Hinoki Cypress woes

[Mickeyjaytee]

Hey guys,

So I purchased a couple of Hinoki around winter/spring last year. They have been going great until I noticed some dying back. The dying back doesn’t necessarily start at the tip of the leaf either. Sometimes it’s mid leaf and then spreads to consume all.

I had them in full sun and moved them shortly after under a shade cloth. They would’ve been in the full sun at least for the first month and a half of summer. I’ve checked and double checked for pests and I can’t see any (scale and webbing). I do see silvery veins running under all the leaves. Is this just a natural part of the plant and not a pest? I did read that Hinoki can get sun burnt and we did have a few surprise hot days here in Perth. I’ve attached the photos.

Lastly this young pine I have. It’s been fine and its trunk sprouted a heap of new growth. Then the needles all over started to really pale and go light green, similar to the look of some plants new growth. You can see just a little of the original green around mid-trunk, the change is significant. It’s really looking unhealthy now. I would assume maybe it’s lacking something? I fertilise with seamungus pellets and also a fertiliser I get off my local bonsai guy. Lastly, the burnt tips were from today. It hit 39 and I left it in hot afternoon sun

Any theories/answers would be hugely appreciated!

[Daluke]

The Hinoki silver streak is fine.

The browning off looks like it’s been knocked and it’s died off. These are pretty finicky.

Try and use some garden grade epsom salts on the Hinokis. They love it.

The pine - is it a radiata? It looks okay too.

[SuperBonSaiyan]

Try and use some garden grade epsom salts on the Hinokis. They love it.

I have the bathing grade epsom salts, is this safe to use? And if so, how do you apply it (dissolve in water and spray or sprinkle onto soil)?

One mistake with Hinoki I made was to put into full sun after trimming foliage.

The under foliage got burnt because it wasn't used to full sun yet.

[Daluke]

I use manutec epsom salts.

[Mickeyjaytee]

The Hinoki silver streak is fine.

The browning off looks like it’s been knocked and it’s died off. These are pretty finicky.

Try and use some garden grade epsom salts on the Hinokis. They love it.

The pine - is it a radiata? It looks okay too.

Thanks for the reply! I appreciate it. Well I’m hoping it’s just been knocked. I was worried something may be attacking it. I dealt with scale earlier this year and it decimated a juniper of mine so I’m a little jumpy.

I’ve never used epsom salts before. Having a look at it, is it mainly for acid loving type plants or can it be used on all plants/trees? Thanks for the tip!

It is a radiata pine. Not the best for bonsai but, I grew it from a seed so it has a special place. Where I grew up we had the biggest pines I’ve ever seen so perhaps it’ll just go in the ground one day. The foliage was all much darker until the colour fade hence why I think something has gone wrong somewhere.

Cheers!

[treeman]

The Hinoki silver streak is fine.

The browning off looks like it’s been knocked and it’s died off. These are pretty finicky.

Try and use some garden grade epsom salts on the Hinokis. They love it.

The pine - is it a radiata? It looks okay too.

Thanks for the reply! I appreciate it. Well I’m hoping it’s just been knocked. I was worried something may be attacking it. I dealt with scale earlier this year and it decimated a juniper of mine so I’m a little jumpy.

I’ve never used epsom salts before. Having a look at it, is it mainly for acid loving type plants or can it be used on all plants/trees? Thanks for the tip!

It is a radiata pine. Not the best for bonsai but, I grew it from a seed so it has a special place. Where I grew up we had the biggest pines I’ve ever seen so perhaps it’ll just go in the ground one day. The foliage was all much darker until the colour fade hence why I think something has gone wrong somewhere.

Cheers!

You should not need epsom salts if you are using a good fertilizer (with magnesium in it)
Hinokis need shade to remain dark green. They go yellowish in summer if they get direct sun and don't do so well.

[Mickeyjaytee]

The Hinoki silver streak is fine.

The browning off looks like it’s been knocked and it’s died off. These are pretty finicky.

Try and use some garden grade epsom salts on the Hinokis. They love it.

The pine - is it a radiata? It looks okay too.

Thanks for the reply! I appreciate it. Well I’m hoping it’s just been knocked. I was worried something may be attacking it. I dealt with scale earlier this year and it decimated a juniper of mine so I’m a little jumpy.

I’ve never used epsom salts before. Having a look at it, is it mainly for acid loving type plants or can it be used on all plants/trees? Thanks for the tip!

It is a radiata pine. Not the best for bonsai but, I grew it from a seed so it has a special place. Where I grew up we had the biggest pines I’ve ever seen so perhaps it’ll just go in the ground one day. The foliage was all much darker until the colour fade hence why I think something has gone wrong somewhere.

Cheers!

You should not need epsom salts if you are using a good fertilizer (with magnesium in it)
Hinokis need shade to remain dark green. They go yellowish in summer if they get direct sun and don't do so well.

.

Thanks Mike, I think perhaps they had got too much sun. I’ll keep monitoring them. Just curious, if I was to plant them in the garden in hopes of gaining size, would a morning sun/afternoon shade situation be best or in pure shade? I ask as to Perth summers can be brutal. I could put shade cloth over their heads but, the ground can get scorching hot in the afternoon.

Thanks mate!

[shibui]

The pine definitely looks yellowish. Some of mine turn yellow when I neglect fertiliser, especially if they have been in the pot for a couple of years. What's your fertiliser program? What potting mix is it planted in? Watering schedule? Each of these can have an impact on what may be happening.

The burnt needle ends are typical of having been dry at some stage.
Pines are also susceptible to dothostroma fungal infection. Not sure if that is in WA but shows up as rings of yellow or brown around needles.
A closer look at needles might show more clues.

[Mickeyjaytee]

The pine definitely looks yellowish. Some of mine turn yellow when I neglect fertiliser, especially if they have been in the pot for a couple of years. What's your fertiliser program? What potting mix is it planted in? Watering schedule? Each of these can have an impact on what may be happening.

The burnt needle ends are typical of having been dry at some stage.
Pines are also susceptible to dothostroma fungal infection. Not sure if that is in WA but shows up as rings of yellow or brown around needles.
A closer look at needles might show more clues.

So I give it macrocote and seamungus pellets. The macrocote I’m a little unsure of. I buy it off my local bonsai guy who uses it on all his plants. The soil is high drain mix so I’ll water once or twice per day. It’s been in the pot over 1 and a half years.

No disease I can see. The burn marks were from yesterday and myself being stupid

Cheers