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I recently bought a young gingko biloba (maidenhair) bonsai from a nursery that looked healthy two weeks ago. I brought it home and have since watered it twice. I put it outside in the day and it gets 1 hour of full sun but is in the shade for the rest of the day.

Since I bought it, the lower leaves have started browning in a weird way that starts from the middle. So far it has effected one leaf very badly and some other leaves are displaying brown spots.

I'm guessing the problem is that I'm overwatering it, but I wanted to make sure I'm not overlooking a larger issue.

I've included a picture of the badly affected leaf and the whole ginkgo!

Any advice would be appreciated!

Full ginkgo Ginkgo leaf

sapioromantic
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  • When was the last time this little tree had a balanced fertilizer? I hope that you are using potting soil and nothing else in that bonsai pot? To water Bonsai, one takes the entire pot and dunks it in a bucket of water. Allow the bubbles to subside. Depending on the age of the bonsai this is done almost daily. Have you root pruned yet? Looks like it is more than ready for terminal bud pruning. Definitely needs a bit of a balanced fertilizer and put on a program of fertilizing. Bonsai are the most artificial of all our 'plants'. Every little thing it needs has to come from us. – stormy Jul 08 '18 at 03:26
  • Once per week watering is too little. You really need to ask those store employees what this plant was fertilized with and when. When it was last root pruned and ask stuff like, "what do you think the goal for this bonsai is...for form"? A bonsai is more delicate than bringing home a new pet. Far more exacting. Water at least every other day...feel the heft of the pot after soaking. Check the heft the next day. You'll be able to tell right away by the difference in weight. I would use boring old Osmocote 14-14-14, 1/3 their directions if you've never used any fertilizer. – stormy Jul 08 '18 at 03:32
  • The store should most certainly tell you exactly what to use and how much. – stormy Jul 08 '18 at 03:33
  • you say you put it outside during the day; that suggests you don't leave it out overnight, is that the case? – Bamboo Jul 08 '18 at 10:42
  • @stormy I spoke to the nursery that I got the gingko from and from my description they thought my bonsai was getting scorched since it has been particularly hot in my area (+80F). I was actually surprised when I asked about fertilizer and they said they hadn't used fertilizer. I don't think fertilizer is the issue since I only had it for a little over a week and the leaves started to look brown. In any case, I did fertilize it with fish emulsion once I heard that they hadn't fertilized it at all. I also haven't root pruned it yet, but the trunk was a little wobbly when I got it. – sapioromantic Jul 13 '18 at 20:43
  • @Bamboo yea i bring it in when the sun sets. – sapioromantic Jul 13 '18 at 20:44
  • @sapioromantic The nursery knows nothing then. Oh good grief. Scorched? All plants we humans want to grow have to have fertilizer added. That is a fact. Your Gingko needs a bit of fertilizer. Use some water soluable Miracle Gro in the bucket of water you need to use to water that bonsai correctly. Add it once every other week? Let's see how your plant responds. Fertilizer and watering is most certainly the issue. Scorched? No. Lacking the chemistry to support the chlorophyll factories that are responsible for making 'food' for the plant makes those leaves an anemic light green. – stormy Jul 13 '18 at 20:58
  • Scorched would look like someone took a propane torch and aimed it on one side and above the plant. It would look like a 'mechanical' burn, not this systemic anemic light green. In a few weeks add a BALANCED fertilizer of NPK. Fish emulsion is not balanced, normally. Use a big bucket filled with water and put that entire pot in the bucket to water, let it bubble and remove when the bubbling stops. Feel the weight of that pot when watered. Water it when it is much lighter and that should be the next day or maybe two days. – stormy Jul 17 '18 at 00:56

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This particular tree is an outdoor bonsai, not indoor, so outside is where it needs to be all the time. The only exception is during winter, if you have very cold winters, when it should be removed to somewhere it will be protected to a degree, such as a cold greenhouse, because it requires the dormancy induced by a cold period in winter anyway to remain healthy.

Because it's young and fairly small, it should not be exposed to full sunlight in the middle of the day - dappled shade or shade between the hours of roughly 11.30 through till 3 is advisable, otherwise, sun exposure is fine. It might well be sun exposure that has caused the problem you're seeing - these trees rarely suffer from pests or diseases. It should be fertilised a couple of times a month during the growing season with a balanced fertiliser (NPK equal). Further information here https://www.bonsaioutlet.com/ginkgo-biloba-care/

Bamboo
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  • These are [street trees in Toronto, Canada](http://canadiantreetours.org/species-pages/Maidenhair-tree_or_ginkgo.html). IOW, they are quite cold hardy, but like any other potted plant, the roots need some protection from cold to emulate them being in the ground. Things like piling bark chips over and around the pot generally works. –  Jul 13 '18 at 22:25
  • You have good advice here in this answer (and I thought [Bamboo](https://gardening.stackexchange.com/users/1380/bamboo) was not into bonsai!). To add to this, some plants (especially bonsai) are sensitive when they are moved. They have to adjust to the new habitat (your garden), while it was adjusted to the nursery's environment. This stress can also be the cause of shedding some leaves. – benn Aug 13 '18 at 09:17
  • @b.nota - your thought is right, I am not into bonsai - but I do know about plants and the basics. My dislike of bonsai is purely personal, based on a perception that the plant, this living thing, is being not only rigidly contained, but twisted, tortured, effectively; although I can appreciate some are aesthetically pleasing... I feel the same about overbred dogs! – Bamboo Aug 13 '18 at 09:39
  • I second that, about the dogs! – benn Aug 13 '18 at 10:28