Itoigawa Rescue

[DavideArisi]

Hello
I am new to the forum and a beginner in bonsai
Yesterday I found this juniperus itoigawa in a nursery at a very low price because in these poor conditions, and I decided to try to save it knowing that the rescue could also fail.
I wanted to share my thoughts with you more experts and decide how to move.
Observing the dead branches of the plant and the start of yellowing of the leaves in the live branch of the plant I thought about watering problems (too much or too little), although when I bought it it was in the midst of another 10-15 healthy junipers .

I then observed the soil that seems to be compact and exhausted (pass me the term), I then thought of a possible rot in the roots, at least in part.I therefore think that the first thing to do is to check the roots, eliminate any rotten roots and leaving intact those still alive, air them and add new akadama.
Unfortunately this morning I also noticed these insects running on the trunk, I think it is aphids but I'm not completely sure, against which I will use a common insecticide.
They are certainly not the main problem, but a consequence of the current state of health of the plant.
I would like to know from you if you have other ideas, or if you think it may be something else.
I take this opportunity to thank you because your every idea will be useful.

David

 

[sorce]

Where were those bugs running to?
What were they running from?

Welcome to Crazy!

That's not a great picture of that bug, but it kinda looks like some fleatype things that I find crawling up elm trunks, but this usually happens in fall and they don't cause harm.

I've never seen or heard of aphids on a juniper, I'd guess something specializing in hiding and eating juniper would be much smaller to fit into good places.

Don't know what Borers look like but that could be a possibility.

The weeds tell a story of good watering times, but possible poor penetration.

Weigh it, water it, weigh it, then dunk soak it for an hour and weigh it again.
If the weight is much higher after soaking, it's a penetration issue.

I am committed to only using rainwater for everything this year, so I been filling up an extra plastic garbage tote I had for extra water, been dunking and observing.

The information gained from dunking is so incredibly valuable I am committed to pushing it's use.

If you ain't dunking you're spelunking, in the cave that is Bonsai with no headlamp.

#Dunkovision

Sorce

 

[Scorpius]

Thats a very nice tree. I hope you save it.

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Those look like azalea lace bugs, but it’s a blurry photo. The tree looks very rough, and the soil looks very compacted. As much as I dislike repotting out of season, it needs to be in good, well-draining soil. You didn’t list a location, but I’d find somebody who does bonsai (well) and get them to help you repot this into good soil. Set it where it can get early AM sun, then shade all day. Mist the foliage several times a day and see if it will produce some new growth. Good luck.

 

[DavideArisi]

Thanks Sorce, I did as you said. Before soaking, it weighed 1850 grams, after an hour it weighs 1950 grams, the weight is greater, not to much.
What can it mean?

I noticed that the bugs present this morning are now not seen, if I can tomorrow morning I will try to take some more photos.

@ brian

I live in switzerland, temperate continental climate. Unfortunately I don't know any experts, getting help from the owner of the nursery isn’t a good idea, given the condition of the plant, and his only advice was to fertilize.
I will wait a few more days when the Akadama I ordered online will arrive because it is out of stock here and I will proceed with the repotting by myself.

In the meantime, if you have any other advice, they are welcome

David

 

[butlern]

I understand that your soaking methods revealed no clear indication of significant water uptake (so soil is not likely overly dry), but perhaps take a pointed (yet blunt) wooden stick, like a slightly pointed chopstick, and carefully scrape the top 1-2 cm of soil away very slowly to see if the soil below is looser with larger grains. I offer idea this because it is also possible that no fresh oxygen is getting pulled into the rootball when you water. Make sure you have suitable well-draining substrate to replace the soil you scrape away (3-5 mm grain size, some volcanic clay, pumice, or lava, mixed in equal parts). I do this each spring with my trees, and I use a vacuum to very carefully remove the material I scrap away.

Be gentle with the roots. Hopefully you can see some open, looser soil and healthy roots 1-2 cm below the surface.

Just a thought for your consideration.

 

[DavideArisi]

I tried to scrape off a few cm of soil, this is what you see.

Sorry I had to use the flash because I couldn't find a suitable light for the photo.
After a top layer of larger grains approaching the root the soil is fine, compact and dark.
From a glance under the pot through the drainage holes, a grain can be seen again.This means that a repotting has been done and good soil has been added both below and above, but the root ball has not been touched.
This is what I think

 

[butlern]

Yes, the opposite of what we were hoping to see... the rootball is in muck/mud, with loose grain soil above (for show) and below (added during the most recent potting and after an inadequate working of compacted soil out of the roots).

Your instincts to re-pot and Brian's suggestion above are correct, the rootball/soil needs to be addressed as soon as you are able. Hopefully it responds well because it really does look like it could be very interesting with time and training. Protect as Brian suggests after this out of season work with morning sun and regular misting of foliage.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Welcome to the site!

Yes, I agree with the consensus that a repotting is necessary. I would also consider changing the pot and using something significantly larger. Do not prune any part of the tree when you repot. You may get lucky and get some buds popping at the base of old branches.