Spruce in life support!!!

[Gary.Indiana]

Three weeks ago I had a nearly three foot Colorado Blue Spruce in perfect health.
Then I root pruned and fertilized w slow release.
Soon after that, we had heavy, heavy rain for nearly a week and even the well draining concrete container stayed wet for an extended time.
I don’t know what is the culprit, but the tree quickly began to lose its needles and turn brown!!!!
Today I repotted the spruce and cut off 60% of the trunk, then heavily pruned the branches.
I’ve had the tree since it was the size of a pencil. Very sad to see it dying.
Does this little guy have any chance to live?
The Cambrian still shows green.

 

[SFDrake]

I think you should grab a couple new blue spruce and give it a second shot. Pretty sure that trunk chop was the nail in the coffin, but don't be deterred. We have all killed our fair share while starting. The more you have, the less bummed you are when you lose one. Good luck!

 

[Gary.Indiana]

I think you should grab a couple new blue spruce and give it a second shot. Pretty sure that trunk chop was the nail in the coffin, but don't be deterred. We have all killed our fair share while starting. The more you have, the less bummed you are when you lose one. Good luck!

I should have kept the truck?
Yikes.
Since the entire tree had turned brown, I was hoping any possible healing process would be more successful if less needed to be healed.
Really sad to lose it. Had it for 7-8 years.

 

[SFDrake]

I should have kept the truck?
Yikes.
Since the entire tree had turned brown, I was hoping any possible healing process would be more successful if less needed to be healed.
Really sad to lose it. Had it for 7-8 years.

Wait for someone more experienced on here to tell you there is no hope, I dont have any spruce myself, so not sure if there is any chance it might bud out?...

 

[WIlliam_Butler_Yeets]

unfortunately a conifer with no needles does not have much chance to recover, unless it has some buds that are going to go off in the very near future. the chop certainly didn't help either, that causes a good amount of stress in addition to the already-being-waterlogged

 

[SFDrake]

Sad to lose it because you've had it a minute, but don't give up. Like I said, the more you have, the less it stings. Try to get a little head start this time and find something a little older, and have at it again!

 

[shohin_branches]

When it comes to most evergreen conifers you have to keep some foliage/needles on the end of each branch that you want to survive. If there is no foliage to keep sap flowing then the tree dies. Trimming off all the needles from a spruce will kill it. No chance of recovery unfortunately. Always leave live foliage.

 

[rockm]

Had nothing to do with the rain. You were way too agressive with root pruning and then heavy top pruning.

Conifers don’t like that approach. Deciduous species can handle it with little trouble

“One insult per season” is a rule of thumb for conifer. As in root prune then leave alone until next year same for heavy pruning. you cannot prune all the foliage off of conifers. The needles act as sap drawers ion the branches. No foliage ,
the branch dies.
The give away for the more precise cause was the total brownout of foliage at the same time. That indicates the roots were pruned to hard or barerooted or both. The complet sudden brown out is shock and the roots can’t move moisture up the trunk

Don’t be hopeful because the cambium is green. Doesn’t mean much with a conifer. They can take a while to die completely but this one is probably isnt coming back.
Wish it were better news but learn from the experience

 

[Paradox]

No needles = dead
Sorry

 

[zachbynight]

Had nothing to do with the rain. You were way too agressive with root pruning and then heavy top pruning.

Conifers don’t like that approach. Deciduous species can handle it with little trouble

“One insult per season” is a rule of thumb for conifer. As in root prune then leave alone until next year same for heavy pruning. you cannot prune all the foliage off of conifers. The needles act as sap drawers ion the branches. No foliage ,
the branch dies.
The give away for the more precise cause was the total brownout of foliage at the same time. That indicates the roots were pruned to hard or barerooted or both. The complet sudden brown out is shock and the roots can’t move moisture up the trunk

Don’t be hopeful because the cambium is green. Doesn’t mean much with a conifer. They can take a while to die completely but this one is probably isnt coming back.
Wish it were better news but learn from the experience

Big agree with this. While I don't have as much experience with bonsai specifically yet, i do grow and manage a lot of potted conifers at both my dad's garden, and at the garden center that i work at, and in general the best advice i can give for rehabilitating a sad conifer is to leave it alone. Don't prune it unless you're removing dead branches, don't repot unless its to put the rootball in better draining soil (in which case don't do any root work), let it dry out in the first couple inches of soil before watering it again, etc