Wanna be a live-oak so bad....

[tinajasaltas]

...but key word is LIVE.

This Japanese boxwood has been mine for a year but I've been nervous doing too much to it. I know nothing about the species other than my climate is a bit too hot and dry for them (Phoenix, AZ). This guy likes partial to full shade in my area, otherwise leaves turn yellow.

My nerves stem from experiences with another Buxus I bought and killed. Had an awesome low main branch with nice low canopy features. I aggressively guy wired 3 arms including the main low branch to bring closer to ground. I didn't re-pot. The tree lived a short while. It got bad when I attempted to preeminently move it out of the soon hot summer-sun, I think I spun it 180 accidentally, but it was moved to 90% full shade under mulberry trees. It still quickly turned yellow and was completely dead couple weeks after moving it. I fear I did a lot of things wrong to that one but not too sure what actually killed the tree...the guy wires? the move? the sun..?

I see potential for some taper and nice nebari on this still living boxwood. It has some character I think, I just don't want to kill it

I've trimmed back the top a couple times only a few inches, I hope for back-budding. I read you can easily kill a branch on these by removing too much foliage. I have not re-potted it.

I like this boxwood. The two I purchased 1 year ago had the most mature looking trunks I've found in local nurseries since. All I see now are little rooted cuttings or big rooted cuttings.

I am very new at this art, studying for a couple years mostly reading, could be good to make couple threads I can update over time hopefully with help from everyone (someone? ).

What should/could I do to keep this thriving and continue to grow it into a nice little live-oak style tree?

 

[sikadelic]

I have one as well that is sensitive to the heat here. It took a root pruning well when repotting. I wouldn't worry too much about going ahead and doing that in the spring as long as you can provide the aftercare. You do have the potential for killer nebari in the future but you need to get the roots growing radially, which you can do by repotting and placing your tree on a tile, plate, flate piece of wood, etc.

Worry about the trunk and base of the tree first. I would repot now in a grow box or preferably the ground, wait a season, and then give the foliage a good chop. The existing foliage will help push roots this season and the your roots will help push new growth next year.

 

[jkd2572]

Just wait I m getting 5 kingsville box woods in the mail Monday. All 20 years old and under 6 inches tall. We shall see.

 

[JudyB]

In the meantime, you should cover up those roots. If they are still alive, they are getting dried out by being so exposed. Unless you don't want them, and plan to use roots lower on the trunk...
You can't be afraid to do work, but you need to do it a bit slower. That way when you only do one thing wrong, you know that is what killed it!!! (or it has a chance to recover from one thing instead of 2 or 3) You can do a cut back and repot at the same time, but then wait to see how it does before you do anything else. If you repot it, then rewire or guy wire in a few weeks, it's probable that you'll move it enough to break the newly forming roots.
And maybe a shade cloth would be good, but not 90 percent shade...

 

[Poink88]

I am in Texas and abuse all my collected boxwood like no other and they survive (i.e. super hard chop both top and bottom at the same time). However, I heard from another member here (from Nevada) that he too can't seem to keep them alive. Maybe your (dry) heat is just over what it can tolerate? Probably the problem is not just the heat but more on low humidity?

Good luck!

 

[Poink88]

Just wait I m getting 5 kingsville box woods in the mail Monday. All 20 years old and under 6 inches tall. We shall see.

Care to share your source? I've been looking for some but NONE of what I purchased (eBay) look like Kingsville when I got them.

 

[jk_lewis]

If I were still in Phoenix and had this tree I would immediately:

1. Buy a bag of composted pine/fir, etc. bark.
2. Immediately repot in 80% bark, 20% Turface or gravel.
3. Trim all dead stringy branches or roots as you do it.
4. Cut its overall height by about half. No artistry at this point; just hedge it.
5. Set in in 80% shade, water well (fertilize if you like).
6. Let it be until late spring at earliest, keeping it in mostly shade. Then you can do some shaping to the top.

 

[bonsaibp]

JKL's advice isn't bad but I think the best thing you could do for your tree and your bonsai knowledge is to get ahold of these guys http://www.phoenixbonsai.com/
They are a great club with knowledgable people who have gotten growing bonsai in the desert down pat.

 

[tinajasaltas]

Well I knew I had to do something with this one soon. Thanks for all the suggestions; I plan to make an upcoming Phoenix Bonsai Society meet...

You all have given me a plan. I happen to have a wooden 10"x5"x10" box I made last weekend- knew I'd have a use for it! Here's what I did today...

I sifted through some bagged mulch from the box store to get bark pieces 1/3-1/4 inch size. I have a mixture of the same sized pumice/lava; I mixed these together to get soil roughly 75% bark, 25% inert.

On the boxwood I chopped only about 1 inch from the top (I'm still so afraid to kill any branches before more back budding, curious about ideas on this). I inspected the nebari, indeed the plant seems potted low. Upon closer look even these small exposed roots were alive.

