Hi, Can somebody tell me what is wrong with my tree please? It is very small and in a pot. I got it last year from a garden centre. All was well at first but late last summer I noticed that there was a lot of yellowing of the needle like leaves to the point where there is hardly any green left. The plant is outside getting afternoon sun and got the odd drink of water from me as it was very dry last year. My other plants in pots are doing well so it isn't due to lack of water. I would love to hear from anybody with a possible
reason and solution to the problem. Thank you.
Sciadotpitys Verticilliata (Japanese Umbrella Pine)
- Thread starter Lintama
- Start date
Looks sunburned. They hate dry conditions and higher pH. Those stones look like limestone. If so, try to find some stones that are lower pH or use pine bark as a topping and avoid hot conditions with east sun if you can.
Thank you Treeguy. I thought this plant liked full sun. I moved it away from full sun a few weeks ago although not much chance of getting sunburned at the moment. Not sure what type of stones they are but I will take your advice and remove them and put some bark on the top instead. I used ordinary multi purpose compost when potting the plant into the container shown. Fingers crossed it will pick up soon. Thank you again.
The Koyamaki or Japanese Umbrella-pine (Sciadopitys verticillata) is a most distinctive conifer, endemic to Japan and currently placed in its own monotypic family, Sciadopityaceae.
Leaving such a tree in a small pot is not possible long-term, without yearly root-pruning and otherwise frequent attention. That is how bonsai are kept in containers for centuries. For that matter, Sciadopitys is an infrequent bonsai subject, despite being native to Japan.
Investigate the soil and drainage conditions of that pot, and consider repotting it into a larger pot. Eventually it will need to go into the ground, but as they are slow growing you should be able to keep int in some type of container for at least a few years. In any case, be sure to always give it regular water bot good drainage.
Leaving such a tree in a small pot is not possible long-term, without yearly root-pruning and otherwise frequent attention. That is how bonsai are kept in containers for centuries. For that matter, Sciadopitys is an infrequent bonsai subject, despite being native to Japan.
Investigate the soil and drainage conditions of that pot, and consider repotting it into a larger pot. Eventually it will need to go into the ground, but as they are slow growing you should be able to keep int in some type of container for at least a few years. In any case, be sure to always give it regular water bot good drainage.