help needed re. root rot

does anyone have any tips for caring for a pine with root rot?
i've removed wire and repotted in very free draining soil.
will it do better in full sun or part sun?
misting?(i'm unsure about this at the best of times)
watering regime?
i have some root safe but is there any type of tonic that could help?
please see my post in off topic for more details.
cheers, jim.

If you have gotten rid of ALL the rotten roots, have totally bare-rooted the plant (washed off all old soil), and repotted in basically an inorganic mix, putting it out on your tables -- morning sun -- and watering regularly it should be OK.

You can fertilize as you wish -- or not -- but since it is spring it probably would appreciate a little fertilizer.

thanks for your reply jim. just about playing the waiting game really. i've had one survive from this before i hope to have the same luck again.

Hi Jim R
Since you mentioned -any type of tonic-.
I use HB-101 a Japanese produkt, a sort of homoeopathic plant extract-solution.
Many say it is nonsense others like the idea, like me.
It is however not a fertilizer.
For that one could use a mild organic liquid fertilizer like biogold vital or fish-emulsion
for a start.
Regards, Sunip

How much of the root mass was rotten? What species of pine is it?

If you've had to cut off all the fine feeder roots, you may stand very little chance with a pine. If it has some fine stuff left, I would agree with Jims advice, apart from the watering regularly. Most pines are much more sensitive to overwatering and prefer to dry out between waterings. It is crucial that you keep the balance just right, definitely not too wet but not drying out too far or for too long. Keeping the top misted, while it is regenerating roots will help. If you can manage it, a sunny spot that is out of wind is best.

Jim R

One of the dangers of washing and bare rooting, is you are getting rid of all the beneficial mycorrhizal fungi which increases the uptake of water and nutrients by your Pine.

I have just repotted a JWP with many dead and decaying roots ... today actually. I did not wash, I just spent a fair amount of time tracing and removing the dead and decayed roots. I kept all of the old soil and carefully made certain I kept as much fungi/soil as possible to put back in with my new potting mix. I have also added some fresh MF as well. I made certain it was very dry prior to re-potting and was therefore able to work more accurately than with a sopping wet root-mass.

A Pine will struggle to survive without the beneficial symbiotic relationship of MF in the soil. When I add I ensure it is in contact with existing roots.

Unless I missed it you did not say what variety of Pine. Keep it in partial shade and try to let the root-ball dry slightly between watering's. Let the new roots develop a hunger for water. This way they will work harder to develop rather than get lazy with copious amounts of water on tap ... (pun unintentional).

I would not bother and mist nor reduce needles right now. Keep it free of strong winds and you should be fine.

Mike

Said tree is a Sylvestris and can be seen in off topic banter as well.

will baddeley wrote:Said tree is a Sylvestris and can be seen in off topic banter as well.

Thanks Will. response still stands then.

Mike