Neea Buxifolia Help

[mrbadfish]

Howdy Folks, I currently have 2 neeas, and they are both without leaf. The first one I'm not overly concerned with, but it has been leafless but ALIVE for a little over 2 years. Anywhere I scratch on the trunk is still bright green and moist, but hasn't put out a single leaf the whole time. I gotthis one in a workshop at the 2022 BSF Convention and shortly after getting it home it dropped all of its leaves, and has been that way since. I also had bought a really nice one a year or two before that and it quickly turned black, dropped and died.

The tree I'm posting about now is very well developed and has done the same thing. In a matter of about 2 days it went brown and dropped everything. It is still in this condition. It was good for about a month. It was a little chlorotic when I purchased it, but I hit it with some iron and it greened right up and looked great. About 2 weeks later is when it completely defoliated itself (almost completely anyway).

Currently I've been keeping it in the shade, and it still has the very few leaves it didn't drop(about 20 total, scattered all over the tree. Even all of the tertiary/quatienary twigs are still green.

Since I brought it home it has been on my lanai under no see-um screen. I never overrated it nor underwater it. As of right now I am just keeping it moist and shaded since there is no foliage, but it's still not producing.

On a side note, I was carrying it on my deck/lanai and took a spill and I'm sure it jostled the roots real good. I'm pretty sure I didn't let the pot hit the deck (I have decades of practice falling and not spilling me beer!), but it definitely took a hit. For this reason and this reason only, I'm very tempted to repot it, if nothing else but to check out the roots, but everything I know says don't repot a sick tree. I also am not sure when it was reported last. The soil seems like it was most likely not from the previous year.

I am stumped and would love to get this guy (and the other one for that matter) back on track. Any help is much appreciated!!!

 

[ShadyStump]

Welcome aboard!

Often things like this can be climate related. Please add a general location to your profile so we know just what you're working with. As of right now we might assume you're in the northern hemisphere just because most folks here are, but there are also plenty of Aussies, Kiwis and a couple from South Africa and Brazil around, for example.

I wouldn't repot unless you're certain that the roots are struggling and that's the cure, but even a rough tumble generally won't do that much damage to a tree unless the pot breaks and the roots are left to dry out.
There are plenty here with more experience with neea, though, so I'd default to their opinion when they show up.

If the one hasn't leafed out in 2 years, it not going to. I had an elm once I waited a full year on, still had green under the bark on the trunk; but when I finally gave up and "autopsied" it the roots were completely gone. The thing was dead, it just didn't know it yet.
The organism as whole can be dead, but cells and cell structures still be alive and active for a while after. I think that's all you're seeing. Unfortunately, it takes ALL the various systems to be functioning together for the organism to be alive.

The new one may still have a chance, though. Hopefully someone with more expertise in the species will be along shortly.

 

[mrbadfish]

Welcome aboard!

Often things like this can be climate related. Please add a general location to your profile so we know just what you're working with. As of right now we might assume you're in the northern hemisphere just because most folks here are, but there are also plenty of Aussies, Kiwis and a couple from South Africa and Brazil around, for example.

I wouldn't repot unless you're certain that the roots are struggling and that's the cure, but even a rough tumble generally won't do that much damage to a tree unless the pot breaks and the roots are left to dry out.
There are plenty here with more experience with neea, though, so I'd default to their opinion when they show up.

If the one hasn't leafed out in 2 years, it not going to. I had an elm once I waited a full year on, still had green under the bark on the trunk; but when I finally gave up and "autopsied" it the roots were completely gone. The thing was dead, it just didn't know it yet.
The organism as whole can be dead, but cells and cell structures still be alive and active for a while after. I think that's all you're seeing. Unfortunately, it takes ALL the various systems to be functioning together for the organism to be alive.

The new one may still have a chance, though. Hopefully someone with more expertise in the species will be along shortly.

Yes, don’t know how I left that out. I’m in SWFL, newly 10A.

 

[ShadyStump]

Huh. My understanding is those things grow like weeds around there.

How often do you water?

 

[mrbadfish]

Huh. My understanding is those things grow like weeds around there.

How often do you water?

I was watering as needed, typically once a day on the lanai, but since it dropped its leaves I’ve cut back to every other and have been keeping it in the shade.

 

[ShadyStump]

I was watering as needed, typically once a day on the lanai, but since it dropped its leaves I’ve cut back to every other and have been keeping it in the shade.

