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can anyone help me save my dried out bonsai?

15 years ago

i went out of town for 2 weeks and the person who was supposed to be taking care of my bonsai did a really bad job. i'm not sure if they completely forgot, or only watered it at the beginning.

its an azalea bonsai tree. i checked the bark to see if it was still green and it only is at the very base. its damp right now (they watered it th day i came back) so i don't want to water it more. the leaves are all dried out, but still green. please help?

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Comments (5)

lucy
15 years ago
If it's only green at the base under the bark, you may have to wave goodbye to this one - azaleas cannot be allowed to dry out. I don't know of any magic way to revive it at this point. You said you don't want to water it more, which I understand, but don't be too cautious at this point because I'm afraid you have little to lose anyway.
paul3636
15 years ago
You can try planting it in the ground. It worked for me on conifers but I never tried azaleas.
Some have recommended planting pot and all.
Paul
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Hmmm...why are you watering it so much??? It's a pepper - they don't like "wet feet," as they say. If it were mine, in a sunny location, I'd water maybe every 2-3 days. First, we need to know what we're dealing with: 1) Type of potting mix 2) Location - light exposure 3) Type/size of container _____________________________________________ I overwintered my first pepper this year, and I plan on doing several more next year. I unearthed my pepper in November, removed all soil from the garden, pruned the roots and the upper foliage, and then put the pepper into a smallish (.7 gallon) container with very fast-draining mix: small bark, perlite, pumice, gravel, and a bit of charcoal. Structure is the key: this open mix allows me to water as needed (without fear of root-rot), while enjoying maximum aeration for the roots. I set the pepper in an eastern window, and I take it outside when the weather is warm enough. On April 28th (Tomato & Pepper Planting Day, around here), I will plant my pepper in the garden - and, come autumn, I'll repeat the bare-rooting process. I'm interested to see how many years I can get out of these plants. My plants are flowering now. Here are a few pics, for reference: I sank a container with the bottom removed to help protect the roots, and to make digging easier. Josh
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dsdevries
15 years ago
You can also try packing the whole pot in a black plastic foil, wrapping it around the trunk with a tie-wrap, making it air- and watertight. Make sure the tree has enough water (but not too much to let root-rot kick in) before you do this. Because the black foil will attract warmth, this will encourage new root growth if the tree still has any life in it.

Then place the tree in a dark(er) and cool(er) place where there is no wind for the first week or three to let the tree recover. During this stage you can just hope for the best as there is not much chance thee tree will revive again.

Once you notice the tree starting to show some life again (I mean creating new buts), remove the foil and leave the tree in de darker place for a few more days (till the buts starting to burst) before slowly (day by day) starting to move the tree to its original place.

You do not want to fertilize the tree at all during the first month(s) as this would likely cause the new roots to burn. You may also want to wash any remaining fertilizer out, if you think there is still much left in the soil.

Good luck, as you will need it!
dsdevries
15 years ago
I forgot to mention.
Before wrapping the whole thing up you should submerge the tree for about 10 min completely under water until you can see no air bubbles coming out anymore.

This is necessary because it is likely that parts of the soil (mainly directly under the trunk) are so dry that it won't pickup water anymore if watered in a conventional method. So even if the soil feels moist, it could be bone dry just a few inches below the surface. Submerging also deals with the fertilizer i mentioned earlier.

Once out of the water gently press the soil and let it drain for a few minutes before wrapping it up. This draining process also pulls fresh oxygen into the soil which will help the tree even more in recovering its root-structure.
pjtexgirl
15 years ago
I'm new here but I might have a suggestion for keeping plants wet while away. MIGHT work don't know? Will wicking work on Bonsai? Maybe if you coupled it with a humidity tray? PJ

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