Kingsville Boxwood Help! Nervous

First let me start by saying this is my first post on IBC. Anyways i have been learning the basics on Bonsai for about 2 years now i have this Kingsville Boxwood i got last fall that was in a training pot. It was fairly late in the season to do a repot but i noticed it would surely need a repot in the Spring it did fairly well for the most part but now its starting to lose that deep green color and now is more of a pale green. The leaves are drying up and becoming rigid. My question is now that we are in mid feb. Do you think i should repot now and leave the tree in shade for a few weeks? I dont want to lose my little boxwood   Any suggestions as to what i should do?

Bonsai_Steve1 wrote:The leaves are drying up and becoming rigid.

I don't know how the species reacts to your climate but if the leaves are drying up you have probably lost the roots through over or under watering.

In general it is not an good idea to repot a tree out of season if there is a problem already.

Wait for guys from your area to chime in before doing anything. Don't over water now!

Lennard

 Thanks Lennard!
I thought i did fairly well with the watering though we had a few rough weeks of winter weather here lately in the Carolinas but i think the worst part has passed. So maybe that along with my watering habits are what got it into this condition. I contacted the local Nursery where i get my material from to ask as well he thinks the tree is doomed. This was sad news to me! So maybe ill do nothing for now as you suggested and look for signs of life in the spring

Hi Steve, Buxus are hardy evergreens and like most do show seasonal changes in foliage, that is they get a little pale. After a freeze they may lose some damaged leaves.

Can you post a pic of the tree? What is your soil like? Did you get the tree from a bonsai nursery or a yard and garden nursery?

These trees are pretty hard to kill and very easy to propagate. Keeping them indoors seems to do the trick, though.

There is a danger of over watering in the winter that if the roots become saturated right before a freeze they will burst when they freeze. They need very little watering during winter and proper drainage is essential. Let's have a look at what you have and see if there's any danger or just winter dullzy. Rick

Hi RKatzin,

"Can you post a pic of the tree? What is your soil like? Did you get the tree from a bonsai nursery or a yard and garden nursery?"

I can post a pic of the tree tonight once i get home. When i got the tree it was already in potting soil pretty much not bonsai soil. I got it from a Greenhouse that has yard and garden plant but they also have a section especially for bonsai there. I'll post some pictures when i can to have you take a look at it

Thanks!

Hi Steve,

Have you checked the website's [Search] above, there is a lot of great information exchanged about boxwoods. I would also not rule out blight in boxwoods which has been spreading. Our expert on plant diseases, Nina, talked about this :

https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t13580-boxwood-blight-and-impatiens-blight-if-you-want?highlight=boxwood+disease

I've grown Kingsville for many years and have seen my show winner die after I repotted in the early spring. I believe it was too cold and the roots died. I live in Minnesota where the cold is a serious problem so my boxwoods are protected in a basement cold room...do not treat them as tropicals....they need dormancy!!

I've found most of my boxwoods like deep pots and don't need to be repotted yearly; also they do best in dappled shade!

Good luck and don't give up....
Norma

Hey there Norma,

I will do a little more research and then see if i can get to the bottom of this problem thanks for the link.
My winters here in Charlotte NC are pretty mild so from my understanding it doesnt really have to be protected as much in the winter. However we did have two strong winter storms this year which could have helped in the problem.

Ill try to take some pics to keep you guys updated on the progress of this little boxwood.

Exactly how often are you watering it?
         

If you can determine that the repotting didnt do it in, I concur with Norma regarding the lighting conditions. I collected some from a man's open yard and the canopy was not very lush or dark green at all. It took me a while to realize that Kingsvilles dont really like full sun, and probably less where you are (warmer). I would give it morning sun or, as Norma suggests, dappled sun and see if it doesnt green up.

Hi Lordy,

I have now moved the plant into a more shady part of my patio...Hopefully since spring is right around the corner here in the Carolinas it will start to get some new growth and regain that deep color. I did have it in pretty much full sun the whole summer for the most part so going forward i wont do that again.

Hopefully you can see the diff between recently collected and properly cared for in the shade for several years.

As collected


after living in waaaay less sunlight.

Hi t tree,

Most growers learn how much water their trees need in the weather conditions where they live. You are a Minnesotan so your watering will be different. There are a lot of variables such as the dry air from our winter heating and outside the temps and rain patterns. In the winter my boxwoods in the cold room get watered once a week. If you are treating a boxwood like a tropical , it would only be watered when it gets dry. My tropicals are watered every three days when under lights. Some of the trees such as the buttonwood needs to be watered more often.

In the summer when the trees are outside they get watered every day and sometimes twice a day when very hot. You need to get to know how your bonsai uses water. Some people use chops sticks to test the need for water and also the type of soil the tree is in. I've been using mostly inorganics in my soil mixes but boxwoods seem to like a bit of pine bark (organics).

I hope this helps,
Norma