Grafted JWP with unk substance on trunk

[81Libra]

Hey y’all.

Got this lil guy a few months ago from TX. I live in Colorado and a few months ago had some issues with burnt needles. Wanted to thank all who offered their advice on Bonsainut. Chris at Brussels, Brad at Bonsai Learning Center, and Peter Tea and I basically was able to save my tree. Turned out it was getting too much direct sun, especially after the change in climate/elev.

We have a dry climate and all of my pines and maples can’t take direct afternoon sun especially while they are acclimating to our elevation. This JWP likes to be watered twice a day during growing season and gets 4hrs of 50% shade cloth morning sun and afternoon shade. Just within the last month or so it started getting covered, on the lower part of the trunk, around where the graft line is and below, in this white stuff. It’s not sticky, or powdery, not really thick but pretty solid white. Due to the flaky bark on the JBP stalk, I wasn’t sure if a toothbrush would be detrimental so I didn’t.

At first I thought it may be lichen but it doesn’t have a green tint to it and it didn’t seem to have it before it arrived in CO. Also, we don’t live that close to any large bodies of water.

Has anyone seen this before on JWP (grafted or not)? And is it serious enough to warrant treatment and if so, what?

Cheers!

Growing season:
Previous Climate- hot humid, southern US
Current Climate- dry and hot, southern CO
Watering- twice daily
No wiring or pruning
One round of pesticide 2mnths ago Imidacloprid
Sun- 4hrs of sun under 50% cloth then shade
Issue started approx 1 month
Small pot/Aoki blend mixed with extra lava rock

Pictures are in chrono order from newest to oldest

 

[Shibui]

The photos are not sufficient quality to get a good close look at the white but it shows all the hallmarks of mineral deposit. This is very common in drier climates where the water contains dissolved minerals. Basically, as the water evaporates, it leaves any dissolved minerals on the surface. It is especially common when plants are misted rather than watered copiously during hot weather.
My guess is the water creeps up along the corky JBP bark and evaporates, leaving the minerals behind.
Does the white creep down the trunk as the bark dries out?
What is your watering regime? How often, how much each time, tap water or rain water?

Mineral deposit may be unsightly but not usually detrimental to the tree.

Cure?
More thorough watering can help flush the minerals out of the soil and stop them growing on the bark.
Changing to water with more pure water will certainly reduce deposits.
Will usually disappear through winter when evaporation reduces (at least it does here but may be different in high, dry, Co.)

 

[just.wing.it]

Assuming it's water scale, I've used white vinegar and a soft toothbrush before. I used a rag wrapped around the base of the tree to catch drips of the vinegar. I don't know if a little vinegar would hurt the trees or not, but figured I'd catch what I could.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Be careful that you are not over-watering. I see algae on your soil, which means the surface of the soil is never drying out.

The staining appears to be mineral deposits due to alkaline/hard water, and is normally the sign that you are using poor quality city/mains water - versus softened water, filtered water, rainwater, or water from a natural source like a creek or a lake. If your trees are outside and get a decent amount of rain (which is naturally acidic), mineral deposits are less common. You can remove the stains by carefully using dilute acid (like vinegar as @just.wing.it mentions), or you can leave your tree out in the rain, and whenever you need to supplementally water, use distilled water.

 

[81Libra]

The photos are not sufficient quality to get a good close look at the white but it shows all the hallmarks of mineral deposit. This is very common in drier climates where the water contains dissolved minerals. Basically, as the water evaporates, it leaves any dissolved minerals on the surface. It is especially common when plants are misted rather than watered copiously during hot weather.
My guess is the water creeps up along the corky JBP bark and evaporates, leaving the minerals behind.
Does the white creep down the trunk as the bark dries out?
What is your watering regime? How often, how much each time, tap water or rain water?

Mineral deposit may be unsightly but not usually detrimental to the tree.

Cure?
More thorough watering can help flush the minerals out of the soil and stop them growing on the bark.
Changing to water with more pure water will certainly reduce deposits.
Will usually disappear through winter when evaporation reduces (at least it does here but may be different in high, dry, Co.)

Great info Shibui and makes perfect sense because our tap water is fairly hard. We don’t get much rain but when it does we use the water we catch on the bonsai. That could be the reason the deposits come and go throughout the season. I water very generously with a Negishi twice a day, but do not mist and I’m glad I don’t wet the needles because that’d be a pain. It’s hard to tell which way it creeps due to the fissures in the bark but it’s almost like it’s only on the outer part of the bark and not in the cracks.
This makes me feel more comfortable. Thanks again for the info!

 

[81Libra]

Assuming it's water scale, I've used white vinegar and a soft toothbrush before. I used a rag wrapped around the base of the tree to catch drips of the vinegar. I don't know if a little vinegar would hurt the trees or not, but figured I'd catch what I could.

Thanks! Yeah I thought about a toothbrush but I’m a little hesitant because of the flakiness. But if it keeps building I might have to go this rout. Cheers!

 

[81Libra]

Be careful that you are not over-watering. I see algae on your soil, which means the surface of the soil is never drying out.

The staining appears to be mineral deposits due to alkaline/hard water, and is normally the sign that you are using poor quality city/mains water - versus softened water, filtered water, rainwater, or water from a natural source like a creek or a lake. If your trees are outside and get a decent amount of rain (which is naturally acidic), mineral deposits are less common. You can remove the stains by carefully using dilute acid (like vinegar as @just.wing.it mentions), or you can leave your tree out in the rain, and whenever you need to supplementally water, use distilled water.

Oh wow, that’s good to know. Vinegar sounds like it works well but it’s also good to know a less “invasive?” method. It makes perfect sense that the white residue would be left over minerals because we have fairly hard tap water but try to collect rain water to use when possible. I think the algae you were seeing was from the earlier pics when I first got the tree. I do keep this grafted JWP fairly moist but not wet because we are so dry and hot here (growing season) and close to the sun. It was getting burnt needles due to these climate/elevation changes from where it came from. I truly appreciate the info! Cheers, all the best.