Sadly I lost my Picea abies Nidiformis as well as my Pinus mugo. At this point I am without any bonsai and have placed the remaining in the garden.

Apparently, my lack of beneficial fungi in the soil killed my plants. I learned this according to a fungal pathologist.

Nevertheless, this is very dissapointing to say the least. So remember, make sure your soil is the right type for your plant. Don't force it to grow in a medium that makes it unhappy.

I'm probably done with bonsai for the year. However, next year I will try again and hopefully get better results.


Note: I also discovered a mixture of milk and water sprayed on plants kills powdery mildew! Try it here's a link: www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/3125...ution_to_Mildew_Woes

Your tree did not die as you put it "lack of beneficial fungi in the soil" If that were true, then plants could not grow in hydroponics without any fungi, and with H2O2 AKA hydrogen peroxide in the reservoir, thus producing as close to a stelar environment as possible. It most likely died from being over or under watered, and or lack of proper care. The road to Bonsai is paved with many dead trees. Don't wait until next year. Get another tree and read some more about care. Try it again, and don't listen to anyone that does not have and care for Bonsai themselves.

I agree, the mycorysal fungi is always present in the soil. Pinus mugo is one of the more difficult species. It does not like being re potted at the wrong time, and hard pruning also is not good.
Yes get another tree soon, and learn from your mistakes. What country are you in? Was your watering regime correct?
I would be sceptical about the treatment of mildew, just because someone says it works does not mean it does.
Geoff.

It could be a combination of factors but I believe I should have waited until dormancy to proceed with any pruning. The shock of pruning along with the hot summer weather in Ohio took a toll on the plants. Having the right fungi would have probably helped but it's too late now.

I actually found an Oak sapling growing in my yard so I scooped it up and it in a pot. I'm going to wait a good while before I touch it though.

Concerning the milk, it does appear to have scientific research to back it up. puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20chalker-scott/...k%20and%20mildew.pdf

I would test if for yourself and see what happens.

Nope, I won;t ding that. So called scientific resaerch can be anything they want it to be. You don't need to wait until a tree is dormant to prune but the amount that you remove is the main point. As I said before any conifer will have the mychorizal fungi is ever present in the soil. Digging any tree in summer is not a good idea, but you may get away with it if you are lucky. I would have planted it into open ground for a few years before putting into a pot.