Hello,

I just purchased a 9 year Podocarpus bonsai from a local seller.

When looking more closely at the tree i noticed that the tips of some of the growing buds & leaves were dark (please see the attached pictures)
I've had it for 3 days and have not seen any improvement.

I also noticed that the leaves were infested with some mealybugs. Not a lot, but they were there. I treated the tree with some spray insecticide for plants and the bugs are gone (at least i have not seen any other since then).

Are the black tips a consequence of the bugs, or is it unrelated?
Can it be too much watering? I've been careful not to overwater, watering only when the soil is almost dry at the top.

The tree has been sitting outside in partial shade, in temperatures between 10ºC and 20ºC.

Any advice?

Thanks!

I am not much of a Bonsai expert but I do own a Podocarpus Macrophyllus since December last year. The black tips is nothing to be worried about, my tree develops them as well even with optimal care. As you might notice on other older leafs of your tree, some of them also have black tips from when it was in the nursery so you are not doing anything wrong. In fact you did a great job using the pesticide spray! The Buddhist Pine is growing 3 types of leafs in the Spring (very thick and wide because it needs a good photosynthesis after the winter season), Summer (slightly thinner) and Autumn (the leafs that it has now). Most likely you will end up pruning the Spring and Summer leafs to encourage buds growth so do not worry about the slightly uglier leafs growing now. One pro tip would be to keep an eye on your tree and ask an expert if the tree needs to be repotted or the soil to be changed. I am soon going to repot my Podocarpus because I believe that the soil it came up with is not the best for its growth but this is your call to decide upon.

filipe_user wrote:

Any advice?

Hi there,

Just take the tree outdoors where it can get enough sun light and air circulation. 10-20ºC won´t be an issue.

As for repotting... Maybe the time for doing so has gone already. However, that might be highly dependable on your current soil status and tree´s health. Assess your own conditions and if fits do the repotting, if not just refrain and take a good care of your tree until its health gets better and regains its strength.

Alain