Getting started with a Boxwood

[Grok42]

I have been reading and watching everything I can about Bonsai and my wife finally asked when I was actually going to do something. Despite being in a top 100 US metro area, there are no clubs within a 3 hour drive so I'm trying to find a support group here.

I plan to acquire plants over the fall/winter so I will have material ready for next spring. What I want to know is should I leave them in their pots and re-pot in spring, re-pot now or plant them in the ground given the details of each below.

I acquired two 3-gallon boxwoods of an unknown variety. The big box nursery I got them at obviously wasn't run very well and the plants aren't in the best shape. From the looks of them they are probably left overs from last year or more. The tags had rotted off and they didn't exist in the system so I got a good deal on them. The problem is I might be over my head starting with less than healthy specimens and need some advice.

One tree is not that bad and is in ok soil considering how long it's probably been in the pot. When I water the plant in the pot the water drains through and the plant is green and pretty healthy looking but does have some very minor yellowing. The main trunk is almost black most of the way up and needs to be cleaned. I plan on using an old toothbrush and water. The trunk is about 1.3 inches at it's widest.

The other tree is a different story. The soil is very compacted and doesn't drain at all. The soil washed badly to one side at one point in it's life so all the water runs to one side of the container and just sits there and doesn't drain at all. I did my best to level the top of the soil and get all the soil out of the lower branches but I didn't want to disturb the shallow fine roots too much. I didn't expose very much of the trunk but what I did expose is 1.5" at its widest. I believe the plant is nitrogen deficient based on a good bit of yellowing of the leaves on the lower part of one side on the old growth.

Shown is the tree with the most problems but the other is similar with better soil. Thanks for any help on the next steps.

 

[jk_lewis]

I have been reading and watching everything I can about Bonsai and my wife finally asked when I was actually going to do something. Despite being in a top 100 US metro area, there are no clubs within a 3 hour drive so I'm trying to find a support group here.

Check local garden clubs. You may find a few dabblers in bonsai there.

I plan to acquire plants over the fall/winter so I will have material ready for next spring. What I want to know is should I leave them in their pots and re-pot in spring, re-pot now or plant them in the ground given the details of each below.

For new plants, it will depend on the species. For the boxwoods, see below.

I acquired two 3-gallon boxwoods of an unknown variety. The big box nursery I got them at obviously wasn't run very well and the plants aren't in the best shape. From the looks of them they are probably left overs from last year or more. The tags had rotted off and they didn't exist in the system so I got a good deal on them. The problem is I might be over my head starting with less than healthy specimens and need some advice.

Boxwoods are amazingly tough and resilient trees. You can easily repot now -- with or without rootwork.

One tree is not that bad and is in ok soil considering how long it's probably been in the pot. When I water the plant in the pot the water drains through and the plant is green and pretty healthy looking but does have some very minor yellowing. The main trunk is almost black most of the way up and needs to be cleaned. I plan on using an old toothbrush and water. The trunk is about 1.3 inches at it's widest.

Next time you water, sprinkle a tablespoon of epsom salts on the soil and water it in. That is likely to clear up any yellowing leaves. It is a good thing to do once or twice a year to any boxwood.

That black on the trunk is a mildew. Common on boxwoods in humid climates like yours (and mine), especially if the foliage is watered frequently. Adding a teaspoon of detergent to a gallon of water and then using the toothbrush will be tedious, but will clean it off nicely. A LIGHT spray with a fungicide you buy at the Box store will help keep it away, but avoid watering the foliage too often -- though an occasional HARD spray into the foliage will help keep critters away.

The other tree is a different story. The soil is very compacted and doesn't drain at all. The soil washed badly to one side at one point in it's life so all the water runs to one side of the container and just sits there and doesn't drain at all. I did my best to level the top of the soil and get all the soil out of the lower branches but I didn't want to disturb the shallow fine roots too much. I didn't expose very much of the trunk but what I did expose is 1.5" at its widest. I believe the plant is nitrogen deficient based on a good bit of yellowing of the leaves on the lower part of one side on the old growth.

Shown is the tree with the most problems but the other is similar with better soil. Thanks for any help on the next steps.

