if there is no drainage.. they should have planted high .. i suspect too much water ... if there is little drainage.. in a clay based soil .. throwing some rocks in the bottom of a clay cauldron is not a solution ... water trees.. when they need water.. not on a timer 'system' .. plus deep waterings in addition ... most trees need to nearly dry in between waterings .... though apparently your rain forest plants dont mind.. a tree might ... i do not favor fertilizing an already stressed tree .... you wouldnt give a sick child some steroids to bulk up .... while his feet are rotting in a swamp .... hows that for mixing metaphors .... lol only a soil test will tell you.. what if anything is missing from the soil .... all that said.. it is CA.. and i wouldnt be surprised at all if one with CA background thinks otherwise ... good luck ken

Yes, Ken, the same idea finally occurred to me. I can be a little slow witted. One can find my instructions, but it isn't really easy--it would require scrolling through some long topics and reading this and that reply to find it. The search tool here is limited. Anyway, yes, Ken, trees "heal" themselves--sometimes. Liquid copper fungicide can really prevent fungal infections in a number of common situations that otherwise, in time, would destroy the tree. If you were here now I could take you on a tour and show you come cuts I made as much as 20 years ago--huge ones--still free of any infection or softening of the wood of any kind. They will have ample time to "heal," or occlude, long before any fungal infection can enter the tree. The vast majority of the large cuts I made many years ago have long since occluded, and there is no case where any fungus got inside the tree beforehand. Well, I will keep on talking about this, and in another 20 years or so the use of this stuff, or something else that does the same thing, will be generally accepted, and many, many homeowners--and others--will have their trees saved. But, of course, there are some situations where this liquid copper fungicide can't prevent infections, and it can't eliminate established infections, but there are so many cases where it can work that it is a shame that the basic research hasn't been done to confirm my findings, and the use of it promoted more effectively than I can ever do by myself. Everytime I see a tree that is being destroyed by fungal infections that easily could have been prevented, I get sick in my heart! Anyway, Ken, thanks for the suggestion about setting up a topic under an appropriate title, making my ideas more easily accessible (searchable) to those who may be interested. --Spruce

I stumbled upon your post about the camphor tree, and my heart goes out to you for the challenges you're facing with it. It's never easy to see a beloved tree struggling. From the photo, it looks like there might be a few issues at play—possibly related to soil health, watering habits, or pests. Have you considered consulting with a local arborist or horticulturist for some expert advice? Sometimes, a fresh pair of eyes can spot solutions that we might overlook.

does the whole plant like lift up as the trunks elongate from the base? ==>>>im not aware of anything that grows like that ... you should be able to tell how much a tree/shrub grows.. by how the bark ages .... matures ... go out there and look at a tip.. the stick is green ... track back on the branch.. and at some point.. you will not its a different color.. probably brown or grey ... thats last years growth ... track back even further.. and you will probably see a texture starting to develop ... etc .. in fact.. i can see it in your second pic ... by studying this.. you can estimate annual growth.. and future potential size ... ken