They do go dormant, just don't need below freezing temps to do it, but would be much better off in a somewhat cooler place over the winter than your living room or even plant room. Also need to be kept even drier than usual (and they like to be pretty dry to begin with).

ok so they do need to go dormit right? well the rooms its in is pretty cool and the heat is never on. Its about 32-40 outside at night. any suggestions to a cool enough place? also they can be grown indoors in the rest of the year under my grow lights right?

ok so they do need to go dormit right? well the rooms its in is pretty cool and the heat is never on. Its about 32-40 outside at night. any suggestions to a cool enough place? also they can be grown indoors in the rest of the year under my grow lights right?

Well if it's 32-40 IN that room, it's too cold, but anything over 45-50 is ok for 'winter' (a couple of months). And your grow lights are a great idea.

ya its not that cold in my room or else id be frozen lol..ok so the room should be around 45-50 or even a little higher? and they like to be out in the summer right?

Yes to all.

ok and will all the leaves fall off if its 45-50 in the room or just some?

Each tree is different, impossible to say, but it's late in the season for that to begin now.

well some of the leaves have turned brown and curled up and all i have to do is touch them and they fall off. doesn't taht mean its going into dormacy? its also just gotten pretty cold in my room in the last month.

Have you checked for spider mites?

no, but i dont remember seeing any before. well i just got it a couple weeks ago in the mail and it might have been inside someplace warm so maybe when i put it in my room, it started going into dormacy because its colder?

Not so much dormancy, but shock at the abrupt change, with no acclimatization for a week at in between temps.

ok, do you think it will possibly die from it?

No crystal ball - just wait a few wks and see!

ok thanks for the advice Lucy

ive got another question..i have several buds on my olive bonsai, should I prune them off while its in my cool room?

Why, don't you want more foliage, branches, etc., or are you 'afraid' they'll be olives (which is pretty unlikely)?

yeah i do but if its in a semi dormacy, which it could be, would that be good for it?

Will you stop fussing and relax? The tree knows what to do with itself and will be fine.

haha ok im just making sure because i dont want it to die. i noticed some more leaved curling and dying so i moved it back in front of my west facing window, cuz i had moved it next to my terrarium light but maybe it wasnt enough light for it.

uh oh,ive noticed that more leaves have been turning brown and curling. i checked with my new therm. and my room is about 68 during the day and 60 at night. i wonder why its doing that.

How much are you actually watering (enough to reach the drain holes?) and how often? And have you set up a humidity tray?

well i watered it like a week ago and havent' watered it since because you said to keep it dry during the winter. yes i have a humidity tray and its about 65% humidity in my room.

How MUCH are you giving it at a time though - enough for all the roots to actually get a drink? Have you checked for spider mites - do you know what to look for? Seems to me we went through all this last week... and you're not giving it any time to recover. Don't be looking for new signs every day, more likely weekly or longer. This is the deadest part of the year for trees and they're not going to do much of anything now.

well the last time i watered it i gave it enough for it to come out from the drainage holes in the bottom. yeah ive checked and i didnt see any little red mites or anything..ok how long do you think it will take to recover? i just dont want it to die.

I am trying to sae my new bonsai, received for Christmas. It is loosing lots of leaves but they are not all gone. I have it on my kitchen table to get the "curtailed sunlight" but it may be too warm there as I read from the earlier posting. Should I find a cooler spot in the house to put it for the wintr. I don't know how old it is; it's about a 10 inches tall in the pot.

I love it am trying to be a good caretaker. I've lost several of bonsai over the years and want to be successful this time.

Thanks much,
Marie

I assume it's an Olive?
If so, it's an outdoor tree.

Josh

I am sorry but if people are this paranoid and are having all these problems and have to ask this many questions about bonsai its probably not the hobby to be in. Anyone losing many trees just arent getting it and its not that hard to keep bonsai alive. You have to learn horticulture basics before anyone can even attempt bonsai. So many people order or just go out and buy a bonsai some where and assume thier all indoor plants and bonsai are out door plants. Anyone wanting stricly indoor plants need to just go to walmart and buy a house plant. Bonsai need to be out doors as much as possible and if it is a tropical species it should only be indoors durring winter anywhere its gets down to freezing temperatures. But the horticulture is the most critical. People need to learn how to keep plants alive first before they go attempting bonsai. Having trees in pots is very different than in the ground.

That is all very true, Jake.
However, many people are gifted bonsai (no fault of their own), and they are then charged
with keeping that plant alive out of respect for the giver of the gift. And so we see many folks
who would not have considered the hobby, and yet are suddenly thrust into it. We try to help
them as best we can, while also recommending they join a local bonsai group to get face to face
advice from those in the art.

On-Topic, my O. europaea 'Skylark Dwarf' grew fantastically this year.
It looked sickly coming out of the winter, but lots of water and fertilizer brought
it back to vibrant health.

Josh