HELP, im new to bonsai and I stuck knife blade down into the soil of my golden gate ficus before watering it with a fish fertilizer (liquid). 8 yrs.ol

[Scott Hilltop]

My question is have I damaged the roots too bad for it to remain healthy? What should I do next? The golden gate ficus is setting close to a west facing window and it's been cloudy and rainy since I brought it home last Friday. I'm using a 5000k led light about 3ft above it and using a humidifier constantly so the humidity stays around 50%. Will it survive? What should I do next? Thanks for your advice! Scott Hilltop.

 

[ShimpakuBonsai]

What was your plan putting the knife into the soil?

 

[yashu]

Sticking a knife blade into the soil once shouldn’t really do any real damage. The question is are you doing this because the water is not percolating through the soil? If so then you probably need to repot into some better soil or deal with a root bound issue.

 

[rockm]

My question is have I damaged the roots too bad for it to remain healthy? What should I do next? The golden gate ficus is setting close to a west facing window and it's been cloudy and rainy since I brought it home last Friday. I'm using a 5000k led light about 3ft above it and using a humidifier constantly so the humidity stays around 50%. Will it survive? What should I do next? Thanks for your advice! Scott Hilltop.

If you poked around more than once with the knife, you may have damaged the roots. If it was once, wouldn't think there is a problem. Since it's indoors, you may be tempted to keep messing around with it. DON'T. Let it alone, make sure it get adequate(not too much) water according to it's needs, not your need to "do" something for it. Wait for new growth. When it comes, again let it alone for a while. Extending foliage will strengthen the tree. Let the leaves harden off, then think about cutting it back A BIT.

Indoors you complicate things exponentially for care and the tree. You don't say where you are, but if it's spring and temps are reliably above 50 or so outside, consider putting it there if you can.

 

[Bonsai Forest]

I cannot speak to lights indoors, but regarding watering and fertilizing:

Was the soil surface very hard and dense? If so, was the water not going down into the soil, but instead, draining off the sides? If so, that would be loss of percolation and a repot could be in order (and it would resolve the issue and allow water down into the root system). In my mind, I’m trying to think of reasons why anyone could consider jamming a knife into soil to allow water to access the roots. Rock-hard and dense soil with water running off the sides is the only thing I can think of atm.

If the above is your situation, you risk damaging and severing valuable and important roots using a knife to gain access. Why not use a chopstick, bamboo, and pour water in? jk

Most likely more comments have been posted since I began this comment. But I found an article on repotting and loss of percolation/watering problems, which could help in the future whether this was the issue or not:

Percolation problems? Dam it. — Bonsai Society of Portland

Return to Branch Tips index So you’ve been diligently watering and fertilizing all season, but the water now just seems to run off the edge of the pot and into oblivion, leaving your root ball high and dry. You check the soil and it’s still dry under the surface and the water is not getting where

www.portlandbonsai.org

 

[Srt8madness]

What did this tree do to deserve getting shanked!?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Welcome to the site! Putting something into the soil once (or even a few times) will generally not cause any lasting harm. If you had used a chop stick and been gentle and had merely been probing the soil, you might not have caused any harm at all. However be careful not to mess with your new tree too much. It is common (when first starting out) to kill some trees with kindness - constantly messing with them because you worry about them too much. Care for them, look at them, and learn how to tell your tree's health without touching it. You will soon find that you can look at your tree and see whether it needs more sun, or more water, or perhaps repotting - before you even lay a finger on it.

The other solution is to get another tree! Find a few more trees - even if you dig some small seedlings up from landscape in your neighborhood, and put them in pots and care for them as well. That way if you feel the need to work on a tree, you can "experiment" with your free seedlings - instead of trying new work on your store-bought ficus.

Good luck!