Emergency in Thailand

motionbroker

Dear All

Having survived the tsunami with only minor damage my trees are now facing an even greater peril.

They are established trees (certainly 10 years plus) and had been growing vigorously thoughout our wet season. Two months ago they began dropping leaves and growth all but stopped. The leaves looked as though it might have been an aphid infestation but spraying for aphids had no effect.

If anyone has a good idea from the pictures below what is afflicting my trees (and hopefully a good suggestion for a remedy) please help me.

I am not an experienced bonsai grower, having inherited these trees from a neighbor who moved away after the tsunami last year. Please help ! I have come to really love these trees and want to help them survive.

Thanks in advance.
Dennis

Attached Images

	bons001a.jpg (57.8 KB, 85 views)
	bons002a.jpg (48.8 KB, 83 views)

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ALDEVAUX

The symptoms shown by the leaves are not caused by a parasitic disease but by a physiological stress like air polution or something ( like an intoxication) in the soil at the root level.
We need to know more information on these trees, like :
What species are they ?
In what type of soil mixture are they ?
What kind of fertilisation they have been given lately ?
How is the watering schedule ?
Where are they kept ? inside or outside; in sun or shade ?
or any other thing you can give us on their past history.

hansvanmeer

Hi,
And have the been in contact with salt water?
Hans.

ALDEVAUX

Yes, Hans could be quite right with salt water that got in the pots which would cause an accumulation of sodium at toxic levels. It could also be possible that your local water is contaminated by sodium and should be checked for that.
As an emergency treatment, I would repot the trees as soon as possible in a new soil mixture. If you can't remove all the old soil, it should be thoroughly drenched with good water making sure that most of the water you put in comes out of the drainage holes. Keep the trees in a bright shady place until the new growth looks good.

saint

surely damage due to salt water would have shown up a year ago immediately after the tsunami?

Also a shot of the underside of the leaf might be useful.

Is the soil overly wet?

Also is there a period of dormancy or near dormancy in Thailand?, you might want to check with a more experienced bonsai grower in your area. Here in the Caribbean things tend to slow down around November/December and pick back up in January. Trees never look their best at that point and growth slows right down. It might just be a seasonal variation.

See if you can find someone in your area that grows bonsai. That is the best advice I can give you.

__________________
Best Regards,

Leslie St. John
Barbados
West Indies


Remember: Opinions are like bellybuttons, everyone's got one

ALDEVAUX

I did think of that possibility, but since the trees were growing during a very wet period, they managed to keep growing normally because of the ample rain water that they were getting that could possible neutralise the sodium. Of course,I am not sure of that. But the local water could surely have been contaminated by accumulated salts and should definitely be checked.
Concerning the necrosis on the leaves, I have never seen that on leaves of dormant tropical trees when I was living in the french West Indes.