Is my tree dying?

[allyrosie]

hello,
I got my tree as a gift two years ago, and it’s been doing fine up until recently. I’ve noticed that it’s trunk seems to be getting soft and wrinkled. This has happened before after not watering it for awhile, but this time after watering it it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. It still has it’s leaves, but I’m afraid it’s dying from the roots up. I’ve been planning on repotting it, since it’s late spring, but I’m afraid if it’s in a fragile state I might make it worse. I really need some advice on what to do. This tree means a lot to me and I’m really worried about it.
ive attached some pictures of the tree and what I mean about the trunk.
thank you so much

 

[hemmy]

hello,
I got my tree as a gift two years ago, and it’s been doing fine up until recently. I’ve noticed that it’s trunk seems to be getting soft and wrinkled. This has happened before after not watering it for awhile, but this time after watering it it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. It still has it’s leaves, but I’m afraid it’s dying from the roots up. I’ve been planning on repotting it, since it’s late spring, but I’m afraid if it’s in a fragile state I might make it worse. I really need some advice on what to do. This tree means a lot to me and I’m really worried about it.
ive attached some pictures of the tree and what I mean about the trunk.
thank you so much

Bummer! But to give the best advice, we need some more details! What is your climate or USDA zone? If temperate, has it been growing indoors until warmer temps when you put it out? Or have you been growing it indoors year round? It is a Ficus, probably F. microcarpa but the pointy nature of the leaves might not rule out F. benjamina. When did it get the flat trunk chop?

But don’t despair, you’ve kept it alive for 2 years, you must be doing some things right! Firstly, if it came from a big box store or other large retailer it might have poor soil that has broken down over the last couple years. Ficus can tolerate poor soil and tight pots with proper watering. But if you’ve been withholding watering until the trunk changes texture that is bad. Roots may have died and now subsequent waterings may be keeping it too wet since there aren’t enough roots to draw on the moisture.

Ficus can be resilient and there are a few methods for rescuing the tree. But we need more details about your growing conditions and potential aftercare.

For example, it looks like it has been grown indoors from direct window light. If you gave me that tree in Southern California, I would repot it once night temps reached close to 60deg F and I would cover it with a bag in indirect light. During the repot, I would avoid pruning roots unless there is rot. I would remove the bag every couple of days and spray with a mix of water and hydrogen peroxide to prevent fungal growth. It would probably drop the remaining leaves, but if strong enough it should push new growth including from the trunk. When this starts, I’d remove the bag and over the course of a couple weeks shift it to a full sun location. If it is still in a shallow container, watering should be as needed. It should be moist but not soggy. If it is not moist when you press your finger into the top of the soil, then water. This might be once a week, every other day, every day or twice a day! It all depends on the active growth stage of the tree and how much moisture is lost to evaporation.

 

[allyrosie]

I’m in upper North Carolina, so I think it would be a USDA zone 7b.
I have kept it indoors year round. I usually don’t wait until the trunk changes texture to water, but lately I have been a bit busy and let it go longer than usual in between waters. I usually wait until the soil dries and move it to my sink where I’ll give it lots of water and wait until it drains out to put it back next to the window I’ve been keeping it in. I also have a lamp that has a plant light bulb that I keep on it sometimes when the light outside isn’t bright enough, so depending on the season. The trunk has also been that way since I got it. And it did come from a bigger retail store.
That makes me feel a lot better already. Thank you so much for your advice so far.
It usually gets around 60deg F here at night at this time of year, so do you think I should repot with a better soil and do the bag method and spray with water and hydrogen peroxide?
I feel so bad about letting the tree get this bad, and I really hope I can save it.
I was also thinking about getting a deeper pot instead of something so shallow, but is that a good idea or is shallow a better way to keep this type of tree?
Thank you so much again

 

[Woocash]

Are those stones on the top glued on? You’ve probably done really well even keeping it alive for 2 years in those conditions. Trees like this are born to die, sadly, but do not despair! Ficus are tough so there is hope.

I cant really offer advice, as I don’t want to tell you the wrong thing, but from the looks of things any repot would do. Bonsai pots are for bonsai. This little tree needs to breathe.

 

[allyrosie]

Are those stones on the top glued on? You’ve probably done really well even keeping it alive for 2 years in those conditions. Trees like this are born to die, sadly, but do not despair! Ficus are tough so there is hope.

I cant really offer advice, as I don’t want to tell you the wrong thing, but from the looks of things any repot would do. Bonsai pots are for bonsai. This little tree needs to breathe.

They were, but I’ve loosened them up a bit for the tree to get water through them better.
thank you! I really love the tree, and I want to keep it alive as long as possible. I hope it pulls through. I’m thinking I’m going to get a bigger pot for it and see if maybe it’ll be healthier if it recovers.

 

[hemmy]

It usually gets around 60deg F here at night at this time of year, so do you think I should repot with a better soil and do the bag method and spray with water and hydrogen peroxide?

Normally ficus are repotted in the summer when they are growing strongly. This tree needs to regain “strength” which it can only do when it has a good flush of leaves that are photosynthesizing and building resources in the trunk and roots. With proper attentive watering and light, it may rebound in its current pot. It has the best chance if it can be grown outdoors in a warm humid environment. From your general area, it sounds like you have the needed heat and humidity outdoors. But do you have a good growing spot? They can take full sun, but the root health in shallow pots can suffer in direct sun when outdoor temps reach 90-100deg F and the surface reflected temps get even higher. For example, on the ground or wooden bench in the sun would be much better than on an asphalt driveway. In this shallow container with assumed poor soil, it will be difficult to keep it healthy in an outdoor full sun location without very attentive watering. Meaning not on a schedule, but as needed to stay moist but not wet. Which could be every few days if it is not growing and evaporating, or twice a day if it is growing and water is evaporating. If you have a good outdoor spot, I would repot into a slightly larger, well draining container. A common tree nursery rule is to only up-pot at 4” larger than the current container or rootball. Too large and it will stay too wet promoting rot and disease. If you do not have an outdoor space, then I would repot to the same or slightly larger pot using the bag method and putting in the sunniest indoor spot that you have. You probably don’t need the bag for outdoors since your outdoor humidity will be much higher than indoor.

