Atlas Cedar Forest

[cbroad]

I had seen it mentioned they just drop all on a 3 - 4 year cycle

Interesting, I've never heard that but wouldn't be surprised if that is the case. All evergreens will eventually replace all foliage, but unfortunately I haven't seen the same Atlas cedar in consecutive years to witness a total replacement. I bet that would freak anybody out to see their specimen completely defoliate!

Most of my experience is from working at a nursery, where we'd have big serpentine weepers, that would fall over and not get watered from the irrigation for a couple days. My boss would want to toss them, but I told him we should just pull them off the floor and keep them watered. In a few weeks to a month they'd be full again and ready to sell. That's why they paid me the big bucks

 

[dani]

Thank you all for the information. The pot is quite large. I've watered it yesterday and it's still moist. They get sunlight in the afternoon hours (due to the location of the balcony). @0soyoung As for the hydrogen peroxide, I'll try that. I even have some at home. Just to give you some visuals because I forgot with that update post, here's what they look like:

 

[0soyoung]

So, @dani, what happened after you watered (i.e., an hour or two later)? Did the trees become more turgid/upright (i.e., less tilted/wilty/weepy)?

 

[dani]

So, @dani, what happened after you watered (i.e., an hour or two later)? Did the trees become more turgid/upright (i.e., less tilted/wilty/weepy)?

no, not really, no change at all

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Interesting, I've never heard that but wouldn't be surprised if that is the case. All evergreens will eventually replace all foliage, but unfortunately I haven't seen the same Atlas cedar in consecutive years to witness a total replacement. I bet that would freak anybody out to see their specimen completely defoliate!

Most of my experience is from working at a nursery, where we'd have big serpentine weepers, that would fall over and not get watered from the irrigation for a couple days. My boss would want to toss them, but I told him we should just pull them off the floor and keep them watered. In a few weeks to a month they'd be full again and ready to sell. That's why they paid me the big bucks

It does freak you out. We put in one of those large weeping, curvey ones a few years ago and then in the winter it dropped most of its needles. My wife ws ready to make an emergency call to the nursery that sold it to us until she found out about how they cast a lot of their needles each year. They are scarier than the way hinokis brown out and lose some of their foliage in winter.

 

[dani]

UPDATE: Things dont look good. I read that when they are stressed out (which they sure are) they drop their needles. Well, it's certainly heading that way for majority of the trees. Im hoping that's the extend of it and they will recover after that... but ... I dont know

 

[0soyoung]

Well, they don't look to be 'weepy' anymore. When/how did that happen?

It has taken me a long time to recognize deathly grey-green versus okay green colored needles. It is not possible for me to tell from your pix. I'm guessing your concern is that they don't seem to be okay green colored. Deathly grey-green inevitably means an already dead tree in my experience. It can sometimes be just a branch, but usually it is the whole tree, especially with small stuff like this.

If so, I feel your pain. I managed to kill a young JWP and a JRP this year. I don't know what happened with the JRP. With the JWP, I overdid the root pruning trying to cram it into a small pot this spring. Alas, it comes with the territory.


Now, tell me that I'm just being Debbie Downer and that its not so bad.

 

[Adair M]

@Adair M is in agreement with your opinion, too.
In fact I have followed his suggestion with my Juniper with no problem.
On the contrary, I have lost one Cedar which I repotted late in spring with minimal root disturbance.
But of course local climate conditions are not similar.... So I apologize if I was misleading without taking into consideration this parameter.

Just saw this thread.

I am in favor of putting freshly repotted conifers back in the sun if they are repotted in the proper season. Messing with an Atlas Cedar roots in the middle of the summer is fatal. They should be repotted just before their buds break open. When they are swelling is perfect.

With bonsai, timing is very important. Most trees are able to withstand a lot of abuse if the timing is right.

As an aside, being “pot bound” is rarely harmful for a tree in the short term. Or even long term! All it would do is restrict their growth. After all, many of the naturally stunted trees in the mountains are growing in little depressions in the rock. That’s what makes them dwarfed!

So, an emergency repot to cure “pot bound” during a bad repotting season often does more harm than good.

 

[dani]

So, an emergency repot to cure “pot bound” during a bad repotting season often does more harm than good.

I agree! But I guess just like everybody, I learn the lessons the hard way, by killing some trees along the way. Even @0soyoung mentioned above he killed some trees this year as well. I won't give up on them just yet, we'll see what will happen I keep them in full sun, but that's just in the afternoon due to location. The weather is around 30C and sunny most days.