What To Do With A Dead Bonsai Tree

Continue scratching down toward the roots and hope to see green.

What to do with a dead bonsai tree. If you hit a green cambium before you get to the roots then the bonsai can probably be brought back although the dead areas will have to be removed. If under watering is not the reason for your tree s deterioration the best way to improve the health of your root system is to repot your tree with new soil. This technique is almost exclusively used on evergreen trees as creating jin or shari on deciduous trees often looks unrealistic deadwood on a deciduous tree often rots away over time. We get many enquiries about the health of people s bonsai and many cases result in one of the solutions simply being to move the tree into more light or a slightly warmer area of a house.

If you forget to water your bonsai until the soil dries out completely the tree s roots dry out and die. Or beads or if there s enough wood make pocketknife handle slabs cufflinks etc. If the roots have dried up completely you can t save the tree. Step 2 look to see if the cambiums of the cut areas are green and fairly healthy.

Trim the root mass to ensure it fits comfortably in the new planter and to stimulate new root growth. Cut back any long thick or dead roots before placing the tree in a new planter. There may still be hope. If you don t find green under the surface keep scratching.

When you get down to hardwood and don t uncover green your tree has died or at least that portion of it. If your bonsai leaves are discolored or your plant has a bit of a rotten smell carefully lift the tree out of its pot to examine the roots for root rot. If you have exposed roots those are probably the next place to scratch. Start in an inconspicuous and scrape off a small portion of the bark with your fingernail.

If any the roots appear shriveled and dead or smell rotten use pruning shears or a sharp knife to cut the dead roots from the plant before repotting your bonsai. Use sharp sterile pruning shears to remove any areas of the bonsai that are cannot be saved such as dead or broken branches and wilted foliage and stems. Within days you will see the leaves of your tree wither and fall off or in case you have an evergreen its foliage will slowly turn yellow. Much nicer than a dead stick collecting dust in a vase imho.

Green is the color of life. The wood dies off and is bleached by intense sunlight.