Yellowing Spruce

muddslinger

On comparing to earlier pics, it looks like they're getting more yellow. I'm afraid I might be killing these poor guys.....I'll post some pics in a few...

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Hand Crafted Bonsai Pots by Kevin Thompson

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muddslinger

Here's a close up of the foliage....

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Hand Crafted Bonsai Pots by Kevin Thompson

muddslinger

Here's spruce one...

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Hand Crafted Bonsai Pots by Kevin Thompson

muddslinger

Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

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Hand Crafted Bonsai Pots by Kevin Thompson

Tony

I take it that you put those rocks over the existing nursery soil? That might not be best in this situation since it slows down evaporation. My guess is that the old nursery soil has broken down and retaining too much water. Brown tips like that are usually a symptom of root problems. I would water very sparingly for now and do some serious root work and repot into good bonsai soil in the spring.

Tony

muddslinger

Thanks Tony!
Yes, I put the gravel over the existing nursery soil just to keep it from washing away during heavy rain. Since I butchered them, there's not enough foliage to filter the rain. I'll get rid of it.
I haven't had to water for over a week as we've had some good rain every few days and it's been generally cool. None of my trees has required much water lately. Should I shelter them from rain and let them dry out a bit?
I've read that some remove and replace the top layer of soil this time of year, do you think that would help until I can repot in spring?

Any suggestions for training these two would be appreciated too.
Best,
Kevin

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Hand Crafted Bonsai Pots by Kevin Thompson

Jay

Hi Kevin, Hope the pots are coming along. As for your trees, I think they are showing the effects of heavy pruning. Remember I'm a novice with only a few years under my belt and not exactly an expert on spruce, only having one, a birds nest spruce.

I'm sure Tony's correct in his feelings about the root zone problem, but in addition I think the heavy pruning you did may have stressed the trees even more. As you said, these were 'left overs' at the end of the season, not always the healthiest plants in the first place, next you really really pruned them heavy and they are sitting in too much water... all in all a tough fate to handle for these trees. I have found that when I try and correct too many factors at once I often do more harm than good. Work on the root problem as Tony suggests, try and allow the tree to dry a bit between watering and really protect the tree this winter against the winds, hopefully they will pull through.
Jay

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muddslinger

Thanks Jay,
Well, they were four bucks. I bought them as learning trees and they've already served that purpose, hopefully they'll hang around long enough to learn a little more. I'm building a cold frame for my trees, I'll winter them there and repot in spring. What do you think about replacing the top layer of soil for now?
Best,
Kevin

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Hand Crafted Bonsai Pots by Kevin Thompson

Tony

Jay makes a good point about the heavy pruning. It's not really good to do any thing too drastic to a tree that's having problems already.

"Should I shelter them from rain and let them dry out a bit?"

I would definitely keep this one in a spot sheltered from the rain so 'you' can decide when it gets water, or...........

Just had a thought. I think the best thing to do is to take it out of the pot without breaking the rootball apart and plant it in the garden or flower bed for the winter. Cut off encircling roots and tease out roots at the edge of the rootball but other than that leave it intact. It will drain better in the open soil than in a pot. You may even want to leave there for a season to regain its health.

"I've read that some remove and replace the top layer of soil this time of year, do you think that would help until I can repot in spring?"

I don't think that would help in this situation. I suspect all of the feeder roots are deeper in the pot than that.

Tony