Some things to consider: If it's on an east windowsill, (it's almost a given) it's not getting enough light, and it might be too cold there for the plant. (Your user info doesn't tell us where you live - you might wish to fix that. It makes it easier for others to help.) Soil temps should be above 60* always. They will tolerate lower soil temps for a while, but they prefer soil temps in the 65-75* range. If you're trying to water once each day, it's very likely that you're over-watering. In most cases I've seen, the bonsai soil sold at bonsai shops & even by bonsai clubs is finer than ideal. The reason is two-fold. They are trying to make a profit, so screening the fines out of the material is both an extra step (time is money) and they would lose a considerable fraction of the products they are using to make the soil (which they had to pay for) if they screened out the inappropriately-sized particles. I didn't say that to disparage the soils, I said it to impress upon you that you need to be very careful about how you water bonsai. Because of the shallow pots, ANY perched water table (PWT) is a large fraction of the soil, and PWTs kill roots. E.g., if you are growing in a pot that is 3" deep, and in a soil that supports a 1 - 1-1/2" PWT. 1/3 to 1/2 of your soil remains saturated after you water. This is decidedly bad for your roots, and may be why your tree is suffering. Water AS NEEDED. Use a sharp dowel & stick it in the soil all the way to the bottom of the pot. Don't water until it comes out clean and dry. After you water, tilt the pot steeply toward a drain hole - it will cause MUCH more water to drain from the soil. Try it. Water, making sure you flush the soil, & wait for the pot to stop draining. Then, tip the pot so a drain hole is down, and watch how much more water exits the pot. Also, use a wick to help with drainage - you can also use the wick as a 'tell', to let you know when it's time to water. You can read more about tips on how to deal with excess water retention by following the embedded link. Have you been flushing the soil regularly? Where do you live? Are you fertilizing - with what - what strength? Al

I just feel like it drags on the ground and needs some space under. ??? ==>> actually ... given a big enough garden.. many conifer collectors specifically collect trees the 'skirt' ... that is.. grow to the ground and spread out ... but then.. i have 5 acres ... and space for such ... besides... once you lift the canopy.. you have to weed and mulch in the bare ground you created .. all that said ... its your plants.. do whatever you want with them .. make yourself happy ... and who cares what the rest of us say .. or think ... ken btw:.. a horticulturist walks into a bar and sees a biologist .. and says to himself.. who cares ..lol ... and his friend says.. but hes a professor ... and the horticulturist says... so what ... well this is an epic fail...lol: https://duckduckgo.com/?t=ffnt&q=conifer+skirts&iax=images&ia=images somewhat better: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=pendulous+conifer+that+grow+to+the+ground+and+create+skirts&t=ffnt&iar=images&iax=images&ia=images do whatever you want to your trees ... ken

I'd like to take a step back. It has struck me that we really haven't known much about your lawn and may not be seeing the forest for the trees. (pun intended) I've pulled some of your statements of and highlighted relevant portions and added what I hope you will find as useful comments and questions: >>>My understanding is that my area is known for "tight" clay soils and magnesium is the culprit. Comment: Have you verified this as applicable to your lawn or are you just passing on what others have told you is the likely issue? This is the reason I asked my recent follow up questions about what you have observed. >>>It looks like my Ca and Mg are nothing to fret about. I do note that my K is low. I'd be interested in any fall fertilizer recs to help my mostly fescue lawn with that? It does make me feel good about my purchase of a quad-blade Honda mower, I think mulching in place my massive quality of autumn leaves should help conserve K. Comment: Soil chemistry has an influence on plant/turf health and soil structure. There are a number of "guidelines available for making determinations for the purposes of turf health: ---- Minimum Levels of Sufficient Nutrients (MLSN). This is a bare-bones guideline, but it is based on findings from over 17,000 soil tests land imited to stands of turf, so a rather high expectation of accuracy in regard to grass. Their standard is "not poorly performing turf." Nutrient levels that fall below these levels (deficient) will result in poor preforming turf. At these levels, turf is expected to be "meh", just "Ok", nothing to write home about, but not exhibiting poor color, density, or disease issues. Addition of nutrients is likely to result in observable improved quality, growth and appearance. MLSN Guidelines (numbers rounded off) are for soils with a CEC <6 (sandy soils). (Note: The authors of the MLSN have not reported findings for other CEC soils. However. based on review of the correlations of recommended nutrient levels for a range of CECs from a number of published guidlines, they can be roughly adjusted for >6 CEC soils by multiplying by 1.5. Numbers are reported as ppm: Ca: 350 Mg: 50 K: 40 P: 25 S: 7 pH >5.5 ---- Sufficient Levels of Available Nutrients (SLAN) These tests are based on studies of crops and although not turf specific, still valuable. They are expressed as a range, a continuum, from minimum/low where the standard is: "additions of nutrients are likely to improve plant harvest quality and quantity", to high where the standard is: "additions of nutrients are expected to have little or no effect on harvest quality and quantity." Levels above the maximum are considered excessive as the excesses (or any additions) do not improve harvest quality or quantity. Numbers are reported as ppm: Ca: 500-750 Mg: 70-140, 60-120 K: 90-200, 50-100 P: 26-54 S: 15-40 Ranges are for all soil types unless a second range is displayed. The second range applies to sands. Other versions exist with slight differences. ---- Basic Cation Saturation Ratio (BCSR) This guideline is based on testing of (7-10?) of what were considered the most productive soils world-wide. BCSR recommendations are based on the base cation ratios for soil balancing, a recommended quantity of nutrient to achieve a desired percentage of total base saturation weight (the weight of all the base cations combine) : Ca: 60-70% Mg: 10-20% K: 3-5% Na: 0.5-3% Exchangeable H: 10-15% For other nutrients, BCSR recommendations are made based on a SLAN guideline. ---------------- So, what about all the other nutrients or cations that a guideline didn't address? What follow is my touchstone guideline that I stole from a site. I use it as a starting point when initially analyzing a test and before employing the others. It is a combined guideline with some tweaks (very few) and notes by me and comports with everything I've read for the micro-nutrients and other soil properties. Numbers are ppm: pH: 6-7.5 (6.5-7.0 is most conducive "balanced sweet spot" to greatest nutrient availability and micro-organism health) Ca: >750, 60-80% (No known detrimental/toxic max. level. High Ca conducive to good soil structure/tilth, loosening soils) Mg: >140, 10-20% (Important to micro aggregation, but the chemical bonding can create tighter soils as Mg levels increase, can aggravate compaction, >600lbs/300ppm and/or >15% will likely create very detrimental soil conditions. Toxic levels (unknown) are possible but unusual.) K: >110, >2% but <7% (No known detrimental max. level for plant/turf. Can adversely effect soil structure through increased particle dispersion. Very high P soils have powdery character. Important plant cold and heat tolerance. Promotes for root growth.) P: >50 (Unknown maximum level detrimental to plants. Adverse environmental aspect. Initiates root growth) S: 15-40 (No reported/known detrimental/toxic max level. Can result in lower pH-Elemental sulfur can acidify soil.) B: 0.5-1.5 (Turf safe upper range may be as high as 2, but levels above 5 are toxic to all plants) Cu: 0.1-2.5 (Unknown detrimental/toxic max. levels- Possible that levels up to double digits are not adverse.) Na: <110 (Unknown detrimental/toxic levels. Can adversely effect soil structure through increased particle dispersion. Much greater dispersion impact than K.) Zn: 1-4 (Unknown toxicity max levels) Mn: >30 (Unknown toxicity max levels) Fe: > 90 (No known toxicity max levels) OM: >3, <3 for sands (Effects CEC, soil structure- peds, micro and macro aggregates, moisture and drainage. >3 in sands can create drainage issues. >12, organic soils can create undesirable soil issues.) _____ In regards to soil structure: Mg, Ca, Na, pH, and OM can all have significant effects on structure. K has less, but is not insignificant. See the notes above for specifics. ---- >>>I've been running into a problem where fall and spring were great and winter was Ok, but in Summer the heat and humidity combined with the extra shade that time of year was really thinning the lawn. Comment: See below. >>>I'll consider that I just need to some aeration before my overseeding and that the weird weather pattern this year has left the soil a bit too crusty. With the next overseeding I'll shift my selection of varieties from most shade tolerant to most heat/humidity tolerant. As I told morpheuspa, the lawn was lovely going into May, but once the dog days set in the it was obviously hurting under the stress. Comment: See below. >>>I'm also receptive to K being an issue since yellowing has been a part of the lawn's stress. Comment: Unless the turf is suffering from severe K deficiency and yours isn't, K additions will not effect color like Fe or Mg. >>>The lawn is ringed by enormous trees, including