Thoughts on this Hinoki?

Hi, Everyone. I acquired this hinoki last fall. The guy who I got it from said that he had dug it up about 3 or 4 years ago. It had been growing in a large plastic bin since he dug it.

Since it had a few years of root growth, I had intended to leave it in the plastic bin for another season and style the top this spring. However the plastic bin was deteriorating and cracking and I did not think it would make it another season, so I decided to change the angle of the tree and put it in a large pot.

When I took it out of the bin, it had way more root growth than I was expecting and I ended up having to take off about 30-40% of the root mass which made me nervous because I know hinoki’s are temperamental about having a lot of root work done.

It has seemed to put out decent new growth this season, and I have not done any work to the top. However, I am perplexed by some of the dieback on the foliage. I would assume it is because the tree is not getting enough sunlight (it gets about 6-8 hours of direct sunlight), but usually the dieback on hinoki’s from lack of sunlight is on the interior branching. On mine, it is random. There is dead foliage next to perfectly healthy looking foliage.

Theories I have:

A: I had to leave town for two weeks in July and had a friend water my trees, I do not believe the trees got watered evenly. I think he just watered at the trunks. Could have this caused the dieback?

B: Lack of sunlight

C: I live on a balcony and sometimes water from balconies above us drops on my trees. It is possible that a chemical or cleaning supply that someone was using fell on it.

Any ideas?

Thank you!

too much sun, too little water...treat Hinokis like you might a Japanese Maple in terms of sun. Here in South Carolina, I pretty much have to move my hinokis into almost total shade come June-Sept. At this point just pinch/trim off the dead foliage.

What is that dead trunk in the middle pot on the second picture?

BonsaiMobius said:

A: I had to leave town for two weeks in July and had a friend water my trees, I do not believe the trees got watered evenly. I think he just watered at the trunks. Could have this caused the dieback?

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Where I live they take sun, as much as you can give them even if left untrimmed unlike Junipers... They do however require water, at least mine does, and a lot of it as it is free draining

Grimmy

Cypress187 said:

What is that dead trunk in the middle pot on the second picture?

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It is just a piece of deadwood that I used to have in a piranha tank. When that picture was taken, I had an extra pot and figured I would wire it in there and grow some vines on it or something. Or maybe attempt some form of tanuki. I ended up needing the pot for something else though so it is just sitting on my patio now.

GrimLore said:

They do however require water, at least mine does, and a lot of it as it is free draining

Grimmy

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johng said:

too much sun, too little water...treat Hinokis like you might a Japanese Maple in terms of sun. Here in South Carolina, I pretty much have to move my hinokis into almost total shade come June-Sept. At this point just pinch/trim off the dead foliage.

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Thanks, Johng and Grimmy. That makes sense. I normally keep it thoroughly watered and the pot is usually protected from getting too hot. However, when I went on vacation, it was very hot here and I think it got less water than I usually give it. Thanks for the advice.

BonsaiMobius said:

Thanks for the advice.

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Always happy to help - I mentioned that they do not seem to need interior trimming like a Juniper does here. Two reasons I avoid it -

They do fine and grow lush interior growth for me. For the record on the deep dark varieties called blue I do add Manganese(in the form or diluted Epson salts) to retain and make them darker. Only the newer growth on mine looks lighter green, and fascinates my Wife - I suppose because they are pretty.

They never will(at least for me) back bud or throw a branch on old wood.

I find it a hell of a lot easier to let them take their natural course for a few years and them do very careful pruning.

Grimmy

BonsaiMobius said:

It is just a piece of deadwood that I used to have in a piranha tank. When that picture was taken, I had an extra pot and figured I would wire it in there and grow some vines on it or something. Or maybe attempt some form of tanuki. I ended up needing the pot for something else though so it is just sitting on my patio now.

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I was really close to tell you that your problem is that your hinoki is potted in front of the pot and not in it and have no roots whatsoever, which would have explain the dead foliage.
Then I realized the cypress was actually potted behind the deadwood, silly me

Joke aside: is your balcony windy?
Seems that Hinoki don't like wind...

In my expieriance, my Hinoki gets full sun all day and when I water I drench the whole tree and pot, it has responded with tremendous growth, I also fertilize heavy and have even used diluted Epsom salt as well. I would guess that yours just did not get enough water, but how is your soil, I use fast draining soil so it does not stay soggy.

That is a nice tree! I would look into the issue of wind. During the hotter parts of the summer and during the winter...think about wind protection using burlap or other materials to protect your tree. Water them every day, but make sure you water/mist the FOLIAGE, as well. I want to also add a very insightful article on the protection of confiers of this kind, which may be helpful to understand why the Hinoki gets dry and dies. The article is primarily based on winter protection, but it can also be helpful to understand how the Hinoki operates in pots or as yard plantings: http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/trees-shrubs/protecting-from-winter-damage/

Also make sure you use fertilizer with a low to median PH level. Hinoki love acidity in the soil. I use Bat Guano or you can use any type of guano-based fertilizer. It is organic and it has high levels of nitrogen that won't burn the roots like industrial fertilizer (miracle grow, etc.). Also, you can use Epsom salt, but only once a month. In large amounts, Epsom salt actually raises alkaline levels. Not good for Hinoki! In proffessional gardening circles, they use Epsom salt to raise alkline levels in roses, tomatoes, etc. NEVER use a fertilizer brand that won't list what is in the product. There are a lot of "bonsai fertilizers" that won't list their ingredients, and they won't get my business. KNOW your fertilizer. It is the difference between life and death in bonsai.

Finally, Hinoki need a humid environment. Most of the time, it is a harsh winter (dry cold winds) that destroys these trees over the long term. Hinoki are tough because they need LOTS of sun, but you have to find a way to mediate drought conditions. It might be a good idea to shield the tree in partial shade during the hottest summer months, but again....you deny the foliage photosynthesis. Finally, look into a drip feed water system when you go away. Next time, place them in shade and use a drip feed system. These trees need SUPER discipline on a daily basis. Hinoki are a tricky business, but I love them!