joaneebalonee
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Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2016 10:17 am

Reviving a Cypress

So I killed every single branch of my Italian Cypress that I got 12/30/15. Even the top part of the trunk is dead. Every branch was brittle to a crisp so I cut them all off. Not sure if I was supposed to do that, but I did it. It's literally just a trunk now.

It was kept in a fully sunny window in a warm house. It was top-watered (the whole tree was rinsed in the sink) and the soil was never wet. It dried out between waterings.

The middle and bottom of the trunk are still green when I scratch the bark off. The top part of the trunk is dead, but I left it on because I didn't know if I should remove it. I think that with a few years of careful work, I can get this tree to bud again, but I have questions.

1) Should I repot? I haven't looked at my roots yet, but I want to see if that's the cause of this issue. What kind of soil should I repot in?
2) Should I change where it is kept while it is recovering--it is currently kept indoors in a sunroom in high sun, which keeps it warm.
3) Should I greenhouse it with some plastic?
4) Should I fertilize it? What ratio is recommended when it is this fragile?

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rainbowgardener
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Posts: 25279
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2009 6:04 pm
Location: TN/GA 7b

A picture would help and knowing where you are located.

So pretty much you did everything wrong (sorry, :( ). A cypress is a cold-hardy conifer NOT a houseplant. It needs to live outdoors 24/7/365, all year around. It needs cold winter dormancy. I don't know if yours can be revived, but even if it starts growing again, it may still die. Without the three months of cold sleep to build reserves, it can just exhaust itself. You talk like you were being careful to keep your baby warm, but it isn't a baby. These trees grow outdoors and are cold hardy to below zero.

" It was top-watered (the whole tree was rinsed in the sink) and the soil was never wet" Where did you get that idea? Plants absorb water through the ROOTS, which are in the soil. The way to water bonsai is to pour water on the soil from the top until it runs freely out the drain hole in the bottom. Then let it drain until it quits and do it again ("for bonsai it always rains twice") to be sure every bit of the soil is moistened. Then don't water again until the top inch or so of the soil is drying out.

I don't think the chances for this tree are very good. If you replace it, do a bit of reading first, so you have a better idea of bonsai care. Here's a thread about general bonsai care: https://www.helpfulgardener.com/forum/vi ... =36&t=1479 Here's an article about bonsai soil: https://www.helpfulgardener.com/bonsai/03/soil.html The non-forum part of this website has some bonsai articles: https://www.helpfulgardener.com/bonsai/

Best Wishes, sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings.



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