Does my ash tree have Chalara Ash Dieback?

[Bonsai Lad]

My European Ash bonsai has been growing vigorously this spring and has thrown out lots of new shoots from old wood, so I thought it was very healthy, but then I started to notice that the tips of almost all the leaves have started to go brown and look as if they're decaying or something. Most leaves just have a little bit of brown at the tip but on some about 1/4 of the leaf has gone brown and folded over. I'm worried that this tree might have Chalara Ash Dieback, and all of the sources I have seen online say that it is untreatable, but these are for full size trees, not bonsai, so I thought there could be something I could do (I don't really have any experience with fungal infections or fungicides so I would appreciate some pointers if there's anything I can do). Does it have Ash Dieback or is it something less serious? And if it is Dieback is there anything I can do?

 

[rockm]

Need more info. Where are you located (country)? How has the tree been cared for--repotted, kept indoors/outdoors, full sun/shade. watering practices?

 

[sorce]

Welcome to Crazy!

I'm guessing it's not.

Sorce

 

[Bonsai Lad]

Need more info. Where are you located (country)? How has the tree been cared for--repotted, kept indoors/outdoors, full sun/shade. watering practices?

I'm in Northern England, the tree was repotted last spring (I think), it's kept outdoors in full sun and I water it whenever the soil looks too dry (about twice a day in the weather I'm having at the moment)

 

[rockm]

I'm in Northern England, the tree was repotted last spring (I think), it's kept outdoors in full sun and I water it whenever the soil looks too dry (about twice a day in the weather I'm having at the moment)

This looks to me like overwatering. Soil may look dry on the surface, but could be wet down in the interior...

 

[Bonsai Lad]

This looks to me like overwatering. Soil may look dry on the surface, but could be wet down in the interior...

Thanks for being so helpful, I think I'll stop watering as much.

 

[rockm]

Watering is the hardest thing to learn for bonsai. It takes some time to learn, like years. Watering on a schedule, like twice a day whether the tree needs it or not is a bad habit that kills trees. Trees' watering needs vary tremendously day to day and season to season. Recently repotted trees (last year is recently...) don't have very extensive root systems, so they're not using water as quickly. But they do need water, so they have to be monitored a little closely.

One of the ways I have learned to water over the years is to simply lift the pot. First, water the plant well-until it starts draining from the bottom. Then lift one end of the pot--feel the weight? That's a pot that doesn't need watering.

I do this every morning. If pots feel light, and the soil surface looks dry, it's time to water --and watering isn't one pass for 30 seconds. It could be two or three, until the pot drains vigorously.

Another method to keep watering needs in check is to insert a chopstick halfway down into the soil from the surface. In a well-watered pot, the stick will be wet at the end for some time--you pull it out a check the moisture level like you do with an oil dipstick in a car engine.

 

[AJL]

I'm in Northern England, the tree was repotted last spring (I think), it's kept outdoors in full sun and I water it whenever the soil looks too dry (about twice a day in the weather I'm having at the moment)

Sadly Ash Dieback is now very widespread in Europe and Britain. Spores are blown on the wind and its running out of control, so the symptoms youve described could be early onset infection , if its causing death of terminal shoots and leaf tips. Can you post a better photo overview with the pattern of your symptoms on the stem and shoot tips? Heres 2 photos from Forestry commission website showing early stage symptoms.

 

[Bonsai Lad]

The brownness on the tips seems to have mostly disappeared and it looks as if something's been nibbling on the leaves, but now the leaves seem to be folding up for some reason? Could this be from under watering? I've watered it less over the last couple of days, letting it briefly dry out between waterings. Also, I'm not sure what to choose as a front because of the troublesome nebari (I've just taken a 360 degree approach to styling so far). The buds, leaves and stems don't look anything like those pictures (yet?), and as I said before the brownness mostly seems to be gone, so I've started to think it might be something else.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Actually, the tree is a good size compared to the pot. The tree actually could be drying out in the course of a single day.

Watering bonsai. Trick is to go from totally wet, saturated, to just barely damp, then back to wet again.

When you water, always thoroughly flood the pot with water. You want every particle of soil in the pot to be wet. You flood the pot. Then let it drain. Then you let the pot approach dryness before the next time you flood the pot with water. If your soil drains well this patter would be beneficial to the tree. I will plunge a tree and its pot in a pail or drum of water, I'll hold it under "till the bubbles stop". Then I'll pull it out, let it drain, then put it back on the bench. Key is you do not want to depend on the bonsai soil wicking a small amount of water through the media. Depending on wicking will always leave dry pockets. You need to flood the pot, so there are no dry pockets.