AusBonsai

Freaking and Peaking here ...
Every time I'm thinking I'm doing well something buggers up! Since January this year I have been watering my Calls twice a day when hot and, recently, once a day to once every 2 days as it is cold in Hedland.
Two of the medium sized Calls dried up and have become dead (I'm keeping these in a shallow tray of water as recommended) and have moved another smaller one in to a colander and filled the rest up with Bonsai soil (I bought from a reputable Perth Bonsai Nursery). Did nothing like bare rooting, or cutting anyhting, just popped it out of the pot it was in and filled the soil around the outside... now this one is drying up all leaves! Its sister plant (I had 2 of every size), undisturbed, is still powering on, still growing new shoots ... and thats really ticking me off!

Both received the same native slow release fertiliser and both receive the same amount of water. I can't think of what I have done differently (except what was mentioned above) to have such extremes of different responses They get Seasol every weekend and power feed as well...

photos to come ...

You're not overwatering are you mate?
I've been getting away with watering every second day since winter kicked in, I really only give my shohins a daily water, and even they don't need it sometimes

pictures should paint a better picture for us though

Jason wrote:You're not overwatering are you mate?
I've been getting away with watering every second day since winter kicked in, I really only give my shohins a daily water, and even they don't need it sometimes

pictures should paint a better picture for us though

I don't believe so, I check the soil and the Calls apparently like it moist/wet from what I've read. I do have a chilly plant with my small collection and when they look drab I know they need water! I know this because when I water them, they stop looking drab and the leaves are shiny (coz they are wet) and they perk up nicely...

So, unless I'm wrong (which is very possible), I'm not over watering.

Sorry mate, when you say Calls what plant are you referring to?

-Mo


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MoGanic wrote:Sorry mate, when you say Calls what plant are you referring to?

-Mo


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I beleive he meant Calli's, or Callistemon's

@CoG - Then i shall step back and leave it to the pro's to answer Have not had enough experience as yet with them to give you a proper answer

I end up watering more in winter where I am. No humidity. No rain. And wind to boot.

My plants, (a lot of rainforest plants in a good potting mix as well as Bonsai) tend to dry out quicker in winter because of lack of rain, plenty of wind, warm temps (reaching low 20's most days) wind and no humidity. Not to mention a lot of my plants are native and tend to grow through the winter months. Many are having a growth flush at the moment.

Hmmm
Your callistemons, if that is what you refer to, either have too much water (brown soft leaves), or too little water (brown crunchy leaves), or your issue is not watering at all but pest or disease related.
Ever inspect for pests etc?

Ok yes I meant Callistemons

trident76 wrote:Hmmm
Your callistemons, if that is what you refer to, either have too much water (brown soft leaves), or too little water (brown crunchy leaves), or your issue is not watering at all but pest or disease related.
Ever inspect for pests etc?

As for the leaves, they seem to loose their colour (green drains out of them) and eventually go dry and, I guess, brown. SO that would mean not enough water ... Question is:"why is the plant that is the same size and gets treated the same still green and even putting out new shoots (albeit at a reduced rate compared to the large Call I have which is doing flippin awesome).

are these too tricky for a newbie?

The soil mix needs to be very open, so that they cannot be over watered, also they should not be allowed to dry out at any stage.

I have two that are shohin size, and one Chuhin size, all of them receive the same watering, and with the rain we have had of late it is a lot.
I have had no trouble.

Cheers Pup

CoGRedeMptioN wrote:Ok yes I meant Callistemons

trident76 wrote:Hmmm
Your callistemons, if that is what you refer to, either have too much water (brown soft leaves), or too little water (brown crunchy leaves), or your issue is not watering at all but pest or disease related.
Ever inspect for pests etc?

As for the leaves, they seem to loose their colour (green drains out of them) and eventually go dry and, I guess, brown. SO that would mean not enough water ... Question is:"why is the plant that is the same size and gets treated the same still green and even putting out new shoots (albeit at a reduced rate compared to the large Call I have which is doing flippin awesome).

are these too tricky for a newbie?

I have the following issue with Cauarina, but have had no problem with Callistimon tho
I grew numerous from seed and potted into a tray / landscape last year. Several of them died and other survived fine and as they are in the same tray, they get the same water
As far as I could tell, they were very similar in health and vigour when potted.

When i repatted others from the same patch back into grow pots, they also did not survive and they were subject to the same environment and regimen they germinated and grew up in
Finicky thing they are

Ken

Thx Pup,
I have made some attempts at procuring a mix similar to yours (why reinvent the wheel), that way your advice would also have one less variable to contend with. So I will have to redouble my efforts on that!

As with Ken, it's either me (99%chance) or something I'm missing. Hoping to revive them and together with the soil change may actually have some success.

Future plans are to obtain easier species while trying to collect/propagate more of these natives as I love the look of them!


Cheers
EZ
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My callistemon have always been pretty bulletproof, but they are among the first to wilt or turn brown when dry. Good luck, hope they recover!

It sounds like you are either under watering, or over watering. The first rule to grasp, is that when someone tells you a species is thirsty, or requires a lot of water, this may be true, but you have to put this into perspective, as this does not mean the tree wants water continuously, it just means you have to monitor the levels more often for when it does need a water.

Under watering, can often occur in the sense that the root ball is so compact, that water is only barely able to penetrate the edges of the root ball even after you have given the tree a long watering, and thus the main heart of the roots are not getting enough water. You would be able to see this during a repot. However, if you are leaving the roots to soak for an extended period, then by natural absorption, the water will fill all the nooks.

Over watering is the other most obvious candidate. The symptoms of over watering are similar to under watering, in the sense that the roots cannot breathe and thus cannot transport nutrients or water to the tree. Basically as the roots rot, the leaves start to wilt and discolour yes, but generally you can usually tell if it is underwatered because the leaves will wilt and dry very rapidly, whereas overwatering takes a longer time to die.

I would not recommend having a water tray for callistemons as most varieties are susceptible to over watering or periods of inundation. Get your finger and push it in a really good depth into the soil to check the levels of moisture before you water each time. If its still damp, do not water. You cannot stick to a regime of watering that involves watering the trees at the same intervals each time. On a windy day, it will lost moisture quicker, and add sun to that and it is even quicker. On a damp cold lifeless cloudy day, it may not even need any water....

And if you are keen to read more, which is always recommended... I recommend reading the following post with a link attachment at bottom :

Re: keep moist, don't overwater?

Postby bonsaibuddyman » May 28th, 2014, 12:15 pm

The science of watering container potted plants, whether they are bonsai or not is essentially not something you can learn on a forum. Go to a nursery, and ask them to show you when is a good example of a potted tree that needs watering. This is the best advice you can give anyone, as you will see first hand what is required. Are you asking for yourself, or just in general, as with your bonsai age there, I am guessing you mean in general. You are not meant to keep the soil moist.

Step 1. Water bonsai thoroughly, and allow all the excess water to run free.
Step 2. Do not re water the bonsai until the soil is just about dry. (This can vary for your different types of trees, as some will use the water faster than others, so you cannot have a system of watering that is the same for all your bonsai. Hence, the horrible downside of owning bonsai. But apply Step 2 for all your bonsai. Otherwise, if you are just rewatering all of them when you think the majority of them need more water, then chances are that you have too many bonsai to look after.

Repeat steps 1 & 2 until you are due to enter a nursing home. In which case, step 3 is required, which you wont remember anyway, because you'll be old and senile.

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