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HELP! My Boxwood Bonsai tree is dying! :(

9 years ago

last modified: 9 years ago

I recently got a small boxwood (i believe that's the type) but i forgot to water it for some time and the leaves started drying out. Most of them have fallen out. All the leaves are hard and though they're not completely brown, I believe they're in the process...If I touch them they fall out. I checked to see if the cambium is still green...it IS! I think there's still home for this little guy. Can anyone tell me what I could do to bring it back?!

(I placed in in the sun so the color of the leaves would show)

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Comments (5)

whitepinemaple
9 years ago
soak it in the bucket of water for 1 hr and it drain out do not feed or water until it needed. put it in the shade and let it rest..and hope it come back
carlac8 thanked whitepinemaple
moochinka
9 years ago
Boxwood likes to dry out between waterings - so don't go drowning it anytime soon... in case you might have thought it was the answer to something. Many plants will look dry and brown as a result of overwatering as often as they do when underwatered.
carlac8 thanked moochinka
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Im going to post some photos tonight if I can. I have been watering quite a bit thinking that would help, and probably made it worse. I keep the tree on my balcony which gets about six to seven hours of direct sunlight per day. the potting soil was an off the shelf potting soil from home depot and I don't have the bag anymore to say. I am very new to this and am going from what my grandfather has told me to do but this may not be correct anymore as his memory is failing. I water the tree every three days or so, or two-three days after rain. Being in seattle, that might be way too much. thanks for all the help!!!
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
9 years ago
Are you sure of the parentage of your boxwood? I think there was at least 1 Carmona microphylla (tea tree) in the wood pile. ;-)

If you're sure the drought response was from under-watering and not over-watering, just put the tree in the shade outdoors (if night temps are >55*) and keep the soil damp - NOT WET OR SOGGY. Your tree will use very little water with its foliage so compromised, so over-watering is more of a potential issue now. It wants a little water and lots of air in the rootzone, and lots of water means not enough air.

Al
carlac8
Original Author
9 years ago
I'm not completely sure on what species it is as it was a gift. Will pruning some branches encourage growth?
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
9 years ago
Pruning a branch with viable leaves produces a different response than pruning a branch with no leaves, but for now you should set aside the idea of pruning as a form of encouragement. Hopefully the plant simply shed it's leaves as a way to conserve water. If it has enough stored energy to push a new flush of growth, that's what it will do. Lets hope the roots didn't completely dry out to the point where the plant is no longer viable. Damp soil, bright light but not direct sun, warm temps (65-78*).

Al
carlac8 thanked tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)

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