, no growth at all... They are like that.

Clicio wrote: Good. I like this attitude

Almost everyone, until they don’t have to live with me.. :whistle:

Clicio wrote: Serissas like to be outside. Try to keep it outdoors as much as possible.

Thank you, I’ll do gradually. He’ll have his place on the balcony with same position, but Swiss springs can be spikey sometimes.

Clicio wrote: Immediately, if they are unhappy. Mine, if I move them from one point on the bench to another, already get sulking. Yellow leaves, dropping some, no growth at all... They are like that.

Hmm.. We didn’t lost a single leaf until now. In this case I’ll see in few days if at least the growth stunned, or start to loose some.