poorly larch please help

[tismeisthatu]

I have quite a few larch pre-bonsai, but 2 are showing sign, I think of illness. Basically both have been repotted this spring, into my normal medium which consists of cat litter, perlite & river grit. I have fed these at the same time as my other repotted larch but these in the last 2 weeks have been fading. As you will see from the pictures, the new growth is drooping & then dropping their needles. I have no idea what is causing it or how to get them better, any help or suggestions would be very much appreciated. Thanks

 

[0soyoung]

I know nothing about larch problems, per se, but drooping and falling foliage is generally symptomatic of root problems.

The easiest to correct issue is waterlogged roots - are you watering too much, has it been raining a lot? Remedies are to tip the pot, reduce watering, and covering most of the soil with plastic or aluminum foil, say, to deflect rain. You also may need to partially shade these trees until their roots are working again.

Are these particular trees well secured in their pots? If not, wind or other jostling could have damaged the roots, reducing their capacity to adsorb water. Enclosing the tree in a humidity tent, misting, and keeping it out of direct sun is about all that can be done.

Another that is easily corrected is soil heat. Being in the UK, I doubt this is your problem; the issue is that roots don't grow and begin dying at soil temperatures above 95F. Sun shining directly on black plastic pots can produce high soil temperatures even when the air-temperature is well below 95F. You can easily check this by putting a meat thermometer probe in you pot. Covering the pot with a damp white towel will dramatically reduce the soil temperature if it should prove to be too high.

I don't think it is a fungal issue like verticillium as an example. Fungi usually work by clogging xylem which causes the foliage to suddenly dry out and turn brown but stay attached. Nothing in your pictures appears to be consistent with this.

good luck

 

[tismeisthatu]

I know nothing about larch problems, per se, but drooping and falling foliage is generally symptomatic of root problems.

The easiest to correct issue is waterlogged roots - are you watering too much, has it been raining a lot? Remedies are to tip the pot, reduce watering, and covering most of the soil with plastic or aluminum foil, say, to deflect rain. You also may need to partially shade these trees until their roots are working again.

OSOYOUNG, I think you must have hit the nail on the head with your reply, thats why nobody else has replied. So thank you for that. Having read your reply I can only think it is waterlogged roots being the problem. I generally water once a day in the evening but recently we have had a hot (for cornwall anyway) spell of 3 weeks +25 Celsius. During this time I watered in the morning as well as early evening. One of the trees was in a pond basket so drainage really shouldn't have been a problem tho, but I have taken your advice on board and said trees are sheltered from the rain & sun. Time will tell but I'm led to believe larch are hardy, so fingers crossed. Thanks again

 

[october]

It could be poor drainage, it could also be if you did any agressive root pruning. Also, it could be if you repotted after the tree budded out. Did you do this work after the tree already budded out? Work on this species should be done before the buds open.

One question, where are the branches? A tree of this age should have some mature/wood branches. I only see young, not hardened off branches and small bits of foliage. I would imagine that the combination of a compromised root system and it having no branches can stress the tree. Not as much as a juniper though.

Rob

 

[tismeisthatu]

Rob, thanks for replying. This tree had very little root work done to be honest. My aim was to train this in to a shohin. Because of this, the branches that were there were to big. All the branches were removed to a bud at the base. I've never worked on a small larch so this is a learning curve for me on stock that wouldn't amount to much. It looks like I've over watered a stressed tree.

 

[october]

Although I do not keep larch personally, many, if not all, conifers cannot survive having all their branches removed. I know this to be true with juniper, pine, cedar and others. Now that I know you removed all the branches, I think I can make a different assessment. When a conifer is pruned too much, it stresses the tree greatly. Consequently, the tree will push one new, last flush of growth before it dies. Basically, the tree will be dead you just won't know it. Of course, I am not certain in this case. However, seeing how it pushed this last flush of growth then began to die, it is a good possibility.

Sorry about the tree.

Rob

 

[Nybonsai12]

Sorry about the tree.
I just lost a larch in my forest group. Weirdest thing, all season 4 trees were flourishing and one just kicked it. Last fall it didn't drop all it's needles, some just kind of browned and hung on. I'm thinking at the time of the planting perhaps too much root work. ugh, 4 tree forest now. ugh.

 

[tismeisthatu]

Although I do not keep larch personally, many, if not all, conifers cannot survive having all their branches removed. I know this to be true with juniper, pine, cedar and others. Now that I know you removed all the branches, I think I can make a different assessment. When a conifer is pruned too much, it stresses the tree greatly. Consequently, the tree will push one new, last flush of growth before it dies. Basically, the tree will be dead you just won't know it. Of course, I am not certain in this case. However, seeing how it pushed this last flush of growth then began to die, it is a good possibility.

Sorry about the tree.

Rob

Rob, don't be sorry about the tree, before I worked it I was thinking skip it anyway. You know more about bonsai than me that's for sure, but I always thought, (wrongly obviously) that larch were slighty more hardy than other conifers, & it was alright to just have a bud left. As soon as I cut the branches off the semi dormant buds went crazy. Any how time will tell, fingers crossed. Nothing ventured nothing gained. Thank you for your input tho.

 

[Adamantium]

Rob, don't be sorry about the tree, before I worked it I was thinking skip it anyway. You know more about bonsai than me that's for sure, but I always thought, (wrongly obviously) that larch were slighty more hardy than other conifers, & it was alright to just have a bud left. As soon as I cut the branches off the semi dormant buds went crazy. Any how time will tell, fingers crossed. Nothing ventured nothing gained. Thank you for your input tho.

Sorry to dredge up a super old thread. If you see this, did the larch make it? I have one with a very similar problem.