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 droppingWhitefly on your bonsaiThrips on your bonsaiSlugs and snails on your bonsaiVine weevil on bonsai: notched leaves and sudden wiltingDiscoloured or sunken bark on a bonsai's trunkBonsai buds killed by frost: black or mushy growth after a cold snapBonsai storm and wind damage: broken branches, torn bark, fallen potsGreen algae on the soil surfaceSudden wilting or dieback on one side of a bonsaiAnthracnose on your bonsaiCanker on your bonsai's trunk or branchOlder leaves yellowing while new growth stays greenOlder leaves dropping from your broadleaf evergreen bonsaiYour bonsai wobbles or is unstable in its potMoss on your bonsai soil dying or going patchyFertilizer burn on your bonsaiBonsai looking wilted or unhappy after shippingBonsai girdling root strangling the trunkHoles chewed in your bonsai's leaves
General guidance based on 20+ years of practice. Every tree is different — when in doubt, ask us.