Die Back on Salix babylonica - bonsaiTALK Community

4-May-2007	#1
peterh bonsaiTALK Artisan Join Date: Feb-2007 Location: Canberra Country: Australia Posts: 139	Die Back on Salix babylonica I have had this Bonsai for about 8 years and every autumn 20% of the branches die back. This year I have brought the tree inside to see whether it is the cool night time temps. Has anyone had experiance with weeping willow.

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4-May-2007	#2
Cathie bonsaiTALK Master Craftsman Join Date: Apr-2006 Location: Tiny island off the SW coast of Nova Scotia - paradise! Country: Canada USDA Zone: 6 AHS Heat Zone: ? Posts: 544	Don't bring it indoors - it can take more cold than you'll ever see there, and the dryness inside relative to outdoors (however hot and dry it might seem to you) is very bad for it. I'm surprised the branches are dying back though, unless it's the tree's way of announcing its dormant period (when in the N. hemisphere, all it would do is lose all its leaves)! I think its more likely to be a reaction to not having enough water, but only you could answer that for sure.

4-May-2007	#3
Alasdair bonsaiTALK Master Chief Join Date: Aug-2004 Location: Aberystwyth Uni Country: Wales USDA Zone: 8 AHS Heat Zone: 0-1 Posts: 1,101	I saw the word 'salix' and thought, that's about right. They are quite tempramental and if they want to loose a brach, you can put a bet on them succeding. What time of year do you prune/trim this tree? I have found that on my various willows you need to do any pruning just as they come out of dormancy. If you do anything in the autumn they won't bother healing the cut and part of the cut branch will die back over winter. Al __________________ I can feel another "I wish that was my tree" moment coming on... Currently studying BSc Plant Biology at the Universty of Wales, Aberystwyth

4-May-2007

Attila

Attila Soos

Join Date: Jan-2002

Location: Los Angeles, California

Country: USA

Posts: 2,026

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alasdair

What time of year do you prune/trim this tree? I have found that on my various willows you need to do any pruning just as they come out of dormancy. If you do anything in the autumn they won't bother healing the cut and part of the cut branch will die back over winter.

Al

That's the secret to preventing die-back. Prune in the early part of the growing season and don't touch it afterwards.

Taking it indoors is a sure way to kill it.

4-May-2007	#5
peterh bonsaiTALK Artisan Join Date: Feb-2007 Location: Canberra Country: Australia Posts: 139	It doesn't dry out during summer. I have a tray under the tree full of water during this period and as the temps drop I remove this tray and like my figs remove the roots that have escaped into the tray. I prune after the new growth has hardend. This gives me a chance to see what new branches will replace the dead ones. Maybe it is a reflection of what is happening to the roots.

5-May-2007	#6
bonsainotwar Grower of potted sticks Join Date: Dec-2005 Location: NewMexico Country: USA USDA Zone: 6-7 AHS Heat Zone: 15 Posts: 315	Let me ask you something.How tall is your tree ? Is it possible to create a multiple tiered weeping effect on a bonsai,and keep it small ? If so,how small ? I will never buy a willow,that I would have to prune major limbs on.I learned that early on.Time of year does nothing to prevent dieback,in my experience.I have a collected native willow,I have been working on the past two years,and have only done pinching on it.

5-May-2007	#7
peterh bonsaiTALK Artisan Join Date: Feb-2007 Location: Canberra Country: Australia Posts: 139	16" ( 40cm )in hight. It varies with the die back.

7-May-2007	#8
soonami bonsaiTALK Master Chief Join Date: Oct-2005 Location: Philadelphia Country: USA USDA Zone: 7 AHS Heat Zone: 6 Posts: 1,044	I have a couple dwarf varieties, among them "rokkakudo" and they seem to die back a lot, but it doesn't really matter though since usually most of the previous years branches are cut each year

27-Aug-2007	#9
tmull bonsaiTALK Journeyman Join Date: Jul-2006 Location: Bega Country: Australia Posts: 14	Hi Peterh I Have 5/Willow. One is a weeping willow(True weeping) Four golden willow (At least that's what I call them). This type are only semi weeping Anyway, Its usually the errors you make that help you find out your own mistakes. They have two growing spurts. Let the growth thicken on the desired branchs only to the point that the lower branchs are not weakened, shivel and die. (check back any dominant growth only after the first qrowth spurt, then leave till the following spring. I found that if I prune in the second growth spurt of the season, I get die back during the next winter. I let the second qrowth spurt untouched till the following spring and only then, after the first growth spurt of the next season is fully out and starting to set then I might prune or trim.

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