Tip dieback in Eastern Hemlock 'Jervis'

[Halifax]

Hi Friends,

Looking for some help with an eastern hemlock 'Jervis' that is suffering from tip dieback. I received it from a friend back in August and repotted it out of necessity in a conifer bonsai mix pH 5.5. It seemed to be doing well but the tips have been dying back over the past 2 to 3 weeks. New to hemlock cultivation and I can't find anything on the web related to small culture (it's all about landscape scale hemlock issues, which as a forest ecologist in New England, I am quite familiar with that subject (adelgids, loopers, etc.).

Ideas appreciated. I know that I did something wrong. I did not muck around with the roots too much, just got rid of the encircling roots.

Thanks!

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

Hard to say for sure.

Perhaps the removal of the encircling roots was a bit too much. It does look like it has gotten too dry between watering one or more times. Is that a possibility. If you see no pest, don't spray. If dying off has stopped progressing it just may be damage from being repotted in august. It should grow out of it.

About 'Jervis' - this is one of the slowest growing of hemlock cultivars. In working with it try to use all the foliage you have. If a design idea depends on the tree growing a new branch here, or filling out there, it won't happen in a reasonable amount of time. It will take 'Jervis' 5 or more years to grow as much as a normal hemlock in one. year. Just a heads up. It is a slow one.

 

[Halifax]

Hi Leo,
Thanks very much. I'll bet that one side of the pot heated up in the sun, since I grow on my south-facing open porch. No bugs seen. I did trim the dead tips back, let's see how it goes.
I'm a big hemlock fan, so slow to grow is OK with me. Thanks again for the info.

 

[Japonicus]

@Halifax how is your Jervis doing now? Just ordered one myself.

 

[Halifax]

Hi Japonicus,
It's doing well. I put all of my hemlocks in the shadiest part of the pergola and that's helping me keep a better eye on them since they all pretty much need the same care.
I cut back all of the dead tips and they healed ... we'll see if tip growth kicks in this year.
Thanks!

 

[Japonicus]

Hi Japonicus,
It's doing well. I put all of my hemlocks in the shadiest part of the pergola and that's helping me keep a better eye on them since they all pretty much need the same care.
I cut back all of the dead tips and they healed ... we'll see if tip growth kicks in this year.
Thanks!

Excellent! Don't be a stranger keep us up to date
Thanks for the quick reply.
I believe the late repot is the answer here to the tips dying back and watering.
Fall tends to be pretty dry here. I bought a hinoki seka back mid October that
had been repotted 2 weeks prior in Georgia, and it suffered a huge die off of mostly the crown
but also included some side branches. The centre is all but gone in the nicest piece I bought
in over a decade.
Curious if you know how old yours is?

 

[Jzack605]

You re-potted in august? Did you bare root? What made it necessary to do a re-pot on such a small tree?

Doesn’t seem like the opportune timing to do this.