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| I'm new to bonsai care, and I've read a ton of literature it, but I can't seem to find anything to help me with this problem.
Originally, I had spider mites, but I treated that and they are gone. However, my pine (not sure of the species) is still browning. I've been very cautious with watering, and noticed that the top soil never drys out. I read somewhere that you should only water the bonsai when the top soil is dry... mine is always wet! I haven't watered it for quite some time now, but it's still wet (even with the sun and dryish weather, characteristic of Southern California). Can somebody please give me suggestions on what to do or point me in the direction of a place to go for help in San Diego? Thanks so much! I'm worried about this little tree... |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by justeen_bonsai z7 VA (My Page) on Tue, Aug 15, 06 at 15:36
| Do you have drainage holes in the bottom? If not, or even if you do, you're probably watering it too much and causing root rot. Even if you havn't watered it for a while, you should still wait for the top of the soil to dry. Was it wet or did it just look wet. I know some of my bonsai has soil that looks wet all the time! If you didn't feel it, it may have been dry! |
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| What is it planted in (soil)? If it's potting soil, it's probably mostly peat, which holds onto water forever, and it should have been repotted in spring into a proper bonsai mix - which means lots of grit (many choices), aquarium gravel and small (1/8") bits of bark(not always easy to come by). Now is not the time to repot, however. The problem may also be that the tree is in fact dead and therefore not using any water. Are you sure it's a pine, and not e.g. a juniper or some other conifer (I only ask because a lot of newbies call anything evergreen 'pine' when it isn't). You haven't said where it is in relation to sun, gen. location, etc. or if it's in a little bonsai pot or something else. Your only hope could be to plant it straight into the ground in a place with sandy gritty soil in the sun for a couple of seasons, after getting rid of all the old soil. |
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| I've been looking up the symptoms of root rot, and I believe that is my problem. The soil is wet to the touch, so I know that my bonsai is not drinking very much. The bonsai pot has a drainage hole, and the soil is the same stuff I bought it in about 2.5 years ago. The bonsai gets morning sun as it's on my balcony that faces east. I live in an apartment so I can't really plant it into the ground, and I know that now is not the time to repot anyways. I'm not sure what species my bonsai is because I wasn't told when I bought it, and I haven't seen a picture of a tree with similarities in the needles. Is there any thing else I can do to help my tree? Or when is the earliest that I can replant it into a more gritty soil? Thanks again for your help! |
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| Well, the first thing you have to do is know what you're growing - you can't possibly take care of it otherwise. The second thing is that it probably has died for various reasons (like watering too often), but would have anyway because it needed to live outdoors. You're being unable to have it there is too bad, but wanting it to work indoors just doesn't help. Get tropicals (ficus, and others) and work with those. You can't make an outdoor tree live indoors. |
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- Posted by vancewood z5MI (bondojo@comcast.net) on Sun, Sep 17, 06 at 10:57
| Sadly if you bought this tree from one of the locations that sell bonsai to the general but not a bonsai nursery the tree is probably five needle pine. This is easily determined by counting the number or needles in a bundle joined together at the base. If the needles are five, guess what it is a five needle pine and probably Japanese White Pine. Any pine is difficult if you have never had experience with them, but a five needle is a real challenge. They are tough to water and prone to an assortment of ailments identified and as yet undocumented. The bad news: If the soil is wet and it has not been water in a couple of weeks the tree is dead. It really does not matter why but it all probably started with a bad soil mix drainage problem developing into root rot and on into kindling. |
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| I'd recommend taking this tree out of the pot ASAP and placing it into a pond basket that can be easily had from Lowe's, HD, or Walmart. That'll help a LOT with drainage and drying the soil in a more reasonable time. If the soil is regular potting soil, you may need to be careful when you water as some might slip out of the pot, but you're probably not going to have a problem with it. You could PROBABLY get away with an emergency repot into bonsai-appropriate soil, but I wouldn't feel comfy telling you to do that until you've identified what kind of pine you have. WF |
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- Posted by vancewood z5MI (bondojo@comcast.net) on Thu, Sep 28, 06 at 19:19
| Species specifics are critical in this post, it would be nice if you could respond with an update. |
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