You should immediately repot this one into a shallower container and into bonsai soil. I'd cut 1/2 of the top (just chop it off; you won't hurt the plant and you're not going to want more than 1/4 of all that foliage anyway) and then at least 1/2 of the root mass and washing away MOST of the old soil. When you refill the new pot with soil use a chopstick to work the new soil in between all of the exposed roots. Water well and keep in semi-shade for a week, then full sun. Keep soil damp; NOT wet.

This may sound drastic, but your boxwood shouldn't even notice it.

After a few weeks you can start to shape the top if you want.

 

[Poink88]

Like jkl said, I would reduce this now, both top and bottom.

I am however more ruthless with top reduction, I usually go as far as I can (or need to if possible). Note that here, I cannot chop any branch w/o leaving any leaves on the tips. Otherwise, that branch is likely to die.

Next, I will slowly dig further down until big roots are encountered/exposed (usually the size of your main branches). That will be your base/nebari. Then chop as jkl suggested, removing the bottom half and wash off most of the remaining soil.

Good luck!

 

[Poink88]

BTW, If this is mine, it will probably be less than 12" high (from top of soil) after I am done with the initial chop.

No straight branch will be longer than 2" (if possible & unless it can be wired/bent later). No chicken legs/peace sign/trident branches. Where it occurs, remove the middle one if possible.

Remember, leave some green at the tips of branches you want to keep!

Good luck!

 

[Paradox]

Epsom salts huh? Interesting. Ill have to try that as well.

I have one small box I repotted this spring that has been sulking a bit. I was a bit harsh with the roots as I was trying to turn it into a root over rock. Seems to be ok, just a bit unhappy after what I did to it. The other one I repotted seems fine.

 

[Wee]

Good info here....I found some similar boxwoods at an old nursery back during the summer....I never did buy one and now all the old ones are gone. Nice stock here. Nothing like that at our big box stores around here.

Brian

 

[Grok42]

Thanks for all the advice, you have all made my day. I thought I was going to have to be patient and wait until early spring to mess with these plants. Really good overview of what I should do to start. I'll get them reduced and re-potted right away.

I really like Poink88's quick overview for reducing but I'm tempted to take jkl's easier aproach at first. My understanding is that if I reduce the roots I need to reduce the greenery so the roots can support it. Can I take do a quick top chop like jkl suggested so I can get it potted and then take Poink88's route to finish up a little later or do I need to do it all at once and then leave it alone until spring?

I will be sure to post an update hopefully this weekend on my progress.

 

[Poink88]

MY approach is to do it all at once if possible. Otherwise, the plant will try to grow where you will eventually chop again...it is IMHO a waste. Channel all the new growth to what you can use...that is my philosophy but you have to find your own.

New growth also makes it harder later to re-chop. Some will live with them forever because it gets worse (harder to correct) as time goes by.

Of course, some plants can't take such approach so those need to be done in steps.

Good luck!

 

[lordy]

Grok, you have a PM.

 

[jk_lewis]

You probably could do it either way. I'm fresh out of an all-day demo by Rodney Clemmons on a large boxwood, and he took it from a rootbound 5-gallon pot to a root pad about 3 inches deep. Base whatever you do on your confidence in yourself being able to give it proper aftercare. Rodney's tree was going to be cared for afterward by the staff at the N.C. Arboretum.

The workshop got my juices flowing about doing some more work on my large box.

Taking stuff off the top isn't because of any need to "balance" anything (except perhaps the relative weight of the top and bottom so it stays in the pot -- but be certain to wire it into the container whatever you do)

 

[Grok42]

Now I know some of what I don't know

I'm still a long way from knowing what I don't know but I'm a closer for having trimmed and re-potted my two Boxwood bushes. I'm not going to gloss over any of the mistakes so please don't feel you need to gloss over telling me how bad I messed up.

Pictures are three sides of the boxwood in good shape and both side by side. I took pictures of the other boxwood but the lighting was so bad they aren't worth showing. I have a lot more pictures and 360 degree video of both trees if anyone is interested.

