Nursery Yew Taxus x media questions

[KennedyMarx]

I would like to cut this back this year and next spring put it into a pond basket with good bonsai soil. From what I read on Bonsai4me they need to be in shade and hard pruning should be done in the fall. This contradicts what I read from another source that said full sun is good. Also I read a blog post where a person speculated that pruning in the fall is what killed his yew. What kind of experiences do you guys have with yews?

 

[painter]

you can definitely thin this guy out and begin the back budding process. just remove completely unnecessary branches. make sure you leave a bunch of green above the areas you need back budding on, the sun will help stimulate new buds
p

 

[dpowell]

I have a similar yew that I chopped back hard last fall. I keep it in almost full shade, I definitely wouldn't put it in full sun. I'm letting it grow freely this year and will think about doing further styling this fall/winter. I've been very deliberate in giving it time to recover from anything major (repotting, hard prune, styling, etc,) and it's growing well.

 

[october]

Spring is a good time to work on yews. However, we are getting a little late in the season for heavy work. If your climate has been hot for the last month or so, then you could wait until fall. Also, unless you live in a really hot climate, you can give it full sun and maybe some afternoon shade.

Rob

 

[fore]

Spring is a good time to work on yews. However, we are getting a little late in the season for heavy work. If your climate has been hot for the last month or so, then you could wait until fall. Also, unless you live in a really hot climate, you can give it full sun and maybe some afternoon shade.

Rob

Rob, 'spring' means when it's pushing new growth?

 

[october]

Rob, 'spring' means when it's pushing new growth?

I work on mine right around the time it starts pushing new growth. I do not mean full growth, but maybe when the buds are going to swell sometime in April. However, I sometimes do follow up work later, like May.

However, I think this year I did work even before any growth and had good results. However, I usually have good results with my yew. If you are going to do some heavy pruning and branch removal. You might want to do it before the buds start to swell. Yews are very tough and forgiving so timing as not as important as with other species.

Rob

 

[fore]

Thank You Rob, I'll make note of that!

My nursery yew, I decided to repot first, and removed just one med. sized branch. But, it's gotten hit by a fungus, again. Last yr, I paid for a pretty cool yew stump, field grown, that I collected in like March. But I bare rooted it (Not knowing better), and it too got a fungus and died. I'm pretty sure this one will live, but boy, my luck with yews and fungus issues is just plain Awful! lol

I'd just suggest to Kennedy is to due a preventative anti fungal spray.

 

[KennedyMarx]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I went ahead and cut it back quite a bit to try to get some semblance of the initial branching going, but didn't go past any growth (needles or back budding I saw). I will let it grow out this year then repot next year into a training pot. I'll post an update later in the fall and the spring.

 

[october]

Thank You Rob, I'll make note of that!

My nursery yew, I decided to repot first, and removed just one med. sized branch. But, it's gotten hit by a fungus, again. Last yr, I paid for a pretty cool yew stump, field grown, that I collected in like March. But I bare rooted it (Not knowing better), and it too got a fungus and died. I'm pretty sure this one will live, but boy, my luck with yews and fungus issues is just plain Awful! lol

I'd just suggest to Kennedy is to due a preventative anti fungal spray.

Oh no.. The fungus is still hanging around.. How long has it been since it moved in? For me, it took about 1 1/2 -2 years to get it out. I think that the Bonide Copper fungicide really was the main facoter is eradicating it. I also, did not shower off the foliage as often as I normally do.

Don't feel bad, the amount of pest and disease problems here in the northeast and other places is off the charts. I don't think I have see anything like it in the last 10 years.

Rob

 

[fore]

Oh no.. The fungus is still hanging around.. How long has it been since it moved in? For me, it took about 1 1/2 -2 years to get it out. I think that the Bonide Copper fungicide really was the main facoter is eradicating it. I also, did not shower off the foliage as often as I normally do.

Don't feel bad, the amount of pest and disease problems here in the northeast and other places is off the charts. I don't think I have see anything like it in the last 10 years.

Rob

Hell Yes Rob, it's still hanging around. It started last spring, so say 1 1/2yrs I've been battling the recurrence. I have a generic Copper fungicide, but haven't used it in regular rotation. I've used Daconil/Bonide Fung-onil (same ingredient). I'll start using the copper more Rob, Thanks!

