Rotting trunk in a Fushia

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Bec
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Rotting trunk in a Fushia

Post by Bec »

Hi Guys,
I purchased a "Candy Bells" Fuschia a few days ago and thought it would be great to turn into bonsai. While trimming it I found that a lot of old branches were just falling away and that the trunk was a bit soft.

Today I re-checked it and found that a lot of the trunk was unfortunately rotten. I think I've managed to scrape away nearly all of the rot and taken it back to living wood and now it has a pretty cool looking hollow, but I want to know if I should treat it with anything? Does it matter if I've missed some of the rot?

I read a blog where someone used wood hardener on a fuschia bonsai to prevent rot as they are susceptible to it - wood hardener used for treating timber. Also, will it be OK if I leave it without treatment?

Thanks in advance.
Before Scraping out Rot.jpg
Before shot
After.jpg
After shot
After Back view.jpg
After - Back shot
After Left Side View.jpg
After - Left Side
After right side.jpg
After - Right Side
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Last edited by Bec on December 9th, 2018, 12:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
shibui
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Re: Rotting trunk in a Fushia

Post by shibui »

Soft, inner wood will continue to rot when exposed to the elements. It does not matter if you have cleared out all the rot because more will come from the air and water. Rotting core is generally not harmful to the tree. The outer, live layers are usually resistant and continue to supply water and food to the rots and leaves.
I have seen Earl's wood hardener mentioned to slow wood decay. You should be able to get it from hardware or paint shops. It is used quite a lot on softer wood species like bougies, wisteria and should be good for your fushia.
I generally use lime sulphur on dead wood. It does not harden the wood but does kill and prevent wood rotting organisms so the wood won't rot easily.
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Bec
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Aussie Bonsai Fan
Posts: 7
Joined: February 3rd, 2018, 6:23 pm
Favorite Species: Maple
Bonsai Age: 3
Bonsai Club: None
Location: Launceston

Re: Rotting trunk in a Fushia

Post by Bec »

Thanks Shibui, I’ve taken your advice and treated it with some lime sulphur. It looks healthy, so I’m happy to leave it at that:)
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