Help With Bonsai Tree Still Dormant With No Buds Please?

bjazz28

Hi everyone,

I have two Bonsai trees, Pomegranates, both are about 17 years old. I live in East London. I have only just started leaving them outside on my balcony to 'over winter' in a mini green house to try to induce dormancy and see if I can get them to flower and fruit.

Last year they both came out of dormancy about the same time at the start of spring, but this year, one of them is not waking up. I have checked to see if there are any buds forming, it looks like there might be one but it has not changed in over a week and is tiny. Does anyone think that this tree might have died? is there anyway to know for sure and when could that possibility become obvious in terms waiting? here is a pic.




Thank you,

cliff.

Pete.8

With your fingernail, carefully scrape off the thinnest, tinyist bit of bark on the main stem close to the soil. If it's green underneath it's still alive (at the moment at least) if there's no green, it's bad news I'm afraid

bjazz28

Hi Pete8,
Thank you, I wanted to avoid doing the scratch test because I had a tree get infected and canker in the past because after I exposed the bark tissue. But I guess if that's the only real way to nearly know for sure apart from waiting I will have to risk it.
Thanks again for your help,
cliff.

Pete.8

You could start further up the plant on a side branch - if that's green, then it's like to be ok. Otherwise leave it and see what happens. I often think I've lost something to the winter only for it to burst into bud a week later

bjazz28

Thanks Pete8,
yeah I think I might just prefer to leave it and hope like you say, I guess if come Autumn it still hasn't done anything I'll just have to let it go.
Thanks again for your help.
cliff

madpenguin

Bonsai trees can be funny things.
At our bonsai society meetings we often find that the same types of trees come out at different times.Some members have trees that always shed their leaves and another keeps them.
I would err on the side of caution and treat them both the same for now,maybe tree number 2 will catch up!!

bjazz28

Thanks Madpenguin,
I hope that's the case here too.
cheers,
cliff