I wonder what's the cause of this pest outbreak we are having? Just plain awful! Dave has had recurrent spider mites, never had this, but I've also been battling scale...another disease that's hard to get rid of. I might be loosing a small Itoigawa to this. I've sprayed, used systemic, and also sprayed for fungus. Still not looking well. Not much more I can do. This is where the aggravation is! Try as you might, but sometimes, mother nature just plain wins out lol

 

[coh]

I don't really want to hijack this thread, but since it's being discussed already - has anyone identified what kind of fungus is causing the problem in the NE? Or is it a number of different fungi that are being "activated" by weather conditions, such as the abnormally warm winter of 2011-2012? Some of these things only respond to specific fungicides from what I understand...

Scale should respond to systemics. I had an outbreak of scale on an Austrian pine that I put in the ground. The scale really spread rapidly and were virtually covering the needles on a couple of branches. The Bayer systemic seems to have wiped them out, though it did take about a year and several applications for them to die and fall off. I'd probably treat that juniper again if you're really concerned about it.

Chris

 

[Dav4]

Since this thread is officially hijacked, I'd like to add that the best way to prevent and/or deal with pests is to absolutely nail down your horticultural practices with whatever species you work with so that they are at their healthiest more often then not. A healthy, vigorous tree will deal with these insults more readily then a weaker tree, and often times not get an infestation of your favorite insect/mite pest in the first place.

 

[october]

Hell Yes Rob, it's still hanging around. It started last spring, so say 1 1/2yrs I've been battling the recurrence. I have a generic Copper fungicide, but haven't used it in regular rotation. I've used Daconil/Bonide Fung-onil (same ingredient). I'll start using the copper more Rob, Thanks!

I wonder what's the cause of this pest outbreak we are having? Just plain awful! Dave has had recurrent spider mites, never had this, but I've also been battling scale...another disease that's hard to get rid of. I might be loosing a small Itoigawa to this. I've sprayed, used systemic, and also sprayed for fungus. Still not looking well. Not much more I can do. This is where the aggravation is! Try as you might, but sometimes, mother nature just plain wins out lol

Same here. I usually have the white juniper scale. I can keep it in check. However, this year, mites showed up on a small juniepr. As far as I know. I have never had mites on any tree. I got the fungus out and killed the mites on that tree. Still have some juniper scale. However, I think most of it is dead. It is just awful. Also, I am having a bit of a problem with a couple of other junipers. Some yellowing and paling. Not typical summer shedding. I see no evidence of pests, disease and the soil is good etc..The thing is that it is just enough so that the tree cannot be exhibited or it really takes away from the look of the tree. I mean, if your main anchoring branch is pale. It ruins everything. It seems every since the winter before last, the warm winter, there have been nothing but problems. All I know is up until a couple of years ago, everything looked incredibly healthy. 2/3 still does. My teacher used to comment on the good health of my trees every year.

Honestly, I always have a good attitude and try to stay positive. Sometimes it is tough though.

Rob

 

[Dav4]

Also, I am having a bit of a problem with a couple of other junipers. Some yellowing and paling. Not typical summer shedding.
Rob

That sounds like spider mites in my experience...have you checked using the white paper method?

 

[october]

That sounds like spider mites in my experience...have you checked using the white paper method?

Hi Dave, I checked on a white table instead of paper and nothing. Also, there are no webs on these trees. Also, the growth is lush, just pale. Not the dried out and that drained look that foliage has when scale and mites are present.

Rob

 

[fore]

Same here. I usually have the white juniper scale. I can keep it in check. However, this year, mites showed up on a small juniepr. As far as I know. I have never had mites on any tree. I got the fungus out and killed the mites on that tree. Still have some juniper scale. However, I think most of it is dead. It is just awful. Also, I am having a bit of a problem with a couple of other junipers. Some yellowing and paling. Not typical summer shedding. I see no evidence of pests, disease and the soil is good etc..The thing is that it is just enough so that the tree cannot be exhibited or it really takes away from the look of the tree. I mean, if your main anchoring branch is pale. It ruins everything. It seems every since the winter before last, the warm winter, there have been nothing but problems. All I know is up until a couple of years ago. Everything looked incredible healthy. 2/3 still does. My teacher used to comment on the good health of my trees every year.

