Squirrel damage con my new Rain Tree
- Thread starter Rodrigo
- Start date
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
BRT naturally exfoliate their bark as they get older. I believe that is what you are seeing. Nothing you can do to fix or heal it. It's what they do.
sorce
Nonsense Rascal
Nice BRT.
Sorce
Sorce
Rodrigo
Shohin
Paradox,
Really? It really does look like something, or someone took bark off because it's very defined where the damage is. Is this really what a defoliating tree looks like?
coh
Imperial Masterpiece
That doesn't look like normal peeling, looks like animal damage.
Rodrigo
Shohin
After some further research, I'm believe you were right Paradox, it is exfoliation. Sorry about that and thank you. Quick question though, as you can see in the pictures, one side is very smooth and white, but the other side looks more "rotted" - for a lack of a better word. Is that because that side is just now exfoliating and the white side did it on the past? Like I said, I just got this tree today so I don't know much about it.
Was there any evidence this was going to happen overnight yesterday? Have you find the exfoliated pieces of bark? The bark is gone all around the trunk and it doesn't look normal, but...reading back I see you received it in this condition?
I have no BRT, let's ask people who grow some, @c54fun , @LanceMac10 , @Lobaeux ... Nice tree I crave to have one.
I have no BRT, let's ask people who grow some, @c54fun , @LanceMac10 , @Lobaeux ... Nice tree I crave to have one.
Last edited:
coh
Imperial Masterpiece
Personally, I don't have any raintrees but I do have other species that "peel"...including jaboticaba and chinese quince. I've never seen the kind of "ledge" and rough transition between peeled and unpeeled areas on any of my trees, so unless brt behaves very differently...I still think this is at least partly animal damage. I've definitely had animal damage to the trunks of some of my trees (mainly mice/voles) and it looks like the posted photos.
Paradox
Marine Bonsologist
Here is one of mine, you can see the areas where the bark came off.
GrimLore
Bonsai Nut alumnus... we miss you
Rodrigo
Shohin
Pete,
That's exactly what I was thinking, that part of it was exfoliating and the bottom part on picture 2 was something else- animal damage or as you mention, a pruning scar. Thanks for the visuals!
Rodrigo
Shohin
That's a beautiful tree! I can see the bark and you're right, it definitely looks very similar. Thanks again
Ouch, How could I write the list of growers without mentioning you, very nice BRT, I'm jealous.
Nice looking raintree. As you've figured out they shed bark usually at the bottom and it works upward. You may also see it looking odd before it sheds. I will attach a picture of before and after.
LanceMac10
Imperial Masterpiece
Rodrigo
Shohin
Let me get home and I'll post an update, thanks for asking! 
choppychoppy
Chumono
Here's a closeup of the big boy with the bark peeling nicely.
Rodrigo
Shohin
So I've worked quite a bit on this tree since the last post. It grows like a weed so it's kept me busy with pruning.
It grew pretty strong all winter indoors but the growth was mostly at the tips of the branches so as soon as I got it outside it back budded like crazy.
I took it to a workshop at the Dallas Bonsai Society at the beginning of June with the Bonsai Smiths (I don't know if anyone here knows who they are) and I finally got the structure a little more straightened out.
Here it was before the workshop. It had multiple apices and crossing branches
I'm working on growing out a branch to fill in the space on the left that used to be a crossing branch I pruned a while back.
I got it home after the workshop and wired up a few branches before repotting it. After the workshop but before the repot:
It hadn't been repotted since 2015 so there were quite a bit of roots.
Straightened out the roots, washed the pot (wanted to get a thinner and different color one but I didn't have time and my girlfriend likes this one so I left it for now), and repotted it in fresh soil:
Just noticed new growth on it yesterday so I just brought it out of the shade today and I'm starting to fertilize again.
@choppychoppy nice tree! I like the fat trunk on it for sure. I just had a big chunk of bark come off of mine before the workshop.
It grew pretty strong all winter indoors but the growth was mostly at the tips of the branches so as soon as I got it outside it back budded like crazy.
I took it to a workshop at the Dallas Bonsai Society at the beginning of June with the Bonsai Smiths (I don't know if anyone here knows who they are) and I finally got the structure a little more straightened out.
Here it was before the workshop. It had multiple apices and crossing branches
I'm working on growing out a branch to fill in the space on the left that used to be a crossing branch I pruned a while back.
I got it home after the workshop and wired up a few branches before repotting it. After the workshop but before the repot:
It hadn't been repotted since 2015 so there were quite a bit of roots.
Straightened out the roots, washed the pot (wanted to get a thinner and different color one but I didn't have time and my girlfriend likes this one so I left it for now), and repotted it in fresh soil:
Just noticed new growth on it yesterday so I just brought it out of the shade today and I'm starting to fertilize again.
@choppychoppy nice tree! I like the fat trunk on it for sure. I just had a big chunk of bark come off of mine before the workshop.
Rodrigo
Shohin
In less than a month's time my tree has more than done well. I've just let it grow unrestricted so it can grow roots back and its really loving the new space in the pot. I've been fertilizing diluted amounts with every watering, using MiracleGro liquid fertilizer with high Nitrogen content.
I've also removed some of the wire I put on before repotting and left the ones that weren't cutting in yet. Anyone know if these will scar easily? By the looks of how well it grows, I doubt it.
Front
Side
I've also removed some of the wire I put on before repotting and left the ones that weren't cutting in yet. Anyone know if these will scar easily? By the looks of how well it grows, I doubt it.
Front
Side
