Dying Bonsai Help

[Prudie]

Is anyone knowledgeable about Bonsai trees? Bottom line is I was given one as a present by a work colleague on the first day of my 2 week holiday so it just sat on my desk unwatered. I have come back and every leaf is dry and crisp and beyond redemption but is the whole thing dead do you think? I can't even tell what it was except a broad leaved type.

[woofgang]

scratch a tiny piece of the bark away near the roots. If what is underneath is at all green then there is hope. Water water water and then more water. Put it outside in a shady position. If its dry and brown or grey then its time for the last rites.

[rowanwitch]

...put it outside in the shade, water it well but you are probably too late. Proper bonsai are not indoor plants. They are real trees only smaller. They are hard to keep as they grow in very little soil

[woofgang]

spath the end stems might well be dead....if there is life left anywhere it will be in the trunk down by the roots.

[Prudie]

The end stems do snap off dead but a scrape at the bottom of he trunk does have a layer of green. Obviously I'm watering it now, can't believe it's gone like this in 2 weeks. The leaves have remained green but are dried to a crisp.

[Fitzer]

We were given a bonsai some years ago and the instructions said to immerse the post to the top of the soil once a week and to leave in the water for 10 minutes. This we have done and it's still going strong, kept indoors in a well lit area. You could try the same, if it's already a gonner you can't do any harm.

[rowanwitch]

There are "indoor bonsai" the care of these is very different to traditional ones. They are usually variants of succulents trained in a similar way.

[Prudie]

This is the thing, I can't work out what it was. The giver told me via email it was a flowering type and the leaves are very similar to a lilac leaf in a shape but obviously much much smaller.

[woofgang]

again spath, I wouldn't do any pruning until I can see where its going to shoot from.

[Chipchopper]

Place the tree in a shallow dish of rain water in the open air if possible and out of direct sun light.
allow it to re-hydrate but don't let it soak for too long, just until the surface becomes moist, the allow it to drain.
It sounds like you have a good chance of reviving it. I have a few trees outside and I know that they are placed out of the sun during the hottest part of the day, they will do much better.

[hammerman]

I've grown Bonsai for over 30 years. The ones you buy from garden centers or DIY shops will, in 99% of cases, die. They are plants that require constant water, feed, light and humidity. The outdoor ones need lots of attention.
Sorry.