JBP Should I be concerned? Need advice

[Paradox]

Hey guys,

I have 3 JBP and that I decandled about 2 or so weeks ago. The 2 Ive had for 2 years have but out lots of new buds. The last tree has put out a few, but just doesnt seem as vigorous as the other two. I found some adelgids on the trunk a couple of days ago and not wanting to fool around with my most valuable pre-bonsai so far, I took care of them with one spraying. Then I noticed some small mushrooms popping out on the trunk in a couple of places and I took care of that with one treatment of copper spray. With both applications, I covered the soil with plastic bags to protect the soil.

Here is the real concern. The soil has, in my opinion been staying too wet too long as observed by a piece of dowel that I stuck in the soil. It drains fast, it just stays wet.

This morning, I pulled the tree out of its pot. The soil/root mass stayed pretty intact due to a thick mat of very very fine hair roots on the bottom of the pot. It actually pulled the pieces of screen out of the holes because it was actually growing under them. The mat was actually clogging the holes of the screen.

The roots are not black or slimey which would indicate root rot. They dont smell bad. Looking at the vertical profile of the soil, the top 3/8 to 1/2 inch is a layer of what looks like decomposed clay/akadama. The next 1 to 1 1/2 inch looks like some kind of weird pumice. It is semi-spongy/semi hard. I can crush it with my fingers but its still granular and not a mushy layer. The very bottom is a thin layer of the root mat I mentioned.

I removed the pieces of screen and put it back in its pot. I checked it again after work and it is not as wet but still damp. I have it sitting out of the pot right now.

Should I be concerned? Should I remove the top 1/2 inch layer of lava (I had removed about 1/4 of an inch of that this spring) and perhaps some of the perimeter of the root ball and repot filling the void with a lava and pumice mix? Should I cut the root mat away? Should I just stick it back in the pot and leave it alone?

Thanks

 

[Dav4]

I wouldn't do anything to it other then watch the watering and keep it in full sun. I'd also keep feeding it lightly into the fall, and plan on doing an appropriate repot next spring. By the way, I think you de-candled close to a month later then I would have if I lived on LI.

 

[Paradox]

By the way, I think you de-candled close to a month later then I would have if I lived on LI.

Thanks for the reply

It was my understanding that you decandle sometime around or just after July 4 around here. Now that I think about it was about when I did it. We had rain the last 2 weekends so I would not have done it during those weekends.

 

[Eric Group]

Hey guys,

I have 3 JBP and that I decandled about 2 or so weeks ago. The 2 Ive had for 2 years have but out lots of new buds. The last tree has put out a few, but just doesnt seem as vigorous as the other two. I found some adelgids on the trunk a couple of days ago and not wanting to fool around with my most valuable pre-bonsai so far, I took care of them with one spraying. Then I noticed some small mushrooms popping out on the trunk in a couple of places and I took care of that with one treatment of copper spray. With both applications, I covered the soil with plastic bags to protect the soil.

Here is the real concern. The soil has, in my opinion been staying too wet too long as observed by a piece of dowel that I stuck in the soil. It drains fast, it just stays wet.

This morning, I pulled the tree out of its pot. The soil/root mass stayed pretty intact due to a thick mat of very very fine hair roots on the bottom of the pot. It actually pulled the pieces of screen out of the holes because it was actually growing under them. The mat was actually clogging the holes of the screen.

The roots are not black or slimey which would indicate root rot. They dont smell bad. Looking at the vertical profile of the soil, the top 3/8 to 1/2 inch is a layer of what looks like decomposed clay/akadama. The next 1 to 1 1/2 inch looks like some kind of weird pumice. It is semi-spongy/semi hard. I can crush it with my fingers but its still granular and not a mushy layer. The very bottom is a thin layer of the root mat I mentioned.

I removed the pieces of screen and put it back in its pot. I checked it again after work and it is not as wet but still damp. I have it sitting out of the pot right now.

Should I be concerned? Should I remove the top 1/2 inch layer of lava (I had removed about 1/4 of an inch of that this spring) and perhaps some of the perimeter of the root ball and repot filling the void with a lava and pumice mix? Should I cut the root mat away? Should I just stick it back in the pot and leave it alone?

Thanks

"I have it sitting out of the pot right now"

NOT GOOD- put that sucker back in the pot ASAP. Like, put on your slippers, put down the lap top and RUN outside to do it right now in your PJs if needed. Do NOT leave a tree sitting out of it's pot like that. If it has been that way for a couple days, the exterior roots are probably already dead. Those are generally going to contain most of your fine feeder roots and that is really bad news for your tree! Think of it like a microwave... Instead of a slow steady drying out you get when the tree is in a pot- much a like an oven baking a cake- you get a dramatically faster drying out of the exterior exposed roots when it is sitting out of the pot- much lime a microwave... It sounds a like all the stuff you a re doing it adding stress to what was at worst a MILDLY stressed tree! Keep it alive and healthy this season, repot in the Spring with as little root damage as you can manage while still loosening the soil and integrating your new soil into at least the outer third or so of the rootball. Then LEAVE IT ALONE. I am not yelling at you or anything, just want to make it abundantly clear to all people who read this post who have a tree they are babying to death- adding stress to a stressed tree is a sure fire way to kill it. Don't pick at it, stop ripping it out of it's pot, don't remove any roots, don't remove candles, don't prune a sick tree... Just do your best to nurse it back to health, diagnose the illness or insect infection, get it treated, maybe protect it a bit more from the sun than your normally would and hope it has a strong will to live.

Sometimes we all lose trees, and I lost a LOT more when I used to pick at the sick ones like this. It is hard not to do when you notice something wrong, but the best thing you can do for most trees is remove whatever visible stress you can diagnose then let it recover on it 's own. Unless the tree is just hopelessly pot bound, I wouldn't touch the roots again until next Spring at the earliest.

Good luck!

 

[Paradox]

I didnt have it out of the pot all day. I just took it out when I got home at 6PM from work for a couple of hours to let the soil dry out some. It is in the shade at that time of the night. I wouldn't leave it out in the baking sun for the reasons you mentioned.

I also have been very careful about watering. The tree has not been watered since last Saturday/Sunday when we got an inch of rain. It literally has been wet/very damp since then which is not good either. I am hoping that clearing the clogged screens that were over the holes will remedy the problem.

 

[jkd2572]

I would slip pot into a deeper container so you could put a layer of inorganic soil on the bottom and sides if needed. This would improve the drainage until you can do a proper repot.

 

[Adair M]

Next spring when you repot, I would do a "half bare root" repot.

That removes half the bad soil. Replace it with a fast draining inorganic mix. Bare root 1/2 of the rootball. Either the front half or back half or left half or right half. Choose whichever half is the weakest, bare root that half. That leaves the stronger half to support the tree while the roots get established into the new soil.

If it does well, bare root the other half the following year. If it's still a little weak, wait a year to do the other side.

Don't bare root the whole thing at once.