So I live in Colorado and we just started to get very cold weather. My hemlock would be outside maybe a day at a time for water and getting natural sunlight. Yesterday I transitioned most of my plants inside and when I went to move the hemlock I noticed that it had a ton of needles fall off. Not thinking much of it I put it in my window in my room, after brushing off everything that had fallen. Well last night I noticed even more had fallen after I got home from work. So I brushed my hand over it thinking that there were just some lose ones still in there and they all fell off with barely any pressure. What do I do, is there even a thing I can do or is it dead?

It's dead because you keep it inside. Trees belongs outside. Next time you get a tree, you should probably research how to take care of it.

Over and under watering is one of the quickest ways to kill you bonsai due to the nature of the compromised root system. As winter gets closer, day light hours get shorter, your plant is going to require less and less water. When you bring a plant inside you cut the amount of natural light it gets and therefore cut down on the transpiration rate in the leaves which means your plant will use less and less water. If your leaves (needles) started dropping from the bottom of the plant going up, this is a pretty good sign it was over watered for too long. Top down, under watering. The picture you have posted here does make it seem like the plant is probably dead but do a scratch test on the trunk to see if there is any green inside. If so, there is still some hope. Not a lot mind you but some. Good luck!

No point doing a scratch test. The plant is dead, even if you still find green after doing that test.

Artdude1201 wrote:

but do a scratch test on the trunk to see if there is any green inside. If so, there is still some hope. Not a lot mind you but some. Good luck!

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www.growingbonsai.net/is-my-bonsai-dead/

Thank you everyone for the help with him. It is unfortunate that this happened and I don’t know why since I have had him for over 6 months and haven’t changed up the routine very much when it comes to caring, aside from not fertilizing at the end of the season.

A tree will not die in this short time due to lack of fertilizer.

If it is an unhealthy tree it might die in this short time due to excess fertilizer.

Br
Magnus

I did do research which is why I would put it outside. Also I had it for over 6 months. This was very sudden and was looking for advice on how to bring it back if possible. Also I should add that I have a green house inside that I keep my trees in for the winter months.

I didn’t over do the fertilizer, I am very good about using it also it’s the beads that you use every 3 months. I don’t know what to chalk this up to but I now know to start to pay very attention once I see needles drop abruptly like that again

i dont know for hemlock. But there are a few conifer species that will not drop their needles until long time after the tree has died. Maybe it was already very week beyond rescue already when you got it?

Br
Magnus