Pests & Diseases – Expressions of Grace Bonsai https://www.expressionsofgracebonsai.co.uk With age comes beauty and charm Tue, 06 Feb 2024 12:46:52 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.2 https://www.expressionsofgracebonsai.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/little-logo-75x75.png Pests & Diseases – Expressions of Grace Bonsai https://www.expressionsofgracebonsai.co.uk 32 32 My Japanese White Pine is in trouble? https://www.expressionsofgracebonsai.co.uk/my-japanese-white-pine-is-in-trouble/ https://www.expressionsofgracebonsai.co.uk/my-japanese-white-pine-is-in-trouble/#respond Fri, 26 Jan 2024 15:55:50 +0000 https://www.expressionsofgracebonsai.co.uk/?p=2539
A video update of this tree  is displayed at the bottom of this article .

Time seems to be flying by right now!  I had intended to do a short post on how I take and look after Trident Maple and Chinese Elm cuttings…but something unexpected took priority.

My most prized Japanese White Pine, that I purchased for £45 in 2001, took a definite turn for the worst.  The needles started to brown and fall off the tree and the new candles started to brown at the tips.  Never having had to deal with health issues on this variety I naturally panicked and assumed it was Leptographium (Root Rot) or Dothistroma (needle blight).  The first is generally excepted as the bringer of death whilst the second can be treated with fungicides.

I did consider over-watering as another possiblity and moved the tree to a drier location.  The candles did not improve and I chose to do an emergency examination…

Browning needles and candles

Over the course of about 2 months the needles continued to brown and then fall from the tree whilst the juvenile candles that had looked so green and healthy also started to brown off.  This had progressed to nearly 85% of the existing growth before I realised I had a problem. 

Too many other trees and I took this one for granted…

Looking under the topsoil

I pulled back the topsoil and immediately noticed a very fine white web-like substance covering the root area.  I assumed this was some deadly root rot and assumed the tree would die so I removed the tree from its pot to establish the extent of the problem.

The root system.

Having removed the tree I could see that the entire root system was affected by this white substance.  I removed as much of this as I could and looked for any live roots.  Having cleaned it up as best I could I repotted it into a larger ceramic and left it somewhere shady to die 🙁

I wasn’t convinced that this fit the description of either of the diseases mentioned but still had no clear idea of ‘why’?

Is this starting to recover?

I watered the tree once it was newly potted and then left it alone.  In truth, I was convinced it was dead / dying and had given up hope.  I was still unable to find any similiar pictures of this type of root rot online which was a little frustrating.

One month later over 70 % of the candles have returned to green vigour and are opening up.  I have lost a number of smaller branches to this problem but I am feeling optimistic. I have changed the watering habits and am now allowing it to dry out more than previously – was over-watering the real issue?

Feel free to comment if you have any firm ideas or experience of this problem – especially longer term treatments.  I am hoping it was just the volume of rain it received in the Spring.  With this trauma managed, I moved on to my nursery stock Japanese White Pine that had been purchased in 2015 for £9.99.

Right now is definitely the time to look at wiring and pruning.  You are specifically looking for the moment when the needle sheaths have dropped as your indicator.  The rules I apply are the same as discussed in my Scots Pine post.

Pre-Styling 2020
Some aluminum wire applied
The trunk graft
First styling complete

Root over Rock - Chinese Elm Pruning

In 2019 I finally treated myself to several completed ‘root-over-rock’ Chinese Elms.  I had always promised myself that I would invest in some premium bonsai once my nursery sales had increased.  Spending over £600 for just two tree’s was my biggest ever outlay but well worth it 🙂

Yesterday I spent nearly 3 hours pruning one of them so I thought you might be interested in some before and after images.

Chinese Elm from the front
The left side pruned
Two thirds completed
Don't I look great!

If any of your Chinese Elms are looking this way then now is a pretty safe time to prune them back to your desired shape.  All of the normal pruning rules apply but just be sure to leave it in a shady place for a few weeks to allow the newly exposed leaves time to acclimatise.

Happy Bonsaing and enjoy the summer break 🙂

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Pruning Summary – Apple and a few others https://www.expressionsofgracebonsai.co.uk/pruning-summary-apple-and-a-few-others/ https://www.expressionsofgracebonsai.co.uk/pruning-summary-apple-and-a-few-others/#respond Fri, 18 Jun 2021 09:57:11 +0000 https://www.expressionsofgracebonsai.co.uk/?p=2374

Welcome to the final article covering the ‘Post Flush hardened’ period.  In truth, we should all have our decidious bonsai pruned by now…but life does get in the way sometimes!

