this excerpt is the latest entry to the Photo/History page for Karo Red; click to visit or use the menus on the r-hand side of every page.
We have had unusually hot weather this summer, in fact, the last 6 weeks have constituted one of the hottest summers ever recorded. On further inspection, it seemed that the potting mix was unusually wet, as if the plant was not using any water..I have had this plant (as well as my entire collection) in a Cactus & Succulent mix for the past 18 months or so, but I have not previously encountered anything like this.
I aerated the soil with a chopstick, removed the top dressing & let the soil dry out for 24 hours..the soil appeared "dusty" after drying out..watered deeply, but after another 24 hours, observed that the tree was not taking-up water & that the potting mix had largely become muddy.
This morning, I will de-pot the Karo Red & take a look a the roots..he MAY just be root bound, but that would be too easy. I suspect a complete breakdown & failure of the potting mix & have already made the decision to repot this little tree in an inorganic mix. (my intention is to completely do-away with the old potting mix..no more dirt).
Looking at the Coprosma after de-pot, & he sure isn't "root-bound", so we can eliminate that theory. After rinsing-off the roots & taking a close look, the roots look & feel OK. They are not mushy, no greasy black areas. although I feel like the lack of more feeder roots after this much time is disapointing..he should have developed more roots just under the base, I think..I wonder if the aggregate top dressing I've been using was too thick &/or too tight around the base of the trunk?
No evidence of "root rot", so maybe I can save this tree..I am attached to Red..not because he is a particularly good looking specimen or that he is a rare or unique tree, but because he is one of my earliest acquisitions & has survived my bumbling efforts, up till now.
Only time will tell..check back in a couple of days.