AusBonsai

Hi All,
I'm brand new to bonsaing and my first bonsai, a Picea Abies is starting to go yellow and I'm not sure why! I dont think the soil is waterlogged as water flows through it ok, I looked with a maginfying glass and couldnt see any mites anywhere. I'm a little unsure if ive been using the right fertilizer though, each few weeks for the past 2 months ive been applying 3.1: 1.5 : 1.6 fertilizer. Any clues as to why it might be going yellow/brown?

Thanks for any help,

Aaron

Hi ahmcn , pics are always a good idea when asking for assistance . All the Picea's like moist soils , they will yellow if too wet or too dry . I fertilize with 17-13 -16 or there abouts as with all my tree's . The fert i use is a compound fertilizer meaning all the granules are the same consistency and i only apply it about every 3 months unless i power feed , using seasol power feed in conjunction with the granule ferts . Over fertilization will make Pines , Cedars and Picea yellow and die , as with most tree's you need to know the strength of the ferts and the drainage of the bonsai blend . Fertilizers can build up in certain mixes , cant help with them as i use my own blend .

Cheers Alpineart

Hi Aaron,
Water flowing through a mix does not mean it isn't waterlogged. Its the water that stays in the mix after it stops draining out that can cause problems. If you can lift the rootball out of the pot without too much disturbance you can check the condition of the mix and roots.

Are you SURE its Picea? There are several conifers that are deciduous. At this time of year you can sometimes get perfectly good swamp cypress and larch from the rubbish bins at nurseries because the leaves turned brown! So even nurseries can make mistakes.

As alpine says a picture can help with diagnosis.

shibui wrote:Hi Aaron,
There are several conifers that are deciduous. At this time of year you can sometimes get perfectly good swamp cypress and larch from the rubbish bins at nurseries because the leaves turned brown! So even nurseries can make mistakes.

That's funny Neil, and precisely how I obtained one of my first Japanese Larches, from a landscaper friend who thought it was a Cedar that had gone toes up.

Cheers,
Mojo

Hi,
Thanks for the replies, attached is a picture if it makes it any easier. I guess i'll play around with using less water and fertilizer and see how it goes.

Hi ahmcn , thanks for the pic , its definitely not a Picea , more like one of the deciduous conifers that Shibui was talking about . Now a pic close up of the foliage will help with the I.D .

Cheers Alpineart

It looks like a very unhealthy Yew

This is a picture of one of my deciduous conifers, a false larch "pseudolarix"
It is in excellent health but needles are turning yellow and the tree will soon be bare.
A picea will be slightly prickly to touch, while these trees have very soft foliage.

HI,
Thanks everyone for the replies, the needles are soft to the touch so I guess that means its not a picea? I've taken some more close up photos with bit better quality so hopefully it'll make it clearer. I'm still a bit unsure of what to do though....

Thanks,

Aaron

Unfortunately, it looks like a deceased Spruce to me.

Cheers,
Mojo

Hi ahmcn, mate i think its a Yew as Mr Bodhidharma has said ,i have one with identical foliage but i cant remember which type of yew it is , unfortunately i think yours is now cactus , slightly dead .

Cheers Alpineart

Hi alpine, similar foliage, the leaf apex is a little more rounded. On your Yew, the midrib of the leaf is pronounced (sticking out), the mystery tree has leaves with a recessed midrib. The bark of this tree in question says Pinaceae, much as you would see in both Cedrus and Larix, the terminal bud says Spruce, I don't think it's a Yew.

Cheers,
Mojo

the needles are soft to the touch

'soft' is a relative term - hard to define unless you have something else to compare it to and dehydrated/ dying needles will also be softer than healthy ones.

Unfortunately I agree with Mojo - Whatever species it is it does not look good, however I'd still keep it until late spring just in case its one of the deciduous ones:fc:
If it doesn't shoot in spring you just need to put it down to experience and get on with developing other trees.
As some experienced bonsi growers say 'you have not really grown bonsai until you have killed a few'