Hello! I am a novice indoor gardener/beginner bonsai enthusiast and I am looking for some advice regarding my Serissa Foetida. I bought her as a tiny little plant from a garden show about two years ago. Upon researching, I learned that Serissas are very finicky and that they do not like to be moved around too much and that they can be difficult to care for. After reading this, I was too nervous to prune because I was afraid snipping the branches would cause her to drop all her leaves and now I have a very scraggly little Serissa. I am looking to start pruning now that she has some good growth but I am not sure where to begin. I am also looking for advice regarding encouraging her to bloom. I keep her on my desk next to a bright window and she is surrounded by other plants. Right now she is in an African Violet pot to make sure I don't over or under water her, but I may transfer her to a proper bonsai pot with a humidity tray. I would appreciate any helpful insight regarding my little Tree of a Thousand Stars. Thank you!

Welcome to the forum!
At the point your little plant is now, there's nothing much to do but hard prune it in the Spring.
The tree is leggy, the trunk too thin, I would chop it down to the second branch growing from the trunk and start all over again.
Sorry about the bad news, but...
And take a look:
www.bonsaiempire.com/tree-species/serissa

Thank you for replying to my post! If I keep my Serissa inside year round, do I need to wait for spring to do the hard prune? It is currently the end of summer where I live. When you say the second branch from the trunk do you mean this one? And I just make a cut just above this branch? Just want to be sure since I have never done a hard prune before. Thank you!

greenthumbalina wrote:

Thank you for replying to my post! If I keep my Serissa inside year round...

Well, they like fresh air and sun, so if there is a way, it should be outdoors.
The "leggy" branching could be from lack of light; they grow bigger leaves and longer internodes when not in full sun.

greenthumbalina wrote:

When you say the second branch from the trunk do you mean this one? And I just make a cut just above this branch? Just want to be sure since I have never done a hard prune before.

If you have never done a hard pruning, seek help from a friend who does bonsai.
I'm serious.
There is a chance, even if you repot in the right time (beginning of the Spring), there is a chance the tree dies from stress.
It's a tough one: You have to prune to control the legginess, but hard pruning is always a big risk.

Sorry but this plant is really not suiitable for bonsai. It is too weak, too underdeveloped and serissa is not a very forgiving plant.

For now I would not prune. It is very weak, and you should focus on getting this healthy. Keeping it nidoors will not help the health in the long run. As it now the end of summer.. I cannot really see how to get this back to health. Do you have grow lights for winter?

Yes, I have a grow light that I can use when winter rolls around. I am not so much worried about the aesthetics of the plant. I just want her to be healthy.

greenthumbalina wrote:

. I am not so much worried about the aesthetics of the plant. I just want her to be healthy.

So don't prune it.