17-08-2004, 08:37 AM
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In article ,
(Nina Shishkoff) wrote:
Well, honestly, that all sounds like nonsense to me. I have never
misted a juniper in my life. If you live in a dry climate, no amount
of misting is going to create a "cloud cover". And if you live in a
humid place, misting isn't going to add appreciable humidity.
Nina:
Thanks again for your advice. The reason I quoted those 3 guys is
that they aare all Englishmen and the times I have spent in england have
reminded me of here (what you likely call the Pacific Northwest): grey,
damp, with occasional brilliant patches. So if 3 Limeys succeeed by
creating "cloud cover"... hey, it's worth a try. Of course, what you say
sounds terribly sensible, too. I'm willing to try it.
However, of all tree used in bonsai, cryptomeria can have the densest
foliage, so misting (or keeping it in the shade, or sheltering it from
wind) can increase the number of hours of leaf moisture inside the
foliage pads. As a plant pathologist, I see this as only a bad thing;
it fosters fungi.
Have drastically thinned just by cutting out the brown parts, though I
cannot say I found a lot of reason to be worried about retained
moisture. Good air circulation where I have the tree.
You
might want to go to a nursery with cryptomerias and observe a whole
bunch of them
If I could find one. For ten years I could never find one and then for
the last two years lots of them and now, once again, it's a desert out
there.
You might, as
Marty suggested, have a root problem. I'm fearless when it comes to
roots (I did my PhD on root anatomy!), so if I were you, I'd water the
tree like normal, then I'd carefully pull the tree out of the pot and
poke around.
I did so. One side of the root ball was definitely spongey. A sort of
unhealthy, slightly orangey, slimey look and feel to them. That
particular part of the root mass was clinging to a solid block of soil
that seemed to be a combination of clay and bark, implausably solid but
wet. I did a serious trim (bleaching tools, etc.) and repotted in soil
that is about 70% sand and lava rock and 30% bark and loam and replaced
it in its shady spot. Here's hoping...
Les Linfoot
New Westminster, BC, Canada
Zone 8
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