Pine killer trend breaker?

[Vance Wood]

Mugos will do that but Scotts Pines will do it a lot. Withold fertilizer until after the 4th of July or there abouts. When they are root bound this will happen.

 

[leatherback]

Still waiting for candle elongation...

 

[Vance Wood]

Still waiting for candle elongation...

Let's see some pictures if possible. All of my Mugos are starting to elongate.

 

[leatherback]

Let's see some pictures if possible. All of my Mugos are starting to elongate.

Thx. They have swollen, and are glossy. Just responding to the repot I suppose. Might have been slightly early with cold nights returning after the initial push:

 

[Vance Wood]

Thx. They have swollen, and are glossy. Just responding to the repot I suppose. Might have been slightly early with cold nights returning after the initial push:

You repotted this Spring????

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

That's pretty late leatherback, mine are all at the pushing needles point.
Some of the slow buds on some trees are just pushing but most of them are way beyond that point.

Some pictures would help!

 

[leatherback]

That's pretty late leatherback, mine are all at the pushing needles point.
Some of the slow buds on some trees are just pushing but most of them are way beyond that point.

Some pictures would help!

Yeah I know. Not sure what is going on. I did get one bud to break 6 weeks ago, resulting in flowers..
Many buds over the last week broke, getting to the "unhemmed skirt" look. See some traces of green in the buds. But no charactersitic candle forming/extension.
Still shiny though. I am sticking with "As long as it freezes overnicht, it is still winter"

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

I have a couple that started the typical flaking that you can see when the needles should form, but they've been standing still for the past month.
In my case that's the soil; it's too water retentive. Can't do anything about that because the neighbors spray their yard every night and it lands right on my trees.
But yeah, the weather is crazy. I can imagine the trees being a little off balance because of it.

 

[Vance Wood]

I have a couple that started the typical flaking that you can see when the needles should form, but they've been standing still for the past month.
In my case that's the soil; it's too water retentive. Can't do anything about that because the neighbors spray their yard every night and it lands right on my trees.
But yeah, the weather is crazy. I can imagine the trees being a little off balance because of it.

Move your trees, or place a brick or thick piece of wood under one end of the pot to increase the angle of drainage.

 

[Vance Wood]

You repotted this Spring????

An answer would be helpful here, I would just like to know for my information.

 

[leatherback]

 

[Vance Wood]

An answer would be helpful here, I would just like to know for my information.

PlLEASE! DID YOU REPOT THE MUGO THIS SPRING??

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Did you perhaps withold feeding after the repot?
No judgement! But it would explain a slowish start.

My scots pines looked like that in march.

It's not looking unhealthy! It should be alright.

But if you don't mind I'd like to predict some juvenile foliage to pop up. My late buds are doing just that.

 

[leatherback]

PlLEASE! DID YOU REPOT THE MUGO THIS SPRING??

It is not a mugo. It is a sylvestris, and I wrote I did above, yes.

Did you perhaps withold feeding after the repot?

Would you fertilize?

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Would you fertilize?

Yes.
Is it wise to do so?
I believe it is.
Can over doing it kill the roots?
It sure can. And then it's game over.
How much is too much?
I apply cheap organic fertilizer at 1 tablespoon per liter of soil. That's not too much.

I'm not conservative at all. And thus far the trees agreed with my approach. But I think the bonsai experts withold it for a some reason that I can't scientifically explain, other than Nitrogen having some effect on root restoration (but this differs heavily per plant family). In laboratories around the world, fresh cuttings are placed on a nutrient rich medium. The idea is that to rebuild structures, a plant needs building blocks derived from nutrients.

I pulled this tiny scots from the woods this spring:

It already got two applications.
Apart from some pre-existing needle cast, it seems to be doing well.

I'm not advising you to do so, but I do want to inform you that for me it seems to work fine.

 

[leatherback]

Yes.
Is it wise to do so?
I believe it is.

I got budbreak. Not many, maybe 10 needles per bud. But hey, short internodes!

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Sweet! A cat dropped one of mine, and it's doing the same.
Tiny needles, short internodes.. Maybe it just wanted to help.

 

[leatherback]

Guess it is almost happy. Lets call it, happy enough?

 

[leatherback]

Colour has come back too!

 

[leatherback]

OK, I am calling it. Recovery is clearly there. Backbudding on 3 year old branchsegments, without any pruning this year!



Budding all-over, and look at the few, yet long, needles of this year!


And of course, as recommended, I am starting to try my hand at some grafts on the pine, as recommended by.. @markyscott ? @Adair M ?