sick little rosemary

ObiJohn

Well, I got this little rosemary for a gift (purchased from Jackson & Perkins). I'm new to bonsai (read a book), and I've had this about 2 weeks. I've read conflicting things about rosemary. One site said "don't overwater" (something about not liking wet feet), another said rosemary was great for indoors because it was very tolerant of water. So right off, I'm not quite sure how much to water it.

On the light issue, one site said don't bake it in a hot window, another said rosemary needs at least 4 hours of sun a day.

Right now, I've got it in a room which receives about 4 to 5 hours of direct sun a day. And I'm watering it every few days when the soil seems to start to dry out.

Obviously, I'm doing something wrong, as you can tell from the pictures. I swear it looks like some of those leaves are drying out (some look burned), but I've also read that this could be a symptom of overwatering. ARGH!

Any help would be appreciated!

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Repotter

Okay, lets start by saying that Mom Nature did not make indoor trees.
When we try to keep them indoors we need to simulate their natural environment.

Rosemary are from the Mediteranean. They can take hot days as long as they don't dry out. They need air circulation as do all trees and plants. They are more resilient than people think.
After keeping one for 14 years as a bonsai I realized the one thing not to do is let them dry out.
Also a little bit of Magnesium in the form of Epsom salts (which is not really salt) sprinkled on the soil and watered in will greatly help them to bloom and prosper.

So they are not that hard as long as you obey their rules, like all the other trees we grow. Get to know your tree and what it needs.

Good growing, ...Hec

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lehket

From the photos, I'm not sure I see anything wrong.

I've got a new rosemary going. I'm currently keeping it outside in a 6" training pot and watering only when the soil is dry down to about an inch. I live in the mid-Atlantic region, which as been soaked by heavy rains over the past week. I didn't think about it at first, but once I realized that it would possibly be better to get the rosemary out of the rain, I brought it up onto a covered porch and let it sit there until the rains had past. The sun is out again, so I put it back outside this morning. The soil is still pretty wet, but I have not noticed (yet, anyway) that it's been a problem.

I'm a relative beginner, but I would suggest putting it outside for awhile, in a location where it can get sun for maybe half the day. If the soil is currently dry, give it a good watering, then water only when the upper part of the soil feels and looks dry. (NOTE: If the soil is waaaay dry, don't water heavily at first, according to advice I've read. Give it a light watering to get the roots going again, then the next day water thoroughly.) You can use a chopstick, too, but from what I understand you really are interested in the dryness of the upper layers of the soil as an indicator, so I'd say don't insert it much more than an inch or so. I would hesitate to let it dry out all the way. (Maybe someone will tell me I'm wrong, though?)

I've just finished reading a book on herbal bonsai. It does say that they are much easier to keep indoors than trees are, but it probably still takes a bit of experimenting to find out what works. The problem is that indoors the air is not only temperature-controlled but the light level is a LOT lower than outside, even in a window, and the humidity can be a lot lower as well. You might find the use of a humidity tray beneficial if you keep it indoors, although I'm not entirely sure whether that would make a rosemary happy.

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ObiJohn

Thanks for the advice. Maybe the pictures didn't come out very well. Last night there were a couple of small areas that looked fairly dead, so I pruned them. In the process I noticed that if I gently ran my fingers over the leaves, several would fall off wherever I did this over almost the whole tree. Most of them were dark brown to black, but some were still mostly green. The rest of the leaves look "okay" now, and by that I mean "not dead". None have fallen off today, and I just ran my fingers gently over them again.

I live in a part of Texas where it's 90+ degrees for about 6 months straight. I am not joking. Mid-April through mid-October. Blech. I'm fairly certain that if I placed it outside it would explode. The room I've placed it in gets quite a bit of sunlight throughout the day, so hopefully that's going to work. Maybe it's just still adjusting to the new environment?

grampz

Mr. ObiJohn,

I too live in a part of Texas where it's 90+ degrees for about 6 months straight. Matter of fact here it is more than six months, and very heavy on the "+"...We consider 90 a cool front and welcome it...Around these parts there are rosemary in many landscapes...I have one in a bonsai pot, and it stays outdoors always...I never bring it inside, except for a minimum time to show...It is a very happy little tree because it lives where mother nature intended it, and all other trees to live...I have never noticed signs of it approaching the level of explosion...We don't have as high humidity here as most areas of the rosemary natural environment [the Mediterranean] so I do have to be certain it gets an ample supply of water...You may be able to keep it alive indoors for a time, but as you progress in the horticultural aspects of bonsai you will certainly come to learn that your trees will be much healthier if allowed to live 'au naturale'...

Regards
Behr

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ObiJohn

Well, it's pretty dead now. There's hardly a green leaf on it anymore. I took the advise and placed it outside, watering it on that day, and by the third day it looked extremely weak (I didn't water it during those next 2 days). I've brought it back inside now, but I'm afraid it may be too late. I'll post another picture. Should I just say goodbye, or is there still hope?

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