I was responding to Lance. You should listen to him and Sandy @Paradox , they have much more experience with them than I do. Just saying I have had one that didn't open it's leaves for awhile and eventually it did and was fine.
Brazilian Rain Tree Leaves Not Opening - BRT
- Thread starter cairolip21
- Start date
cairolip21
Sapling
I gotcha.
Thanks though. Your advice was very helpful as well. It's good to know it's not too out of the ordinary.
Nothing much of substance to add, just a word of caution about moisture meters. If you put the sensor into a glass of distilled water, it will read dry. Mix in some fertilizer and it will read wet. It measures electrical conductivity, not moisture. I have found the chopstick method much more reliable.
cairolip21
Sapling
Interesting. Thanks for that. I'll look into the chopstick method a bit more. I figured higher tech would be more accurate but go figure!.. thanks!
LanceMac10
Imperial Masterpiece
Home Depot wouldn't screw me with a wonky water meter, would they?
I used the "pick-it up and put it down" method....water as normal then heft the container for weight. Next "watering time" give it a heft for weight again....hopefully it's lighter!
....something like that.....
I used the "pick-it up and put it down" method....water as normal then heft the container for weight. Next "watering time" give it a heft for weight again....hopefully it's lighter!
....something like that.....
LanceMac10
Imperial Masterpiece
Didn't intend you to feel "muted". Your not inaccurate per se...my advice is more "addition by subtraction".
If the leaf's close and don't open, it's almost assuredly a "root" issue. BRT's become pretty easy to read after a few seasons if you stay observant.
Really resilient to "poor" care...trust me, first hand experience.
LanceMac10
Imperial Masterpiece
Maybe see an update if you return, @cairolip21 ?
cairolip21
Sapling
Sorry for the delay on the update. I've been trying to be patient and just wait it out. It hasn't begun to open yet, but seems like it's moving in a positive direction. The leaves are still supple and are beginning to tilt up in the mornings as if they're going to open, but just stay closed. I'm hoping a little bit longer of not tinkering with it and it'll be back to normal. It's still taking about a week for the soil to be dry enough to need water. I know that's not the best amount of time, but I'm thinking maybe once it rebounds a bit it'll start taking up water more quickly.
LanceMac10
Imperial Masterpiece
.....ggaahhee.................
First day of spring just a month away! Soon it can go outside...two months? Think positive.
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
View attachment 356508
.....ggaahhee.................
First day of spring just a month away! Soon it can go outside...two months? Think positive.
I dont put mine out until the end of May at the very earliest, most of the time not until mid june.
We get some cold, windy days here in May and the nights can still be pretty cold for tropicals
cairolip21
Sapling
Thanks for the timeline! I think I did the same last year. Waited until around the end of May to make sure the nights were warm enough. Can't wait for spring to be here soon!
But it's definitely looking better and better as the days go on. I feel like it's overcoming the shock I put it through and beginning to open back up again. Thanks for all the help everyone! I keep you posted as it progresses.
LanceMac10
Imperial Masterpiece
My tropicals will go to where I keep the outdoor stuff in winter. End of April? More of a "greenhouse" than "cold frame" at that point. Out on the benches mid- May? I'll repot within a few weeks of that if needed. As long as the overnight lows are mid-40's with daytime temps mid-50's or so is fine, in my experience.
If you feel more confident with waiting for temperatures to be in the "sweet spot", by all means, do that. Just sharing some experiences with "cold-weather" exposure. I mean, I live in NH. It's always cold 'cept late May thru early September...those five months can go by in a blink.
Glad to hear it's on the mend and thanks for the update with some surely needed good news! 2021 is shaping up to be the same as 2020.....
If you feel more confident with waiting for temperatures to be in the "sweet spot", by all means, do that. Just sharing some experiences with "cold-weather" exposure. I mean, I live in NH. It's always cold 'cept late May thru early September...those five months can go by in a blink.
Glad to hear it's on the mend and thanks for the update with some surely needed good news! 2021 is shaping up to be the same as 2020.....
cairolip21
Sapling
Hi all,
Continuing the update and apparently the shifting of leaves as if it were opening might've been some false hope. It's still not opening, but continuing to move it's leaves slightly. Maybe it's just taking a while to get back to normal, but I'm working on being patient and seeing what happens. I'm trying to water it a bit lighter rather than water it heavily and see if the quicker dry out time might help it bounce back. First time I watered it lightly it was in need of water in 3 days rather than the week it's been taking if I fully saturate it (using the chopstick method now). On the bright side the leaves still aren't dropping/yellowing so I'm not too fearful of losing it. Just not sure why it's still unhappy in the current situation.
Temp seems good, humidity is a little low, but I try and keep that up as well. Open to thoughts on what maybe to try next.
Attaching a pic for proof of life at least.
