Browning Hinoki

[apr]

I have this garden centre hinoki planted in a free draining mix.

We haven't had too much rain recently and I havent needed to water any of my trees that much.

The last week or so some of the branches have been doing this. I've been rotating it fairly regularly for each side to get sunlight.

Any suggestions on the cause and remedy ?

Thanks

 

[JRidge]

I think it looks like interior shedding of old/weak/ or shaded out branchlets. Typical of hinoki and other cypress species.
Remedy would be reducing strong growth and opening it up so the interior gets sunlight.

 

[Leo in N E Illinois]

One of the difficulties of working with Hinoki, is once a branch, stem or trunk has brown bark without any green, there will be no back budding in this area, If you want to develop low branches you must keep light coming to low interior branchlets to keep them green. It is a difficult learning curve. I really have not learned it yet, occasionally trying over my 40+ years.

The lack of back budding is also the reason most public bonsai collection specimens of Hinoki are rather large, they started small, but had to be allowed to grow because they lost interior foliage.

Hinoki are exquisitely beautiful, and are well worth growing despite difficulties. You can easily make a very nice bonsai image with a hinoki. They really shine in tray landscape plantings.

 

[River's Edge]

If you want to develop low branches you must keep light coming to low interior branchlets to keep them green

This is very true, in addition to thinning out branches to keep the interior well lit one must also reduce and cut back apical growth to continue to strengthen the smaller interior branches. Similar to balancing pines and similar to maintaining healthy juniper foliage.
A combination of thinning, removing weaker foliage and cutting back extending foliage. Add in fertilization and wiring.
Hinoki are very apically dominant and this must be balanced to maintain Bonsai with healthy lower and interior foliage.
Similar to Tskumho Cypress where thinning and editing is needed two to three time a year in order to prevent bare interior branches. Keeping green going in the interior.

 

[Paradox]

I had one do this slowly over the summer. I don't think it took well to being repotted innthe spring and just slowly died

 

[River's Edge]

I had one do this slowly over the summer. I don't think it took well to being repotted innthe spring and just slowly died

Sorry to hear that mine never showed a change until late fall, change occurred and stopped. Rest remains green and appears healthy. Sounds like your situation was different. Here is a photo of mine today!

 

[apr]

Thanks all.

I also repotted it this year so it could also be sulking ? I surprised with how little a reduction in sunlight has caused these branches to wither, as I didn't think that they were particularly shaded by the rest of the foliage, and its also been rotated weekly to ensure full sun coverage.

One of the difficulties of working with Hinoki, is once a branch, stem or trunk has brown bark without any green, there will be no back budding in this area, If you want to develop low branches you must keep light coming to low interior branchlets to keep them green. It is a difficult learning curve. I really have not learned it yet, occasionally trying over my 40+ years.

The lack of back budding is also the reason most public bonsai collection specimens of Hinoki are rather large, they started small, but had to be allowed to grow because they lost interior foliage.

Hinoki are exquisitely beautiful, and are well worth growing despite difficulties. You can easily make a very nice bonsai image with a hinoki. They really shine in tray landscape plantings.

Yes they are very nice. There were a few on display at the Omiya bonsai museum this year.