Overwatering: How to Recover?

gregb

The "green slime" sounds like some sort of algae and rather than throw a fungicide at it (which may or may not affect it) you may be better to remove it by hand. It's tempting when a tree goes sick to throw stuff at it in a desperate attempt to save it. Is water draining from the bottom of the pot when you water it? Or is it sitting at the top of the pot for some time before soaking in to the soil? Carefully slip the tree out of the pot and look at the condition of the roots. Are there healthy feeder roots present? Smell the roots. Do they smell like rotten eggs? Are they brown and mushy? Are they coiling around the bottom of the pot preventing excess water from exiting the pot? I know I ask a lot of questions but it's the way to trouble-shoot a problem and it's usually root-related.

If the problem is the roots, cut out the dead, brown mushy roots until you get to live roots. These will be firmer and look white in the center when you cut through them. Slip-pot the tree to a slightly larger pot with a free-draining mix and watch your watering carefully for the rest of the summer. Take extra care over the winter and root prune and re-pot next spring. Hope this helps