Will this branch survive?
- Thread starter robert.m
- Start date
Forsoothe!
Imperial Masterpiece
No. Cut off the dead part somewhere in the live section, seal the cut and wait.
robert.m
Seedling
How do I seal it.
robert.m
Seedling
How do I seal it?
LittleDingus
Omono
Knowing what species it is and where it's kept/how it's grown would help.
Many bonsai people use "cut paste"...search Amazon. But wood glue or even white glue can do in a pinch. The idea is to protect the cambium around the cut from drying out which, in tern, can help with die-back issues. It can also help prevent fungus and bacteria, etc...from entering the open wound.
Whether this is always needed or not is debatable. Some species respond better than others. Where you live matters.. I seal cuts...but not on everything. A stem that small I would rarely seal on anything here in my climate.
You call this a "branch". Is there a trunk? What does that look like? This branch doesn't look good and looks close to the ground so it may be the entire plant is at risk
More pictures showing the rest of the plant, a species identification, and some basic notes about the care/history until now would help.
But, I'm sorry to say that from this one picture, it's not looking good
Many bonsai people use "cut paste"...search Amazon. But wood glue or even white glue can do in a pinch. The idea is to protect the cambium around the cut from drying out which, in tern, can help with die-back issues. It can also help prevent fungus and bacteria, etc...from entering the open wound.
Whether this is always needed or not is debatable. Some species respond better than others. Where you live matters.. I seal cuts...but not on everything. A stem that small I would rarely seal on anything here in my climate.
You call this a "branch". Is there a trunk? What does that look like? This branch doesn't look good and looks close to the ground so it may be the entire plant is at risk
More pictures showing the rest of the plant, a species identification, and some basic notes about the care/history until now would help.
But, I'm sorry to say that from this one picture, it's not looking good
robert.m
Seedling
It’s a schefflera bonsai and it sits on a window ledge. I water it when the soil is dry and I am from Ontario, Canada. Here’s a photo of the whole plant.Knowing what species it is and where it's kept/how it's grown would help.
Many bonsai people use "cut paste"...search Amazon. But wood glue or even white glue can do in a pinch. The idea is to protect the cambium around the cut from drying out which, in tern, can help with die-back issues. It can also help prevent fungus and bacteria, etc...from entering the open wound.
Whether this is always needed or not is debatable. Some species respond better than others. Where you live matters.. I seal cuts...but not on everything. A stem that small I would rarely seal on anything here in my climate.
You call this a "branch". Is there a trunk? What does that look like? This branch doesn't look good and looks close to the ground so it may be the entire plant is at risk
More pictures showing the rest of the plant, a species identification, and some basic notes about the care/history until now would help.
But, I'm sorry to say that from this one picture, it's not looking good
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LittleDingus
Omono
I almost said umbrella tree...the leaves are pretty distinctive.
I'll be honest with you...it's in pretty bad shape for a schefflera for comparison, here's one of mine.
I'd place money that the biggest difference between yours and mine is mine lives outdoors as long as night temps are above 45F. In the winter, it lives in a bright window that gets direct sun (casts a shadow) for several hours.
Ontario is tough on tropicals. They like bright light and humidity. Many will tolerate indoors but often slide downhill the whole time...which can be years! Mine shows signs of suffering over winter then it gets re-invigorated over the summer.
If you can get it more light...or even slowly acclimate it to outside for the summer, and it should fill in. If it starts getting too leggy for you, they root from cuttings pretty easily. Yours needs to bounce back a little first: light, warmth and time...
I'll be honest with you...it's in pretty bad shape for a schefflera
for comparison, here's one of mine.I'd place money that the biggest difference between yours and mine is mine lives outdoors as long as night temps are above 45F. In the winter, it lives in a bright window that gets direct sun (casts a shadow) for several hours.
Ontario is tough on tropicals. They like bright light and humidity. Many will tolerate indoors but often slide downhill the whole time...which can be years! Mine shows signs of suffering over winter then it gets re-invigorated over the summer.
If you can get it more light...or even slowly acclimate it to outside for the summer, and it should fill in. If it starts getting too leggy for you, they root from cuttings pretty easily. Yours needs to bounce back a little first: light, warmth and time...
robert.m
Seedling
Thanks for the advice! How much should I be watering this plant and how should I go about acclimating it?I almost said umbrella tree...the leaves are pretty distinctive.
I'll be honest with you...it's in pretty bad shape for a schefflera
View attachment 372392
I'd place money that the biggest difference between yours and mine is mine lives outdoors as long as night temps are above 45F. In the winter, it lives in a bright window that gets direct sun (casts a shadow) for several hours.
Ontario is tough on tropicals. They like bright light and humidity. Many will tolerate indoors but often slide downhill the whole time...which can be years! Mine shows signs of suffering over winter then it gets re-invigorated over the summer.
If you can get it more light...or even slowly acclimate it to outside for the summer, and it should fill in. If it starts getting too leggy for you, they root from cuttings pretty easily. Yours needs to bounce back a little first: light, warmth and time...
Also, will the two lower branches grow back?
Is there a way to get new branches to grow?
LittleDingus
Omono
I tend to keep mine on the moist side as long as it is warm and actively growing. In the cool winter when it's mostly just hanging out, I keep in on the dry side.
Even a bright window cuts the sun's intensity a surprising amount. I usually try to move mine out during one of our cloudy spring spells. Still brighter than most windows but gives the plant a chance to harden up a bit. I burn plants every spring though I won't claim to have a good system.
If you look at the stems, you'll see the scars where old leaves fell off. The part just inside the crescent...the upper part of the existing leaves...is where there are buds. The tree will tend to want to grow from the existing growth tips up where the leaves are now, but, as it gains strength, some of those old buds may awaken and become branches. If it starts getting really vigorous, you can encourage those old buds to wake up by pinching out the current growth buds. Don't do that until it's growing vigorously though. Chances are good it will start some on its own as it gains strength.
Even a bright window cuts the sun's intensity a surprising amount. I usually try to move mine out during one of our cloudy spring spells. Still brighter than most windows but gives the plant a chance to harden up a bit. I burn plants every spring though
I won't claim to have a good system.If you look at the stems, you'll see the scars where old leaves fell off. The part just inside the crescent...the upper part of the existing leaves...is where there are buds. The tree will tend to want to grow from the existing growth tips up where the leaves are now, but, as it gains strength, some of those old buds may awaken and become branches. If it starts getting really vigorous, you can encourage those old buds to wake up by pinching out the current growth buds. Don't do that until it's growing vigorously though. Chances are good it will start some on its own as it gains strength.
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