We bought a bonsai, I believe it is somewhere between 6 and 10 years old. It has been struggling for a little while now and I am not sure how to fix it! Some of the foliage is brown and dying but part of it is green still. I have a second younger bonsai sitting right next to this one. This bonsai is green and seems to be thriving. They both get the same sun and water. What can I do to save our tree?? We are new to bonsai and would love some advice, in addition what are some sites you like to use for ordering bonsai from online? Thanks

This plant is near-dead & dying. It may have died because the plant is inside. Or maybe you gave it too much water. Or you let it dry out.

in any case. It has passed on. And if you get another plant, you keep it outside next time. It is a plant after all.

Not sure if I have written this before but: trees belong outdoors

I didn't realize they need to be outdoors too, we live in wisconsin usa, do we just bring them indoors for the winter and leave outdoors summer time?

Kflak wrote: I didn't realize they need to be outdoors too, we live in wisconsin usa, do we just bring them indoors for the winter and leave outdoors summer time?

Not what I wrote, but for this specific tree, it no longer matters.

Trees belong in the climate they evolved in. That means usually outdoors, with sunlight, and soil kept damp to wet. Some, like bald cypress, stay in water. Some from Canada will not survive without months of below freezing. Some, like citrus and most ficus, will die at below 40F or 5C. It all depends on the tree but the tree won't be flexible. Most of them want to be outside most of the time. See where it came from.

Thank you Ivan that is very helpful! Do I have to worry about their roots freezing in winter? Or is there a specific way to prepare them for winter? I know very little and would love to learn more. I would love to keep our second little guy alive. He has all of his foliage still green and is thriving. I have moved him outside

Kflak wrote: I didn't realize they need to be outdoors too, we live in wisconsin usa, do we just bring them indoors for the winter and leave outdoors summer time?

Trees that are found "wild" in Wisconsin should be left outside ALL YEAR ROUND in Wisconsin (and similar climates). Protecting the roots from frost during the winter, however, is never a bad idea. The tree in your photo should have never been inside at all.

Kflak wrote: Thank you Ivan that is very helpful! Do I have to worry about their roots freezing in winter? Or is there a specific way to prepare them for winter? I know very little and would love to learn more. I would love to keep our second little guy alive. He has all of his foliage still green and is thriving. I have moved him outside

Just about anything that covers the soil protects the roots .... even snow.

The best answer is find a local bonsai person or group and see what they do. Don't copy the person whose oldest tree is one year.

You should protect from harsh drying wind. in Wisconsin I would guess the ground freezes pretty deep so a local tree should freeze along with it. Nonlocal could be different. But, I would caution against taking too much advice about Wisconsin from someone in Alabama, where winter lasts less than a week.