Here is a good blog that details how to handle Ficus microcarpa trees like yours. He also has additional articles on styling and potting mixes. Potting mix choice is a Pandora’s Box of personal preference, care ability, science and witchcraft.

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[hemmy]

I really love the tree, and I want to keep it alive as long as possible. I hope it pulls through. I’m thinking I’m going to get a bigger pot for it and see if maybe it’ll be healthier if it recovers.

This is where your goals for this tree and commitment level will dictate how to proceed. Do you want a true tropical ficus bonsai grown in a shallow container creating the illusion of a larger tree in a tropical setting? Or do you want a houseplant that you can appreciate with minimal care? Shallow containers make growing exponentially more difficult. Increasing the container size will make care easier, but only after it is healthy and growing. Even smaller containers can stay too wet if the tree is not transpiring (using water).

Regarding potting mix, a good place to start is in the Resources section of this site. Example linked below. Another good mix reference is also below. But probably the best way is to visit an actual bonsai nursery if you are lucky enough to have one nearby.

Inorganic Soil Reference Sheet

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This was a hard post to write and I don’t blame you if you skip over some parts. I seriously considered putting some naked pictures in here to spice things up. Of me. Let me begin the post by…

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[allyrosie]

Thank you everyone for your help and replies! I moved my bonsai outside, I have it on my back porch on a table where it can get a lot of light. It seems to be doing fine right now and hasn’t gotten any worse, but I got a slightly bigger pot to put it in in a few days. I ordered some bonsai soil online after looking around for the best mixture for my type of tree and found what I needed. So once that comes in I’ll carefully repot it and keep an eye on soil and also check it’s roots.
im hoping my tree recovers, but so far the advice you all have given me has helped it already.
I do have another question though. I’ve noticed after doing a scratch test on one of the trunks that it isn’t green underneath, but it’s still moist underneath the bark, but I assume that means that part of the tree is dead. Should I cut that piece off or leave it? Will it harm the rest of my tree and make it harder to recover?

 

[hemmy]

I’ve noticed after doing a scratch test on one of the trunks that it isn’t green underneath, but it’s still moist underneath the bark, but I assume that means that part of the tree is dead. Should I cut that piece off or leave it? Will it harm the rest of my tree and make it harder to recover?

For Ficus, if there is no green or fresh white under the thin bark, then yes it has died back. You said “trunks”, I assume you meant one of the finger sections that go into the soil? If so, those are actually bulbous roots that are a result of the propagation style. I wouldn’t cut it off until you are ready to repot. You will need to identify how far the dieback reaches. If it is an entire trunk/root that is dead then yes you can cut it off. A pruning shear will work, but you should take a sharp knife and shave back the cut so it will heal cleaner and quicker. Bonsai has a whole slew of tools for specialty cutting of branches and removing wood to minimize scaring. But you can get by with shears and a knife. If only a small section of it has died back and there is live tissue say on the side of the trunk/root, the cambium may grow over and heal it.

Long term any dead portion will rot especially in contact with the soil and in your humid climate. The rot could invite disease, so addressing it during the repot is the best option.

Hopefully you will see some new growth in the next couple weeks. I bet it is using the remaining leaves to store carbs in new roots and then will shoot some new growth. I believe once that new leaf growth is out and the cuticle has formed (they take on a darker green, glossy appearance) it will be more resistant to water loss and also making energy. This is when I would repot. If this doesn’t happen in a few weeks then we’ll have to evaluate whether to repot in the still weak state or try to get it through winter with increased light and proper watering.

Be aware that if your temps it 90-100degF and it is in full sun, you may have to water multiple times per day. At those temps in the direct sun, some people cover the pots with a towel or foil. I don’t have experience at those temps.

 

[hemmy]

For reference, heat and humidity are your friends when growing Ficus. I’m coastal, so I can leave them out all winter, but I’m realizing that I have to be careful with how hard I prune depending on if we have a “cool” foggy summer. Case in point is this F. microcarpa that I developed a trunk and primary branching on by letting the roots escape into the ground for ~4 years. I should have worked the roots sooner and I was left with a few giant roots. On one repot, I tried to split a giant root in half with the hope that the cambium would role over and eventually heal. It did a little, bit it also put out roots at the top of the split so removed the spit portion. Then on the other side I carved a giant root and attempted to lay aerial roots into the cut to eventually fuse. As you can see from the pics, this was a major root prune and I essentially flat cut the bottom of the tree.

However, our June/July sucked and it was foggy with an average temp of 64F and a high of 79F. The tree had significant dieback and I covered it with plastic too late. It recovered but lost portion where I heavily carved. You can see on the last pics the portion that died and where the live tissue is now from the green lines. My options are to try and get aerial roots to come down from the last remaining weird branch on top of the dieback or cut into it and try fuse on a new sapling that will grow to cover the wound. Either option will take some years of vigorous growth.

Additionally, all the thin branching has to be removed since it was allowed to just grow last year with no wire or pruning. But I may leave it one more year to gain strength. I bought this as a nursery tree in a 15 gallon pot with a beer can thick straight trunk about 9-10 years ago when I was still new to bonsai. Last year, I thought I had about 2 years left before getting it in a bonsai pot. Now. I’m probably set back several years.