---
title: "help! i cant tell if my bonsai is dead, if its like this cause of…"
description: "help! i cant tell if my bonsai is dead, if its like this cause of winter, if its growing weeds or a new branch thing. Anyone know anything about bonsai ficus’?"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg/S7Jm4bkgQiru3eoZV1IIDI?language=ko"
community: "Anything about plants"
author: "Tayler"
published: "2025-12-15T19:16:16.223439Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/1FHZ-e6MrbdchHoxQJJwGsEP8vgp4Bv1-VVHnQb15aE/VfdyqqmzSjWH9fF4XYkLwQ.webp?size=large"
---

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# help! i cant tell if my bonsai is dead, if its like this cause of…

_Tayler님이 2025-12-15에 게시함_

help!

i cant tell if my bonsai is dead, if its like this cause of winter, if its growing weeds or a new branch thing. Anyone know anything about bonsai ficus’?

![1개 중 1번째 첨부 파일](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/1FHZ-e6MrbdchHoxQJJwGsEP8vgp4Bv1-VVHnQb15aE/VfdyqqmzSjWH9fF4XYkLwQ.webp?size=large)

## 5개의 댓글

### Plant guy님이 2025-12-15에 댓글을 남겼어요.

Try scratching a little of the bark off and if it’s green it’s alive if it’s brown it’s dead.

#### Nan님이 2025-12-15에 답변했습니다.

I agree, this is the perfect trick. You’ll also be able to tell just by the feel of the trunk-when mine rotted I could literally pull it apart.  
Sometimes in the winter (depending on the type) they also go dormant… so if you have no rot and the stem is still green, you can store him away in a closet for the winter. With a water maybe once a month.

### Heather님이 2025-12-15에 댓글을 남겼어요.

Keep in mind Bonsai isn’t a variety of plant..,it is a way of growing a plant to create a miniature version. If your ficus tree is a variety that drops leaves in winter you should be fine. With so many varieties of ficus you need to determine what it’s species it is to know how best to care for it. All that said, your little tree’s trunk structure is absolutely beautiful so I hope it’s just in winter dormancy and you get new buds in spring!

### Waspinator님이 2025-12-15에 댓글을 남겼어요.

That is a ficus benjamina. It is alive (you can see it has several shoots with leaves at the very bottom) but it is not doing so great (lots of die-back). This is a tropical species, so it should be kept indoors in winter, and you may need a grow light to ensure it gets enough hours of light (they tolerate shade but prefer bright light. As long as they don't scorch from heat, they can handle as much light as you can give). Keep up regular care, but be aware it may not need water as often since it has few leaves right now. As it recovers, you'll see all the new leaves come from a certain height or lower, and you can cut off the dead section on top. (Or turn it into deadwood, which can look great as you do bonsai training with it.) I'll add a picture with notes for reference

![1개 중 1번째 첨부 파일](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/0aEjxie6sp2j8dSN-ejLnU9dTQl1mR1VekkhDobC1Og/BAo0SLLHRASjhc2LeCqnUQ.webp?size=large)

#### Waspinator님이 2025-12-15에 답변했습니다.

(Be sure to click/tap the picture to get the full view)

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