Ok. That's not too bad.

Well I'm mostly just trying to help keep your thread alive until someone who knows what they're talking about shows up.
Off the top of my head, @SWfloirda and @nuttiest are in your neck of the woods, but I can't speak to either's level of expertise on neea.

 

[mrbadfish]

Ok. That's not too bad.

Well I'm mostly just trying to help keep your thread alive until someone who knows what they're talking about shows up.
Off the top of my head, @SWfloirda and @nuttiest are in your neck of the woods, but I can't speak to either's level of expertise on neea.

Well thanks for helping to keep it alive! Hoping someone chimes in too!

 

[nuttiest]

I used to have a large neea but sold it. Then I missed it and bought a smaller one. I had since changed to pumice and don't like it for the neea and a couple of other things, I used to use just pine mulch and it was a lot better at buffering city water and hanging on to fertilizer.
I was just thinking of changing the neea back to pine bark this week

 

[nuttiest]

And ir you do repot try to wait 2 weeks before fertilizing, and then a light half or third dose of miracle gro to start with.
Also I think the smaller ones cannot handle winter weather in the 40s.

 

[SWfloirda]

Ok. That's not too bad.

Well I'm mostly just trying to help keep your thread alive until someone who knows what they're talking about shows up.
Off the top of my head, @SWfloirda and @nuttiest are in your neck of the woods, but I can't speak to either's level of expertise on neea.

I have no experience with Neea. Wish I could help, that's a nice looking tree.

 

[ShadyStump]

I have no experience with Neea. Wish I could help, that's a nice looking tree.

Well, thanks anyway!

 

[ShadyStump]

Well @mrbadfish, it appears you may just be stuck with the site search function, see what you can piece together from others' experiences that way.

From what @nuttiest tells us about soil, and that your trees turned as soon as you got them, my best guess is that they're particular about water maybe. You might try watering more often, and look in to your water pH.
I don't know. Just spit balling here.

Good luck!

 

[mrbadfish]

Thanks guys, and Shady, you make a good point on the water, that would make sense. I’m on well water and it’s great for everything else.

 

[Bonsai Turtle]

Thanks guys, and Shady, you make a good point on the water, that would make sense. I’m on well water and it’s great for everything else.

Any luck yet? They are native to the karst region of PR, so Fl well water that is working for everything else should be no problem. Mine get municipal tap water, which is groundwater in origin. I know of some spectacular ones on tap water as well.

 

[mrbadfish]

Any luck yet? They are native to the karst region of PR, so Fl well water that is working for everything else should be no problem. Mine get municipal tap water, which is groundwater in origin. I know of some spectacular ones on tap water as well.

Actually, I did a Hail Mary repot on it and sprung back VERY quickly. Roots looked ok, I had repotted it in early spring of ‘24, so this was a second repot. Don’t know what was wrong with it but I repotted it into a larger pot at the advice of Ed Trout, and it responded very well. I put it in a mix of APL with some charcoal and organic biotone. It’s not doin as well as I would like, but it’s doing ok for now. For whatever reason, I struggle with neeas and it drives me crazy because I love them!

 

[Bonsai Turtle]

Actually, I did a Hail Mary repot on it and sprung back VERY quickly. Roots looked ok, I had repotted it in early spring of ‘24, so this was a second repot. Don’t know what was wrong with it but I repotted it into a larger pot at the advice of Ed Trout, and it responded very well. I put it in a mix of APL with some charcoal and organic biotone. It’s not doin as well as I would like, but it’s doing ok for now. For whatever reason, I struggle with neeas and it drives me crazy because I love them!

That’s great.

I’m not an expert by any means but I do pay attention to the species native habitat. Neeas are an understory species, so although they can do fine in full sun, a bit of shade is likely better. They need constant moisture but not wet conditions nor overly dry. So you are on the right track with it.

 

[mrbadfish]

That’s great.

I’m not an expert by any means but I do pay attention to the species native habitat. Neeas are an understory species, so although they can do fine in full sun, a bit of shade is likely better. They need constant moisture but not wet conditions nor overly dry. So you are on the right track with it.

Yeah, I’ve always made sure to keep them out of direct sun for any length of time and think I’ve learned it’s watering preferences. Hoping this spring and summer I can really get it into thrive mode with a little extra feeding.