Thanks for all the help so far and for any future feedback.

The good

I really enjoyed myself and I can see wanting to do so much more even if this first attempt ends badly. Cutting down the root mass went well. The limb saw I used worked well and I took a little less than half of the root mass out without incident.​

The bad

I was very much not prepared in lots of ways. I have about 6 pruners, all of them useless. I don't have a root rake yet and my improvised tool wasn't very good. As many videos and articles as I've watched and read about pruning, I still fundamentally don't understand what to do in a given situation. In the end I to JKL's advice and cut about 50% of the top back and not much else.​

The ugly

I couldn't find a pot. I looked at three nurseries but they had all put their pots on clearance the week before. I could have gotten a steal on 25 gallon pots which is basically all they had left. In the end I picked up some $1 hanging baskets. I really should have built a box out of wood, which I have plenty of, but I knew I wouldn't have time. I cut four 1/2" holes in the bottom of the pot for drainage. Next I thought I had wire but discovered AFTER I had bare rooted the trees I didn't. I ended up using zip ties. Finally, I forgot to pick up mesh because I was so worried about finding pots. I remember this about the same time I couldn't find the wire so I ended up using synthetic steel wool which I split in two to make it very thin.

But who needs a correctly done pot? The soil is the real critical component right. Bungling this part was done with eyes wide open. I just have been unable to source Bonsai soil locally. I just couldn't bring myself to spend the $50 + shipping + time so I tried to make my own with extremely limited local components. I used 50% pine bark + leaf litter potting soil. I added 20% vermiculite + 20% peat + 10% perlite. My hope is that it's better than the clay it was in and I can repot it in real bonsai soil in spring.
​

The tragic

The tree that was in bad shape had all the bark slough off the base. This happened right after I reduced the root ball and started watering it to rinse all the clay out. I'm 100% positive I didn't rub it off myself because it happened so early in the process. I'm not sure if this will kill the tree or if it's just cosmetic and will recover.

The other worrying discovery is that the tree that was in better shape had a colony of slugs in the root ball. They had eaten a large section of the base roots away. I'm hoping this is no big deal but wanted to mention it because it was amazing how much damage they had done.
​

 

[lordy]

So you went to "school" with these repots, and learned some valuable lessons. That's a good thing. Make a list of supplies you need to buy and start ordering them. Tools, wire, cross-stitch mesh to cover holes, soil components. Whatever it is you need, get it.
The big item with what your trees are planted in is that it needs to drain fairly quickly. If you can wait a week between waterings, chances are that there is too much organic or potting soil (not generally a good idea for bonsai as it retains too much water). Try looking at feed and seed supply stores near you. Farm supply stores might carry Dry Stall for horses. It is pumice. Chicken grit (grower size) is crushed granite. Turface for baseball fields is widely used.
The containers you have the trees in is fine during development as long as there is plenty of drainage. Keep an eye on the foliage for telltale signs of vigor or a lack thereof. If things look to be heading downhill, you may have a soil mix that is too heavy and suffocating the roots.

 

[DougB]

Here are two links from the TBS in Raleigh. They should be of help in finding materials inn your area suitable for bonsai.

http://www.trianglebonsai.com/Soil.aspx

http://www.trianglebonsai.com/Articles/EricEibelheuser/BonsaiSoilComponents.aspx

Questions are good. They help us all.

 

[Grok42]

Thanks for the replies. The problem is that the leaves were already a bit yellowed before I re-potted. They look no worse but it's probably not been enough time either way. We hit a cold snap a few days after I did all this and I'm still having to water every other day so for now the soil is draining well but it is probably the long run that counts.

Thanks for the suggestions of where to find better soil. I have someone stalking the only Bonsai nursery in the state within a 3 hour drive. They seem to be open but have unknown hours. http://www.deliasbonsai.com/

I had the thought this morning I should try the tractor supply company and I see it was on the list from the NC site. I never thought of checking the John Deer Landscaping. There is one about a mile from my house we use all the time for bulk sand, mulch, etc. More of a contractor place but we use them enough maybe they will sell me some consumer quantity. I'll check it out tomorrow.