HELP Ginkgo Biloba Yellowing early

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Hello bonsai friends
I have a large Ginkgo Biloba tree that is turning its colors earlier than it should. It receives full sun and I reside in Southern California near the ocean. I fertilized lightly this season with liquid nutrition and I have an automatic watering system set up to water once a day to combat the intense summer heat. It needs to be reported so i think that could be apart of it. The top part of the tree is where the leaves have yellowed completely and fallen off. Other than repotting, how do I make my tree healthier?
 

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Firstflush

Chumono
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Howdy neighbor. My small forest is in full sun in the OC. Check your soil for moisture right before your irrigation comes on. Make sure it’s not completely dry. Crispy brown edges could be too much sun and not enough water. Yours are only yellowing. Maybe try a light feed...like maybe quarter strength hoping it just may be short on nutes.
 
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Notice how the upper branches have no growth on them. Any idea as to why? I’ve had this tree in my care for nearly 3 years now so I don’t quite understand well how the tree develops.
 

palafr01

Yamadori
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Notice how the upper branches have no growth on them. Any idea as to why? I’ve had this tree in my care for nearly 3 years now so I don’t quite understand well how the tree develops.
What kind of soil is the tree in? I am not the most experienced (cue for more seasoned members to chime in) but I think your soil is retaining too much water. The result of this is root death which hinders the trees ability to transport water to the top of your tree. In severe cases limited growth or die back can occur. I also think the yellowing leaves could be due to N deficiency in the soil caused by decaying ORGANIC matter. My advice would be to carefully water as needed and to increase drainage you can either tilt your pot one side and/or poke holes in the soil using a chopstick.
 

Wires_Guy_wires

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Notice how the upper branches have no growth on them. Any idea as to why? I’ve had this tree in my care for nearly 3 years now so I don’t quite understand well how the tree develops.
I think it's dieback. Either from a lack of water or an excess. Hard to tell without being there in person.
Do you see any buds up there? How do they look?
 

Shibui

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The more root bound a bonsai gets the harder it is to keep it watered and fertilized.
Roots gradually fill the spaces in the soil mix - spaces where water previously went. Eventually it gets to the stage where no matter how much you water the soil just cannot hold enough water to last a full day.
Repotting is actually good for bonsai. Lack of repotting is not kindness it can actually kill your trees.
Early leaf fall and dying upper branch tips are classic signs of stress so you need to identify the problem and rectify.

Not the right time to repot this one but you definitely need to check soil moisture much more closely.
If soil is dry you should soak the pot in a tray of water to ensure thorough wetting. In severe cases the pot may need to be soaked a couple of times each week.
If you find the soil stays wet try poking some holes through the root ball to allow air in and water drainage and reduce watering to compensate for the soil problems.
If water appears to be OK fertilizer is probably the limiting factor, especially as you mention light fert this year. Try a quick acting liquid fert every 2 weeks at recommended strength.
 
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What kind of soil is the tree in? I am not the most experienced (cue for more seasoned members to chime in) but I think your soil is retaining too much water. The result of this is root death which hinders the trees ability to transport water to the top of your tree. In severe cases limited growth or die back can occur. I also think the yellowing leaves could be due to N deficiency in the soil caused by decaying ORGANIC matter. My advice would be to carefully water as needed and to increase drainage you can either tilt your pot one side and/or poke holes in the soil using a chopstick.
Even though it’s hot, I’m very good at watering and have an automatic watering system I installed this spring because I knew the California summer would be brutal. It’s probably a combination of too much water with root rot and lack of nutrients compacted by needing to be repotted. I’m poking more holes in it today.

I’ll post pictures later, it just started raining!!!! just my luck, I just did a liquid nutrient feeding
 

Potawatomi13

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Agree to possible dieback. Appears as if not enough H2O transport to top🤔. Any idea how many trees killed by trust of auto systems?
 

sorce

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If it sprays the whole surface you may be ok, if it's a dripper, it's almost certainly not enough water.

Seems not enough water the way the top is dying, it's keeping the slight reserve low.

Sorce
 
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