magnific black pine dying - Follow-up question

Zelda

Follow-up question …

Few days ago I shared my concerns about a black pine I’ve acquired:

http://forum.bonsaitalk.com/f6/magnific-black-pine-dying-25595.html

And here’s a follow up question:

I placed the tree in a semi shade area and I took it off its pot. The roots are in a very bad condition: some are rotted, very dense and the soil is very compacted.

Water does not drain or maybe very slowly.

So without touching the root ball and the soil structure, I placed the tree in a bigger bonsai pot and filled the remaining space loosely with soil.



Question:

I know I have to wait till later this winter to repot without taking too much root of.

But is there anything else I can/should do?

Do you have any comments or suggestion.

Namaste,

C-

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Graydon

Hi there. I looked at the thread you mentioned and you got some great advice form some very knowledgeable people. I don't have much to add but I do have a trick that has worked on at several trees in similar conditions in the past:

Get some clean sand, as course as you can find. Try a pool supply or masonry supply company if you can. It needs to be larger grains than play sand you find at building supply stores. Remove the tree from that pot and place it in a larger pot (diameter) keeping the root crown near the pot lip. Use small rocks or gravel in the bottom of the pot so that there is only a few inches of sand below the root ball. Back fill around the root ball with the sand and slightly over the root ball (BUT NOT ABOVE THE ROOT CROWN). Slightly covering the nebari is fine for now.

Water it in well and see if you need to add some sand. No packing it in, just let it settle. Insert a chop stick in the sand not the root ball and water only when this sand is on the dry side removing the chop stick to test for dryness like a dip stick.

Cross your fingers. Good luck, hope it helps!

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Vonsgardens

Zelda,
Juat leave it alone until december or so. When you repot, remove the dead roots and lightly remove the soil using a chop stick. Repot in a rapidly draining yet moisture retentive soil mix, firmly fix the tree into the pot, do not prune, pinch, wire, pretend to wire, or anything until spring 2009- assuming that it pops well next spring. In order to grow roots it needs to grow some green, lots of green.

Best of luck, looks to be easily saved, just be patient, yet don't be afraid to do the work that must be done.

John

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