Diagnosis
What's wrong with my bonsai?
Pick the symptom that matches your tree. Each guide walks you through the likely causes, how to tell them apart, and exactly how to fix it.
Yellow leaves on your bonsaiBonsai dropping leavesBrown, crispy leaf tipsWhite specks, dots or webbingNo new growth on your bonsaiSoft or blackening trunk baseMealybugs on your bonsaiAphids on bonsai new growthSmall brown bumps on branchesFungus gnats: tiny flies in bonsai soilAnts on your bonsaiDark spots on bonsai leaves (fungal leaf spot)White powdery film on bonsai leavesSoft, dark or foul-smelling roots, the classic sign of bonsai root rotBonsai soil that never seems to dry outWhite crust on bonsai soil or the pot rimBonsai wilting even with wateringBonsai soil smells bad, sour or rotten, from the potBonsai Not Budding in SpringBonsai leggy growth: weak, thin new shootsPale, washed-out new leavesBonsai Leaves Curling SuddenlyCracked or splitting bark on a bonsaiBonsai branch dying while the rest of the tree looks healthyWilting or leaf drop after repotting (bonsai transplant shock)Conifer bonsai needles browning and dropping
General guidance based on 20+ years of practice. Every tree is different — when in doubt, ask us.