I treated myself to a very pretty Chinese Pepper Tree Bonsai a few weeks ago. It was doing really well, growing new leaves etc. when we got a cold snap and I put on the central heating again - completely forgetting about the poor tree. Sadly, it dried out and very quickly, despite my best efforts, many of the thinner branches and leaves dried out.
I was so annoyed with myself and so disappointed at what I'd inadvertently done to the tree, I could have wept.
Tonight I sat and gently removed all the dead leaves and little branches. The tree is still alive because there is still green in the branches where I trimmed off the dead bits. It looks like there could be some little buds forming on some of the branches so there's still life in it.
What can I do to help it to recover and if it does, how long would it take to start recovering?
Any advice you can give me would be very gratefully appreciated.
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Lady Python
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- Location: Wiltshire, United Kingdom
Te first inclination of most is to react with over caring. What I mean by that is that a lot of people start paying too much attention, watering too much and too often, over misting, over fertilizing. When a tree is in shock like this, it's better to let it make a slow recovery. After initial rehydration, it should be in a less strssful position (I.e. out of any direct sun) for a few days until it shows signs of recovery. Afer that, just pay attention to it as you normally would and just, well, wait.
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Lady Python
- Newly Registered
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Thu Jun 19, 2008 6:22 pm
- Location: Wiltshire, United Kingdom
I've treated it exactly as I was before I gave it heat-stroke 
The only things I've done have been to trim off the dead bits and I have put some slow release fertilizer in the soil. Other than that, apart from telling it how much I love it and how sorry I am for hurting it (!) I'm pretty much leaving it to recover which I really hope it will as it was a lovely little tree.
I have to confess, due to circumstances, my garden, especially my roses have been neglected for a couple of years (son on renal dialysis, plus work committments). I pruned them quite severely a bit late in the season and thought I'd killed some of them. I gave them some rose fertilizer in the hope that it would help them and it did, even the ones I thought were dead. They are looking healthier than they've done for a long time and are flowering now. I hope the same thing happens with my little Bonsai Tree.
Fingers crossed that it recovers.
The only things I've done have been to trim off the dead bits and I have put some slow release fertilizer in the soil. Other than that, apart from telling it how much I love it and how sorry I am for hurting it (!) I'm pretty much leaving it to recover which I really hope it will as it was a lovely little tree.
I have to confess, due to circumstances, my garden, especially my roses have been neglected for a couple of years (son on renal dialysis, plus work committments). I pruned them quite severely a bit late in the season and thought I'd killed some of them. I gave them some rose fertilizer in the hope that it would help them and it did, even the ones I thought were dead. They are looking healthier than they've done for a long time and are flowering now. I hope the same thing happens with my little Bonsai Tree.
Fingers crossed that it recovers.