I have started off with an image carousel displaying a few of the ongoing apple pip projects.  I have quite a few more in similiar stages but these were the ones pruned today.  The more I work with apple the more I learn and the more I come to see the potential they hold for novices and experts alike.  The biggest tip I have is not to let the shoots get away from you – they thrive in creating coarse and ugly junctions.

Apple potensai

Apple produce a vigorous flush of growth and sends out multiple shoots from each junction.  If left unpruned these will lead to unsightly scars on the trunk and primary branches.

This apple originated on Stronsay in the Orkney Isles.  Living a sheltered and cloistered life amongst the religious it found life in the chaos of Grantham overwhelming 🙂

 

The pruning approach is the same as I have described in previous posts.  It is also important to remove all basally growing shoots from the root mass.

There is also no issues with trying to clean up stubs and other unsightly bumps and lumps.  You can use bonsai tools (concave cutters) or any other sharp razor that allows for a clean cut.  It is worth purchasing awound sealant for those bigger exposed sites.

 

Apple suffers regularly from scab and powdery mildew.  These are unsightly and do lead to leaf loss and branch death. 

Scab is an air-borne, fungal disease and is easily recognisable by the black-brown spots that appear on the leaves.  It spreads during wet periods in late spring / summer.  By the time you have noticed scab, it will be too late to control with fungicides.

So I would advise:

Correct pruning practises that remove infected shoots and leaves to maintain good airflow inside your tree, reducing the damp microclimate beloved by scab.  Scab will also harbour in fallen leaves over winter only to infect next year’s new growth, so it’s a good idea to either rake up fallen leaves in the autumn or collect them with a mower.

Powdery Mildew seems to hit my apple bonsai every year when the sun begins to shine.  Unlike most fungal infections, apple powdery mildew spores do not require moisture to germinate.  Therefore, this infection is known as the “dry weather disease.”

The leaves and blossoms become covered with the fungal spores as they emerge from their buds.  The spores look like a light gray or white powder, and the infected leaves curl upward and eventually die.  These spores are easily blown by the wind and cause secondary infections on new shoots, leaves, and fruit.  As long as the shoots continue growing, the leaves and shoots can continue to become infected.

So I would advise:

You should prune any shoots that appear white in the early spring, so they won’t spread spores.  Regular use of an appropriate fungicide is crucial – especially early spring and then almost weekly through the growing season.  After leaf fall in autumn critically examine the trunk and branches for signs of infected growth…remove anything that concerns you.

Hornbeam

The hornbeam is another popular hedging style plant for novices to cut their teeth on.  A very forgiving subject you can make some serious errors and still have a fantastic bonsai.  This is a nursery ‘cast off’ that I saved in 2015.  I cut the trunk down 3 years ago and just let it recover.

Pruning is the same as with all of the other species and generally I always carry out a partial defoliation and leaf reduction.  It is slower to produce the second flush but it will appear.  Beware – this tree, like maples, are a favourite for greenfly…so make sure you spray 🙂

I will start to carve down the ugly stump in mid to late summer.

Leaf Reduction and Partial Defoliation:

This is the means in which we can encourage buds to be activated and is also a means of increasing air and light flow to the entire canopy.  I never remove more than 50% of the leaves and size reduction is also about 40%.  When I remove a leaf I always ensure to keep the opposing untouched.

 

This pruning process does not change across a broad spectrum of decidious varieties.  I have tried to highlight a few of the nuances for Dawn Redwood and Japanese Larch for which you must be aware.  You may find variations within your own collection so it is important to observe how your tree reacts to pruning and consider ammending timings etc.

The crucial element for any pruning is be certain you know what you are trying to achieve AND make sure the tree is healthy before you start reducing its ability to photosynthesize.  Where you have powdery mildew try to intervene early and always isolate the bonsai.  I spray quite regularly with one of the common brands of fungicide.  It may not look great this year but it is highly likely that next year it will come back strong.

I have included some examples of ‘before and after’  for Oak and Silver Birch.  Please enjoy and do contact me if you are uncertain in anyway – I will do my best to help. 

Happy pruning & spraying 🙂

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