Burnt bonsais from house fire, help!!

[jdop]

Hey everyone, first post here.

I've been having the time of my life the past year or so acquiring nursery stock and learning about the ins and outs of when to do what with a particular species, and I've been seeing really good results! However, this morning I got a call saying the apartment across our lawn was up in flames, and my bonsais were about 40 feet away from the inferno. To give you an idea of how hot it was, the vinyl siding on my apartment (about 5 feet further from the fire than my bonsai bench) melted clean off.

In terms of damage to the plants, it varies. My laceleaf maple got the worst of it and has less than a dozen green leaves left on it, but everything is showing some sign of extreme heat damage, some much worse than others. Lots of browning and shriveled foliage. I have no intention of giving up on these little guys, but I'm feeling incredibly disheartened at the moment. In a very general sense, if there's still green leaves and healthy shoots, do they have a chance? Also, how would you handle fertilizing (if at all) or pruning of the affected areas?

Anyone who has experience with something like this, or really any general encouragement of any kind would be most welcome.

 

[cbroad]

"Anyone who has experience with something like this"
Um... @sorce

 

[cbroad]

@jdop
You watered them right?

I really don't know... If there's green, and it stays green, probably everything will be alright. I'm sure there's going to be delayed effects. But your siding melting off doesn't make it sound good. I hope everything works out!

 

[cbroad]

Jdop, I think you might of just been initiated

 

[sorce]

I had an apartment fire BEFORE I got addicted to trees!

Eeeeeeee...

Least it wodn't yo place!

Welcome to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[cbroad]

I'm thinking https://www.bonsainut.com/threads/the-burn-pile-newbie-graduation.25911/

 

[Paradox]

My recommendation is to put them in the shade for a couple of weeks and then morning sun/afternoon shade until you start to see them recover with new growth.
Be very very careful of watering. Only water when they need it (when the soil is almost dry). Youll know who will live and who will die or be dead in a month or so.

Good luck

 

[CasAH]

Look at the bark of the various trees. If it is shriveled or split that area is dead.

On some of the trees like the pine the maybe top killed from the heat, but if the roots were not over heated, the tree may resprout from the roots. It may not happen till next Sring.

Maples have thin bark and the most likely to be killed out right.

Glad it was not your building that caught fire.

 

[JudyB]

I think that knowing what the climate you are in would help to determine what you can do. If you are in a hot climate, then shade and misting will be imperative. If you are in a cool wet climate, then I would watch out for leafless trees staying too wet. I hope you have some recovery.

 

[zelk]

I'm so sorry to hear and see this! Hope they recover and maybe they will compensate you somewhat for the damages. Some trees are irreplaceable for personal value but money can help get new trees. Please let us know how these progress

 

[Velodog2]

Wow, I've never heard of this situation.

So, the vinyl melting further away from the fire on a flat wall, while there are still green leaves left on your trees indicates that, as you would expect, the heat was radiative, like a heat lamp. That's different from putting your trees in an oven hot enough to melt vinyl.

I'm guessing a couple things as a result. First is that the leaves may have done a good job of shading the wood from the heat, sort of sacrificing themselves. Second is that the damage to the wood that wasn't shielded is going to be one-sided, obviously on the side facing the fire.

If I had to guess I'd say a lot of them will live, but there may be die back on exposed branches and the sides of trunks. Hey, if true your trees could gain a lot of character as a result.

I would do nothing except water them except be careful in case there is root damage or metabolic slow down that prevents them from taking it up as fast as normal. Don't let them stay too wet as a result. Maybe keep them in the shade for a few days as well.

Only time will tell. Good luck.

 

[jdop]

@Velodog2 i thought the same thing about maybe coming out of this with some cool character in these trees if they survive... best case scenario!
Thank you for all of the replies and suggestions, I'll be sure to check back in in a week or two with any updates.

 

[Dav4]

I'm not quite sure how this might work but I assume you may be able to make a claim with your neighbors insurance for the damage/loss to your property, including your little trees... worth looking into.

 

[Smoke]

Those will all be fine. Cut off the brown parts now, they will drain strength by trying to repair that area. Keep in shade and water as usual but make sure not soggy.

I don't know where you live but for me there would be plenty of time to see these bounce back.

 

[Smoke]

I'm not quite sure how this might work but I assume you may be able to make a claim with your neighbors insurance for the damage/loss to your property, including your little trees... worth looking into.

Hah! thats the business I'm in! Insurance companies do readjustment thru subrogation. Not filing a personal claim. The fence between yards seperates each others property and even the fence is considered shared property meaning the insurance company will only pay for half the fence. This claim would probably not even meet the deductable portion of a policy even if there is one. Most apartment dwellers have renters insurance which covers possessions within the house. Nothing outside.

If it is an apartment the owner of the apartments may file a claim for the siding ruined in the fire next door and the apartment owners insurance will file a subrogation claim against the neighbor, but the owner of the apartments must use his own insurance to begin repairs. Since the trees were outside he may be able to piggy back them on the claim to the building but it would be so minimal that I doubt he would become involved.

Thats why they invented "riders". For more MONEY!

 

[ConorDash]

Well looks like you got tree and insurance advice.. not terrible going aye.

Others have advised on what to do but something no replied to was fertiliser.
Yes, stop fertilising.

Trees should be fertilised when healthy and in a state of which they accept a higher level of growth.
These guys cannot.
They need to get back to the healthy, standard living first then once pushing new growth, that's a sign (among others) that they are ready for the addition needs of fertiliser.

 

[jdop]

Thank you again for all the helpful and supportive replies! It's only been 10 days since the fire, and I'm already seeing new buds forming on almost all of the plants! Watered sparingly, cut back all the burnt growth and kept them under my patio stairs for 5 days. The laceleaf is the only one that doesn't look like it'll make it, but all in all-- a much better turnout than i had anticipated. It will be interesting to see how these trees mature, the bark of many of these trees is scarred and starting to blister with lots of discoloration. Guess we'll see! Thanks again!

 

[Paradox]

Glad to hear there is signs of life in most of them.

Let them recover and start to grow strongly again before you do anything else to them. It could take a year or two but at least they are alive.