Honestly, I always have a good attitude and try to stay positive. Sometimes it is tough though.

Rob

Just when I got 'serious' about bonsai Rob, 2yrs. What's strange/lucky is my healthiest and largest shimp is extr. healthy. But two smaller ones I'm have I just can't seem to get healthy. And it's been raining so much this week, that I can't even spray again (been 7 dys) due to more rain.

And I SO agree, sometimes it's tough to stay positive! But like you 3/4 of all my trees are healthy, so this is helping lol

 

[october]

Actually, I have been thinking lately about getting away from junipers a bit. I would like to do more work with yew, spruce, hinoki and white pine. I really enjoy the ones I have. The problem is that it is even harder to find good material with those species than juniper. I started with junipers 15 years ago and they have been my main species since then. However, scale, mites and fungus seem to be almost exclusively on the junipers. I originally gravitated towards them for their beauty and easy care. However, having to spray multiple fungicides, pesticides, trimming the dead off etc. is just the opposite of easy care.

Also, my 2 juni's that had the fungus last year, survived. Their survival was top priority. They are recovering pretty well. However, they could not be shown or exhibited last year, this year and probably not next year either. I put years into these trees and just when they start becoming finished. Bang, knocked right back to almost the beginning. It's really depressing.

Rob

 

[fore]

Actually, I have been thinking lately about getting away from junipers a bit. I would like to do more work with yew, spruce, hinoki and white pine. I really enjoy the ones I have. The problem is that it is even harder to find good material with those species than juniper. I started with junipers 15 years ago and they have been my main species since then. However, scale, mites and fungus seem to be almost exclusively on the junipers. I originally gravitated towards them for their beauty and easy care. However, having to spray multiple fungicides, pesticides, trimming the dead off etc. is just the opposite of easy care.

Also, my 2 juni's that had the fungus last year, survived. Their survival was top priority. They are recovering pretty well. However, they could not be shown or exhibited last year, this year and probably not next year either. I put years into these trees and just when they start becoming finished. Bang, knocked right back to almost the beginning. It's really depressing.

Rob

I totally understand Rob! Totally aggravating! Just yesterday, I found one small interior bud on my RMJ that has been rid of it for weeks. Also, my collected yews I think may also be effected, some of the remaining foliage has died. But it's still pushing new growth. The nursery yew seems to be getting better, less interior die off...but I've been spraying the heck out of it.
So once again, I sprayed ALL my conifers, this time with Copper. If I don't keep up the spraying every 7-10 dys, it returns on one plant or another. I sure hope I can get a handle on it! I'm beginning to think I should just spray the entire back garden and yard lol

But so agree, it's depressing and if this keeps up, I too may not buy anymore conifers. They are too expensive and so susceptible to fungus these days.

Not one single problem on any of my deciduous trees, not one. So strange!

(Killer Sitka btw! )

 

[october]

Thanks for the spruce compliment.

I think the problem now is that, in the past, when things were getting out of control we would re examine how the trees were being kept. Looking to the conditions for some answers. Seems like now, even under great conditions, many are still having problems. There is hope though. My 2 junipers were ravaged last year. I mean sections dying off and turning brown left and right. New growth dying off. They came out of it and might be able to be nice bosnai again at some point. If that level of fungal problems can be stopped, there is definitely hope.

I don't know if I shared this story. However, I met a bonssai enthisiast at the nursery a couple months back. We started discussing fungal probelms. He told me that years ago, a fungus wiped out all his trees. It happened so quickly that there was nothing could be done. I believe he said he had pines and maples. I believe he said in 2-3 weeks, the trees were dead.

Ok, I guess we have side tracked this thread enough. I apologize. Still, the infomation is very important.

Rob

 

[treebeard55]

Great trunk on that tree, Charles! <wiping drool from my chin>

I think yews are tougher than many of us think, as long you stay away from a few things like soggy soil. For example, optimum time for repotting is as the buds are swelling in spring, yes; but they can handle it at some other times with good aftercare.

Best time for pruning, I've been taught, is as the new buds have begun to open and the needles are at about a 30-degree angle from the twig. But if you miss that opportunity (as I did this year) you can still do it after the foliage hardens off. You did well to leave some green on the ends of the branches; in my experience, backbudding when you don't is very iffy.