Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum, so thank you in advance for your advice. I was recently gifted a lovely bonsai tree. I am a complete novice. I do not know the type of bonsai nor the best care. I was only told to keep it indoors and not water if very much. However, it has recently started to drop leaves. It is still in great shape, so I want to get out in front of this before it is too late to save it. I've attached a photo. If anyone can tell me the type and best care for this particular bonsai I would be most thankful.

All the best,

Fi

This is a ficus of some sort. The wounds in the inside of the bends is from a rebar that has been used to train the tree in big fields, they take an eternity to heal.

The tree will benefit from beeing outside in the summer when night temperature is above 10c. In winter it is best to keep it quite a few degrees colder than comfortable living room temperature. In living room temperature they will shed a lot of leafs in winter. It looks ugly, but if good care is applied they come back in spring.

Water as it is moist, but not dry. Use a weak diluted fertilizer once every fortnight in summer.

Do not do any prunning or styling until the tree has adapted to its new home and you know how to take care of it.

You may wish to try a shallower, but wider pot

I dont recomend any repotting, pruning or styling until after one full successful growing season.

A shallower pot looks better, but not really benefits the health of the tree. It is the last step in bonsai development.

Thanks so much for the advice. Much appreciated!