chinese privet help

[akhater]

I got my hands today on a dying chinese privet the top 1/3 is already dead but the base is still green with only a few struggling leaves.

Its owner kept it inside and, as you can expect, it was in a very bad clay like soil.

I've repotted it into a well draining mix without touching the roots (although a few came out while washing the old soil), I am not sure I did well repoting it while it was in such conditions but I thought it was worth a try.

It is now is a shady but bright place outside with my other "trees", any additional care I can give it to maximize its chances?

are they hardy chaps like ficus and elms ?

thank you

 

[evmibo]

I'm pretty new to ch. privets, but they really seem to be quite hardy. I would fert it generously with an organic fert and water generously as well. some may disagree but that's what I would do. I would also save any styling or trimming until next spring.

 

[Zach Smith]

You've probably saved the tree. Privets will curl up and drop their leaves in droughty conditions in order to survive, and as long as you water them in time they'll pop new growth in a few weeks. Don't give up as long as you can scrape and find "juicy" green.

Zach

 

[stacy allen muse]

in general... I find it is a really bad idea to repot a tree that is under stress...
and would not recomend it.

 

[Lancaster]

I would agree with Stacy' s post above. In general, I would not repot a tree that is not in good health or under stress....unless it was in poor health or under stress BECAUSE of the soil.
If it is in poor health because of the soil, and there is no chance of getting it healthy again in it's current soil, then it is advisable to repot into a better bonsai soil.

I would not have performed any kind of root pruning either, unless there were decaying or dead roots that needed removed.

I would have done the same thing you did AK.

 

[akhater]

Thank you all for the input

@evmibo I will fertilize it as soon as it start pushing new leaves

@Zach that's good to know, it looks already better this morning the few remaining leaves are no longer pending I guess it can't be a bad thing

@Stacy yes I totally understand this but how can it get healthy if it was root bound and with a poor ground? So I guess it was worth it

@Lancaster exactly my thoughts, I only removed a root that was black and rotten

follow up in a few weeks I guess

 

[akhater]

first sign of hope

 

[Zach Smith]

Yep, you got it.

 

[JudyB]

good job akhater!

 

[akhater]

and here it is one month later, looks like it is quite happy new sprouts everywhere

 

[akhater]

This little tree is doing great but died (part marked in black on the picture)

so I am looking for inspiration on its design so if anyone has ideas please