maples and poplars, and for years the tons of autumn leaves have been carted away, possibly creation a K depletion dynamic in soil. I got a quad-blade honda and hopefully this fall I've save K and time by mulching the leaves in place. Comment: See below. >>>I made a half successful attempt at dormant overseeding and early in the season I added a few things to increase moisture retention/germination. Comment: Dormant seeding is next best to Fall, but although not as bad as Spring/Summer, seeding it still leaves the young turf susceptible to summer hat and drought. I lost all my dormant seeded turf this Summer and it looked great this last June. >>>This included about half a cubic yard of leaf compost/1k sqft, 20-30lbs. alfalfa/1k sqft, and (my goodness I sound over enthusiastic) 10lbs humates/1k sqft. Overkill and probably mis-directed, but it explains the tests, I think. Comment: It may if the carbon material from the compost and humates (was that brown coal or something else?) leached into the sample, not so likely with the alfalfa in that short time. >>>This has been a lawn for over 100 years and it has seen many feet and other activity in that time. I think I have made some gains, both with last year's aeration and a schedule of shampoo/soil conditioner applications. This year areas that had suffered from heavy moss appearance in the past are now a fescue/triv blend. My hope is that by raking up the stolon carpet and overseeding I can give the fescue on edge. I'll try another round of aeration and a few more of the soil conditioner applications to further ameliorate compaction. Comment: I think I've already adequately addressed compaction and mechanical aeration as a procedure to employ to alleviate compaction. It is possible that the soil could be compacted Mother nature and physics alone will compact soil. That it is a 100y.o. lawn with bare spots and areas of moss devoid of rooting plants, and foot traffic, would be conditions conducive to compaction, However has it created detrimental compaction? See below. >>>I'm selecting varieties more for humidity resistance and less for shade, given that those are the most severe stresses. Comment: Humidity problems will raise its ugly head in the form of disease, If you are seeing disease, you can select turf that are more resistant to specific diseases. LGW, 90% of lawn issues are related to shade and water. Address those and you're almost home. You have some conditions and traits that might indicate some compaction, but I'm not inclined to think that you have a significant compaction issue. At least not yet. Normally, I might say aerate and see if that helps, but considering that you are able to get a good stand of grass from Fall through Spring, that your soil needs no amendment to incorporate, and that you have trivialis (that I assume you do not desire), I don't see where the benefit would outweigh the downside or the money or the labor. Although surfactants do nothing to aerate the soil (rather, they create an environment more conducive to compaction), they can be a useful aid in hydrophobic soils or local dry spots. On those crusty areas (which may be hydrophobic due to Mg influences or otherwise), spray them with a surfactant anytime that crusting condition appears. Don't overdo it, just enough so they will readily accept water when irrigated. Eventually the turf will integrate those areas into the lawn. If not, we can revisit aeration. I think your problems are not soil related, but are turf type (although it's possible the shade is so great that even fine fescue cannot thrive) and irrigation issues. I know, it was a long way to go for such simple advice. Sorry that this post is so long. You indicated an interested and I spent most of the day giving chapter and verse. I hope y'all aren't celebrating Christmas by the time I hit "submit." Edit: hope the edits and corrections make for an easier read.

catbuilder, What did I say? I said I don't want to drive him off the edge; he's already close to going out of his mind from the kitchen remodel that is also happening right now. But I also say I won't go for a hackjob. Decision time is 1-2 weeks away it looks like. oneandonlybobjones, We have a plumber we already use for stuff like this, and I'm thinking he'd probably quote $300 for this job, which DH thinks is money not worth spending (and of course, I disagree). My wifely instincts are telling me that if I wait a few weeks DH may be willing to revisit the issue, otherwise he and I are gonna be at a stuck point because unless there is a proper solution that doesn't look like a hackjob I'm not gonna go for it. Closest thing so far is the toilet riser but it's plastic, which is a no-go in my book. I'd go for it if it was same material as toilet and less than $300. I'm really shocked though that it appears that there aren't already toilets manufactured with high bases. I have contacted 2 toilet manufacturers so far and got no response! Wow!