Continuing the update and apparently the shifting of leaves as if it were opening might've been some false hope. It's still not opening, but continuing to move it's leaves slightly. Maybe it's just taking a while to get back to normal, but I'm working on being patient and seeing what happens. I'm trying to water it a bit lighter rather than water it heavily and see if the quicker dry out time might help it bounce back. First time I watered it lightly it was in need of water in 3 days rather than the week it's been taking if I fully saturate it (using the chopstick method now). On the bright side the leaves still aren't dropping/yellowing so I'm not too fearful of losing it. Just not sure why it's still unhappy in the current situation.
Temp seems good, humidity is a little low, but I try and keep that up as well. Open to thoughts on what maybe to try next.
Attaching a pic for proof of life at least.
Attachments
leatherback
The Treedeemer
Hm.. Why do you put it in the dark, behind closed curtains?
cairolip21
Sapling
It might just be the angle of the shot/time of day. It was dusk and the blinds are nearly 80-90% open. I'd say.
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
62 is not too cold for a BRT. Temps below 40, for extended periods of time, are too cold. Overnight lows to 32 won't kill it, as long as the roots don't freeze, though they might drop leaves. Even a hard frost to perhaps 26 or so would probably just burn the leaves as long as the roots are protected (though at that point you would need to bring it indoors and let it recover).
I just put all of my tropicals outside for at least the next ten days, because not a single night is forecast to get colder than 37. In Southern California, I just left them outdoors 24/7, and when it would get close to freezing the tree would pout for a bit and drop some leaves, and that's about it. It behaves similarly to my Brazillian ironwoods. I would NOT put the tree on a heat pad indoors, at the risk of killing it by baking the roots. If it is warm enough indoors for you, it is warm enough for your tree.
As others have suggested, try putting it in your shower, and DRENCH IT for a good five minutes, rinsing the foliage and letting the soil get completely wet. Then leave it to drain in the humid room. After an hour come and get it and put it in a sunny window. The key to BRTs is light and humidity. Warmth is simply an underlying condition that you have to provide. As long as it is over 40 they don't care whether it is 50 or 80, as long as it is bright and humid.
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Colorado
Masterpiece
Hi all,
Continuing the update and apparently the shifting of leaves as if it were opening might've been some false hope. It's still not opening, but continuing to move it's leaves slightly. Maybe it's just taking a while to get back to normal, but I'm working on being patient and seeing what happens. I'm trying to water it a bit lighter rather than water it heavily and see if the quicker dry out time might help it bounce back. First time I watered it lightly it was in need of water in 3 days rather than the week it's been taking if I fully saturate it (using the chopstick method now). On the bright side the leaves still aren't dropping/yellowing so I'm not too fearful of losing it. Just not sure why it's still unhappy in the current situation.
Temp seems good, humidity is a little low, but I try and keep that up as well. Open to thoughts on what maybe to try next.
Attaching a pic for proof of life at least.
I think you just have to be patient and wait for summer. I would also pull the blinds all the way up during the day. Seriously, that will make a huge difference in the amount of light it gets, as @leatherback was suggesting.
cairolip21
Sapling
Interesting. I assumed between the grow light and mostly open blinds it would be getting plenty of light. It's off the chart on my lux meter but it's worth a try. Thanks
The thing that really is throwing me is it was doing really well I think in nearly these exact conditions in January prior to my putting the moss in there and keeping the soil too moist I'm assuming. That was the first time I've ever seen it bloom. The only difference was the heat mat and then me upsetting it with too much moisture. Again the pics were taken close to nighttime as it's a south-facing window and tons of light comes in during the day so all I get are silhouette shots so the leaves were beginning to close.
Attachments
Bonsai Nut
Nuttier than your average Nut
Even if it isn't coated, a glass window can cut your light intensity by 50%. Then if you have shades, reduce it by how much your shades are blocking. I have no idea what light your grow light is providing, but your lux meter can't tell you anything about it because plants don't care about Lux - they care about PAR - which is the photosynthetically available spectrum of light in the two bandwidths that your tree's chlorophyll use to photosynthesize. You can have high Lux, but low PAR - and even though it looks very bright to the human eye your plant is suffering - because all the light is in the wrong spectra.
I have no idea how much light your tropical tree is getting through a glass window with shades, and then supplemented with a grow light. However I'll bet its not as much PAR is it would get under noon sunlight in Brazil
cairolip21
Sapling
Haha, that is a very good point! It definitely is not Brazil in here. Thanks for the advice!Even if it isn't coated, a glass window can cut your light intensity by 50%. Then if you have shades, reduce it by how much your shades are blocking. I have no idea what light your grow light is providing, but your lux meter can't tell you anything about it because plants don't care about Lux - they care about PAR - which is the photosynthetically available spectrum of light in the two bandwidths that your tree's chlorophyll use to photosynthesize. You can have high Lux, but low PAR - and even though it looks very bright to the human eye your plant is suffering - because all the light is in the wrong spectra.
I have no idea how much light your tropical tree is getting through a glass window with shades, and then supplemented with a grow light. However I'll bet its not as much PAR is it would get under noon sunlight in Brazil
The blinds are all the way open, my office and I are on display to the neighborhood, but I'm letting that sunlight in!
Hopefully, it'll help it cheer up a bit.
