Anyone know why my willow went from sprouting new leaves ...
1ft to light, direct
10” pot with drainage
Last watered 1 year ago
9
@SuperblyLilac I live in apartment, so I don’t really have a good way to do that. I might be able to transport to somewhere I can. I’m worried my snippers are causing the blackening. I cleaned them per instructions from a local Plant place. But this issue is persisting.
@SuperblyLilac it was an outdoor plant near Lake Michigan in Chicago, now it’s an indoor. I’ve only had it since Thanksgiving. It was thriving for months, so I went to start shaping it to be a large bonsai. Then this started.
How much light is it getting? What kind of soil and how much water does it get? How long did you have it before the leaves stopped growing? Did you start it from a cutting, or did it already have roots? Sorry for all the questions, but it might help to narrow down the problem 😅
I have a corkscrew willow, and it has been a bit of a roller coaster dealing with it! I think we’ve come to a bit of an understanding now, but it’s certainly an odd duck 🤨
I have a corkscrew willow, and it has been a bit of a roller coaster dealing with it! I think we’ve come to a bit of an understanding now, but it’s certainly an odd duck 🤨
@ESylvanus 2 and a half cups a week, bonsai soil mixed with some more standard top soil spread on the top (pictured), it’s getting an alright amount. I don’t have much light access here. I had it for maybe 2-3 months before the issues started. It woke up from the cold and took off with the fertilizer I’ve been using (had less light at that time). It started with roots, rather long ones, that I made sure to gently set down about an inch above the drainage in the pot.
Okay, so I would probably start with watering it a little more frequently. Willows like a lot of water, and bonsai soil dries really quickly. Adding a bit of extra bark to your soil mix might help with moisture retention as well.
If you have any access to a patio, your tree will definitely benefit from being outside. Mine has done really well with either morning or afternoon sun, and it will need an annual dormancy to stay healthy.
Mine also does really poorly with trimming when it’s actively growing. Pruning is best done when the tree is dormant, otherwise it will die back quite a bit when you trim it.
Hopefully some of that will be helpful! As I said, mine has been a bit of a challenge, too! I hope yours turns around and does well for you!
If you have any access to a patio, your tree will definitely benefit from being outside. Mine has done really well with either morning or afternoon sun, and it will need an annual dormancy to stay healthy.
Mine also does really poorly with trimming when it’s actively growing. Pruning is best done when the tree is dormant, otherwise it will die back quite a bit when you trim it.
Hopefully some of that will be helpful! As I said, mine has been a bit of a challenge, too! I hope yours turns around and does well for you!
@ESylvanus it has morning sun for a couple hours. I don’t have access to a patio, wish I did. So should I split that 2 and a half cups a week to 1 and a quarter every 3 days?
@ESylvanus I believe I over watered it a bit, and didn’t notice for about 2 weeks. I drained all that water and then got this app and started the recommended amount. Been doing this for two weeks now.
@DKM Yeah, I would do the half amount every three days. I do that with most of my bonsai, and I find the it helps. If it was originally overwatered, then this may still be the result of that. Sometimes it takes the plant a while to recover, especially if they tend to be more shaded.
It sounds like you’re giving it the best care possible. It may do like mine did the first year I had it. It actually died most of the way back and I thought I’d lost it, but it survived and came back the next spring. They’re really dramatic like that in my experience, but they do seem to come back, too.
It sounds like you’re giving it the best care possible. It may do like mine did the first year I had it. It actually died most of the way back and I thought I’d lost it, but it survived and came back the next spring. They’re really dramatic like that in my experience, but they do seem to come back, too.
Wow this is new to me - it was cool to read all the info