I un-pootted to find a sandy soil jammed FULL of small feeder roots. I cleaned the roots some and cut away about 1/3 the rootball.

Here's the boxwood all potted up, I wired it into the box. The box has holes for drainage.

One more note about the plant's location under the sun; 6 months ago this boxwood was moved into a spot that gets only a bit of indirect early morning sun and full shade for the rest of the day. I moved it here when the other boxwood died. Right now I can't put it back under the mulberry trees because they provide no shade now losing all leaves in winter. I will move the boxwood slowly into a bit more sun in spring but it will always have to be a consideration with our brutal desert sun.

 

[bonsaibp]

It will always like shade more then sun there. i would cover those roots even a little more if they are alive.

 

[edprocoat]

Tina, you should chop that thick root sticking in the air on the back side in the picture in the box, it has to be dead or dying. What are the three holes at the top of the box for?, or are they for anchor spots for eventual guy wires? BTW nice boxwood.



ed

 

[jk_lewis]

Chop. It WILL backbud.

 

[Poink88]

Chop. It WILL backbud.

I agree and will definitely reduce this down to 1/2 it's current height or even less (if it is mine) BUT I never had luck with boxwood backbudding when chopped w/o any leaves left. Leave some green to be safe. Just sharing my experience (in my area) with them.

 

[JudyB]

Nice work, I would cover those roots.... Looks like the box is very deep, which is not good for getting the roots to spread radially. They'll go down instead of out. If you just did this, I would suggest taking it back out, and planting it much deeper in the box, so there isn't so much room under the rootball. then you can get good coverage of the upper roots, which will be your future nebari on this tree. If you have extra space up top in the box, that's not a problem. And I would also cut the top back as all are suggesting.

 

[tinajasaltas]

Nice work, I would cover those roots.... Looks like the box is very deep, which is not good for getting the roots to spread radially. They'll go down instead of out. If you just did this, I would suggest taking it back out, and planting it much deeper in the box, so there isn't so much room under the rootball. then you can get good coverage of the upper roots, which will be your future nebari on this tree. If you have extra space up top in the box, that's not a problem. And I would also cut the top back as all are suggesting.

I get what you are saying...The original root ball was huge, I cut it to 2/3 orig size, maybe should have done more. At this new size the root ball took up probably 2/3 the box and had extra space radially more so than below. I placed the root ball onto a thin 1/4 inch layer of soil at the bottom of the pot when starting. I can add soil to the top, I doubt I can plant the root ball any deeper without more root trimming or by placing the roots directly on the box floor. I will trim more off the top for sure. Is it worth re-cutting the roots too and re-potting 24 hours later to entice more radial growth now or wait for the next re-pot to prune/reshape the ball?

Greg

 

[Poink88]

Is it worth re-cutting the roots too and re-potting 24 hours later to entice more radial growth now or wait for the next re-pot to prune/reshape the ball?

I would do it...probably reduce it down to half of what you have now actually. Again, that is based on what I will do here. Your area is a bit different.

Sample how drastic they can be chopped. My 2 recently collected boxwood 2 months ago and growing now. BTW, I did not chop the top myself...I found them chopped like this and about to be uprooted.

Note how small the containers compared to the trunks...though they are about 14" long. There is only about 2"-3" of root all around and about 4.5" deep from top to bottom.

 

[tinajasaltas]

Tina, you should chop that thick root sticking in the air on the back side in the picture in the box, it has to be dead or dying. What are the three holes at the top of the box for?, or are they for anchor spots for eventual guy wires? BTW nice boxwood.



ed

Thanks, I've built a couple of these boxes and when I drill the drainage holes I figured I might as well add holes to the sides. I can anchor anything I may want/need to in the future. Although, this may allow soil added at the top of the box to slip out when watering...
Noted about the root.

Greg

 

[JudyB]

If you can cover the top, and you feel safer doing that than cutting more roots, then do that. I would cut more roots here, but again, that is in a different climate. You should try to get some local input.

 

[Poink88]

Here is another I collected. Reduced from 3'-6" down to 18". Pics are at date of collection and 19 months later

 

[tinajasaltas]

I did it...

I'm just getting to posting pics...

For this boxwood on the next day after the shave, root pruning and re-pot I took the advice of many of you and did another slight shave, another root prune, another re-pot.

I trimmed the roots again, this time soaking them a bit with diluted super-thrive while I mixed needed extra soil.

I ended up removing more of the original sandy soil with the root prune. I took more care than yesterdays re-pot in back filling the roots gently with pine bark and inert. I tried to gently add soil back into the roots with a wooden chopstick.

The boxwood is now potted a bit deeper with all the roots covered. This last pic is a week after the whole ordeal. Seems to be responding well.