Hi all, this is my first thread in the forum so I'll hopefully get to contribute more as time goes on :) I'm having real trouble with my Orido Nishiki bonsai; it's an Acer Variation, approximately 20cm tall in a slanted 'broom' style, possibly 6-8 years old although I'm not sure. It was bought from a garden show in perfect health, with a lot of pink & green vegetation and leaves to sustain it. Over the weeks and months it's slowly lost more and more foliage, and I'm quite worried it will perish without some urgent action. I'll try to explain as best I can the condition and add pictures to my profile to help any kind of assistance- I suspect it may have had or still has spider mites, or been at the mercy of various flying insects in the garden as I found thin cobweb strands and various shoots either damaged or consumed. I've given it a blast with a UK 'bug gun' spray, which I checked to be compatible, as much as I dislike chemicals. The other problem is positioning: In the directions it stated that Acers are not fans of wind and direct sunlilght, preferring dappled light and shelter. I tried putting it in different places around the garden to no avail- it was a case of getting too much sun, no protection from wind, or at the mercy of birds & insects. So, while it still has (some) leaves, it's really hanging on for dear life. I've been checking the soil and watering carefully, feeding every other week, but it's not a happy chap. It's by no means dead, but 'depressed' might be a good word :) any help would be greatly appreciated. Yours sincerely, James.S (the Nishiki currently resides in my front garden on a temporary shelf and shelter which I hope will keep off the worst of the wind; the shelter is transparent to allow light)
I have Orido Nishiki, but not as a bonsai, but might as well be as I have it in a gallon pot since I received it in May this year in a very tiny pot. So mine is a baby and from what I have read is that these do take sun etc. I've also read that JM don't need very much fertilizer. Is Middlesbrough in the UK? Or the US? I live in hot desert country hot dry summers and cold winters, Zone 6. So I don't know why your tree is having problems except for the season. August in Idaho is hot and the days are getting shorter so the leaves are just responding to normal conditions of the weather. I am not an expert in bonsai, except for having a Crimson Queen in a wine barrel for 6 years which hardly gets watered, is in partial shade, morning light and filter afternoon. It is on my deck on the north side of my house and does get protection from winds. I just started to fertilize it with 20-20-20 this year as I didn't know what I'm suppose to fertilize it with. Also, I have a koi pond and it would get occasional pond water with its goodies. Okay, I hope your tree is doing better, besides the Orido Nishiski, I ordered several other grafted JMaples. So I'm looking forward to their seasons of color and learning about their growing stages.
