Brazilian rain tree help

[Zac]

Hi I have a BRT that I've had for years ( I know it's not very refind) I always liked the way it looked. I was letting it grow out so could work on it but it got away from me. It was healthy and full up till 2nd week of March when it's leaves turned yellow and fell off like they do every year (I have to bring indoors for winter I supply humidity with humidifier and have grow lights) it then flushed out by end of March beginning of April was full and green. Then one day I came home from work and all the leaves were dry and falling off for some reason. I kept supplying humidity and light and water as needed hoping it would come back in spring but the branches started dieing back lost color and became brittle so I cut them back to where seamed alive still some new growth came back but only at top which I was planning on cutting back but now that's the only growth so am not. I don't have any pictures of before but here are some of it now. I'm hoping someone has some suggestions on how and if I can save it I'm at a loss because I'm still fairly new to this. Thanks in advance

 

[Hack Yeah!]

Top growth is a good start. Can you place it outside during the day yet?

 

[Carol 83]

Two of my BRT's wilted and dropped all of their leaves this winter for no good reason at all. It took a minute but they came back. Have a little patience, it's growing again, so that's good. Once you're able to get it outside, it will probably grow like crazy.

 

[canoeguide]

I've had BRTs sulk, leafless, for half a year before pushing new growth and recovering. Keep the soil moist (but not overly wet) and it should be fine eventually.

 

[Zac]

Top growth is a good start. Can you place it outside during the day yet?

There was only one week so far that I could place outside then temps dropped again into 50's-60's daytime and 30's-40's at night and it's been gloomy and rainy and windy

 

[Zac]

Two of my BRT's wilted and dropped all of their leaves this winter for no good reason at all. It took a minute but they came back. Have a little patience, it's growing again, so that's good. Once you're able to get it outside, it will probably grow like crazy.

Mine always lost its leaves at end of winter to early spring always turned yellow and dropped but there was always tons of visible buds and it always flushed back out like crazy days later and just continued to grow like crazy. This first year that leaves stayed green and just fell off and had major branch die back. Lost most of the lower branches so now top heavy

 

[Zac]

I was planning on trying to airlayer that long straight branch this year but with this going on I guess I can't. I guess once it recovers fingers crossed I'll have to hard prune the top to get the lower branches to come back or are there other options? Thanks to all of you

 

[Badge30]

I have 3 BRT and trying to determine when they can go back outside. Is 50f at night the cutoff.
Cleveland weather very changeable this time of the year. Probably have to do the two step for a couple of weeks.

 

[Hack Yeah!]

Not an expert but I'm leaving mine outside at night, moving under the porch eve at night, high 40s. Trying to acclimate it to full sun for a few hours each day

 

[Badge30]

Won’t be hitting 50 at night until sometime next week. I’ll just stay patient.

 

[Zac]

I have 3 BRT and trying to determine when they can go back outside. Is 50f at night the cutoff.
Cleveland weather very changeable this time of the year. Probably have to do the two step for a couple of weeks.

50 is what I have seen. With my work schedule it's hard doing the 2 step I work 5am to 5pm so if temps warm enough it's only a couple of hours then back in

 

[Zac]

Not an expert but I'm leaving mine outside at night, moving under the porch eve at night, high 40s. Trying to acclimate it to full sun for a few hours each day
View attachment 485892

That's a beautiful tree. Right now the highs in my area are mid 40's to 50's dipping into the upper 30's at night and very rainy but looks like getting better this weekend.

 

[Zac]

I did take cuttings last year and have them rooting so far they've kept there leaf and have so new growth starting so fingers crossed I'll have more if big one and cutting all survive.

 

[Zac]

Ok so it has warmed up enough last couple of days and nights that I have my BRT outside on covered porch so not getting to much light but is getting a good bit of light and now the leaves are loosing color and dropping off and all the lower branches have died back ( turned that Brown color) all the way back to the truck so the only growth is at the very top of the tree. Is there something I can do to get growth to come back lower on the tree? And to save the tree I'm not sure what's going on the tree has always done good.

 

[Hack Yeah!]

Maybe send out some close up pics of your leaves and trunk and someone can help identify your issue

 

[Zac]

Maybe send out some close up pics of your leaves and trunk and someone can help identify your issue

Yeah I thought about that after I left for work so I'll get pictures when I get home

 

[Zac]

Maybe send out some close up pics of your leaves and trunk and someone can help identify your issue

Here are the pictures. Had my girl friend take and send to me the edges of leaves are a grayish white color hard to see in pic

 

[Clicio]

Here are the pictures. Had my girl friend take and send to me the edges of leaves are a grayish white color hard to see in pic

Well, I see a very dry soil in this pot.
They are called "Rain Tree" for a reason, high humidity and dappled sun.
Warm weather helps too, but the main component to a healthy BRT is humidity.
Before anyone says that they are drought resistant, yes, they are up to a point. They are not Junipers, and most tropicals will benefit from plenty of water.
I hope you manage to save it.
One trick is covering the whole tree in a makeshift transparent plastic tent, keeping the humidity and warmth inside; most of the times they will sprout new growth.

 

[Paradox]

For those wondering 50 deg F is the safe temperature for BRT. I was told this by the guy I bought mine from in Florida who grows them. It was winter when I bought mine and he held onto it until it was safe to ship in May. He said he moved it into his greenhouse if night temperatures were to drop below 50.

I will let mine get a little cooler in fall before I bring it in for the winter but not cooler than 45. I do this to get the tree ready for slower growth during the winter.

@Zac Dont know how often you water this tree but when mine are inside, I need to water them every other day at a minimum while they are growing and sometimes every day.

They do not like to dry out period.
Monitor the tree and water when it needs it: when the soil is almost dry

You should also know that when you cut a branch on live tissue, it will die back to the lower node (where buds come out). So if you keep cutting branches back on live tissue it will just keep dying back. As you've seen, the branch changes color when it dies. When you cut, leave it for at least a year then cut off the dead part only. Don't cut back again into live tissue.

 

[trigo]

They are called rain tree but they are not from the Amazon Rain Forest, they are native from the "restinga" our Atlantic Forest, this is their natural habitat:



Not so much water in the soil itself, but very high humidity, scorching sun, wind and high temperature.

They are finicky, some times simply moving them from one corner of the garden to another, changing sun exposure and wind exposure, they drop all their leaves and regrow them, i also think there are some genetic differences on them, i have some that die back easily and others that never had a problem. But i do agree with @Clicio, i think your soil may be too dry for your low humidity, i top dress my BRTs with a heavy layer of sphagnum moss and it helps alot.