Hi everyone,

A good friend bought me a bonsai tree (18yr Carmona) as a present last month – things have been quite tricky for me personally as of late and they figured it'd be something positive for me to focus on...

Unfortunately this has backfired a bit, as I'm growing increasingly worried/convinced that the tree is unwell, and I'm not sure how to remedy the issue(s). I have genuinely tried to take careful care of it (weekly watering by submerging, specialist fertiliser, specific tools for trimming, paste for branch wounds) – but it simply seems to be getting worse...

For instance:
– Leaves are turning brown/yellow
– Leaves are falling off when moved/touched (even green ones)
– Flowers are wilting extremely quickly (and appearing less)
– There's a thin veil of white across the top soil
– There's a white fungus/mould at the base of the trunk
– Several leaves seem to have browny spots on the surface
– The other day I found some very tiny mites (?) underneath the basin... but I haven't seen any since.

I'm not sure if it's too late to save (!?), but I'm open to trying anything/everything to nurture it back to good health.

I've attached a variety of photos – if there's anything else I can provide then just let me know.

P.s – it sits on a windowsill with a couple hours of direct sunlight per day.
P.p.s – it's inside an office (which has had terrible AC issues since the plant arrived - making it a rather cold environment (esp. at night).

HUGE thanks in advance,
-R

Seems the seller doubled the real age... for profit.

Get it out of the office. It will not do well there.
Stop dunking it.
Stop fertilizing it.
Water it properly. Watering weekly is not ok.

Start reading. Look up care guidelines for your tree species and how to water it.

Sorry to be the one to burst your bubble but..

This plant is nowhere near 18 years old. 18 months more likely. It is however irrelevant.

Your plant is from the tropics, and a tropical plant that is picky to boot. It will not do well in your office with an iffy airconditioner. It needs fairly stable warm conditions, and high humidity. To e honest, I do not understand why these are even sold. Hardly anyone can provide the right climate at home.

leatherback wrote: To be honest, I do not understand why these are even sold. Hardly anyone can provide the right climate at home.

Like I said: for profit. Same reason why they say it's 18 years old (I think 18 months isn't really true either.. I'd say about 5 - 7).
Same reason why they sell inbred puppies. You'll notice something is wrong after a long time. Because it has been such a long period, people are hesitant to complain - also because they think it is their own fault (and of course, the seller will say that it is - they did buy something that was healthy and looked good when they bought it - so they didn't give it proper care).

Hard to not get cynical being a bonsai enthusiast...

Wow – that's a pretty hard-hitting welcome into the world of bonsai..!

Look, I don't care about the age; as noted, it's "irrelevant" – especially as it was a gift in the first place. No one is bursting "my" bubble, I would just like the bloomin' bonsai to live!

Beyond that, I appreciate the general comments – even if some of them are fairly condescending... I reached out for help, and I got "start reading". I did, and have (many sites/forums) – to the extent that I've opted to sign-up to a website, take photos, and write a post in the hope someone could advise me more specifically.

I will remove it from the office – but beyond that, I'm still unaware of how best to water, feed and generally care for it... Nor do I have any idea about the white mouldy stuff on the soil/trunk (see original photos).

Is anyone out there actually able (and more importantly willing) to help in that regard? I clearly set the topic as "out of my depth / newcomer" and didn't expect to be chastised *quite* as heavily... Thanks thanks thanks in advance!

The white stuff is calcium carbonate - limescale- and the result of hard water. Over time, this can affect the health of the tree, although I have not had plants really be affected that bad that it caused trouble (And my groudwater comes from a well under a calcium layer).
A little (one spoon per litre) of vinegar in your water can reduce it a little. Atering withrain water is the alternative.

As for other care, I do not have this species, as theyare too iffy for me. So cannot help you there.