A GOODBYE FOR AN OLD FRIEND

A GOODBYE FOR AN OLD FRIEND

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This one really hurts.  I have had this tree for probably 10 years, it was started from a cutting and I spent a lot of time throughout the years working it to try to make a decent tree.  This spring I decided to give it a repot because it had been a while and the soil had stopped draining freely.  It was a normal repot, the roots were in good shape, and I used the same soil mix that I always use.  It grew well all summer and got several prunings, then BOOM!, two weeks ago the leaves started shriveling up.  Today, it is completely (well almost) leafless and I fear most certainly dead.
I guess I should mention that the tree is a serissa, variety "pink fairy".  This particular variety of serissa is one of the tougher ones. 

What went wrong? 

I suspect a virus or fungus that killed the roots.  The trunk is green all the way down to the nebari but the nebari is completely dead.  I have been battling all sorts of fungi due to the really hot, wet, and humid summer that we had here.  I will do an autopsy once I am sure a miracle won't occur.  Here is a picture of it last year:

R.I.P. SERISSA 2017

UPDATE:

Well, it seems that this lady said, "Not so fast!".  As a last ditch effort, I did a ground layer on her and, well, I think it worked.  New growth everywhere, here is the recovery:
Lots of healthy growth!  Here she is after the trim.  There is still a lot of work to be done to fill the pads in again, but it is better than how it looked before.
I am really excited how this turned out, look for a futrue update and we will take a look at the new roots.

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