Acer Palmatum repot?

[Ces]

Hey Guys,

Bought my first Japanese Maple today... great little tree from my closest bonsai nursery.

However, it's in desparate need of a repot. It's already leafed out its first flush of growth... does this mean i have to wait until early next spring?

This might be a good thing, as it has a slight bug problem and should be healthier in that regard by this time next year.

any insights greatly appreciated.

[MoGanic]

Hey there,

I wouldn't repot this thing right about now - however what you can do if your tree is going to be harmed is slip pot it into a larger pot. Essentially this gives it more room to breathe with minimal disturbance to roots.

Ultimately, if you can, leave it alone until it's dormant again next year.

Good luck
-Mo

[shibui]

Need to be extra vigilant with watering for pot bound trees. When roots fill the spaces in the potting mix it is more difficult for water to penetrate so they tend to stay dry and are first to suffer on hot days.

[Ces]

Thanks guys.

If i'd stopped and thought for a minute instead of hitting the panic button I might have worked this out myself . I found a suitable sized pot and will slip pot it tomorrow. Can't believe how well the insecticide i applied has worked already.

I'll post some photos of this elegant little tree when it develops some more.

Calm restored. Panic button, disengaged.

[Ces]

okay... so i need a little more help with this tree guys.

I really like this plant and its struggling I really hope I can bring it back to life.

So here's a history...

When I brought it home from the nursery a number of problems were apparent to me: first, it had a number of different types of bugs living on it. second, the original planting medium had washed away so much that the plant had descended about half way into its pot. Finally, it had a number of roots growing out of the bottom that had started to die off and when i watered it, the water ran out of the pot like a freight train... Despite this, when i got the plant it had a healthy new flush of growth on it.

My diagnosis was that apart from the insect problem, the tree had likely been in its pot too long. It was suggested on here that I slip pot the tree but I decided to deal with the insect problem first. The day I bought the plant, I sprayed it with a basic, petroleum oil based insecticide (thats what I had on hand) and it had to be placed in a full sun area in order to minimise the chance of it tranferring the insect problems to my other trees. It stayed here for about 3-4 days (with vigilant watering), by which time I had noticed a marked reduction in the number of insects on the plant.

However... the new growth on the tree had started to droop. This may be a characteristic of this species... I'm not sure, it's my first. But the original growth I had was nice and erect.

Anyway, as it was looking like the insecticide was taking effect, I moved it into my shade house with my other trees with the hope that with the filtered light it would pick up.

But alas, after about 4 days - nothing. Finally, two days ago I slip potted it into a slightly larger pot expecting to see an enormous amount of constrained roots, but after wetting the pot thoroughly, the root ball came out looking quite weak and filled only about half the depth of what was left in the pot (a standard 20 cm plastic, nursery pot).

I'll post some photos tomorrow, if I can... but if this description helps anyone to understand what I'm doing wrong with this tree, I'd appreciate your thoughts.

Cheers,

Ces

[MoGanic]

Seems to me like a root prune has been taken a bit too for and hence the roots r unable to support the foliage. Reduce some.of the largest leaves but not too much, maybe 1/5th at most! Should balance out the energy. Give it a bit of seasol once a fortnight for some rooting energy.
I suspect either the insects or the insecticide have weakened the root system. Did you cover the soil as you sprayed?
Your tree should pull through, but keep an eye on it. I have a silver floss tree that started to wilt then die back. I ended up having to chop the trunk in half and it popped out new shoots health as ever. Not saying this is something you should consider though. Not yet haha
-Mo

[Ces]

You could be right Moganic.

Today the tree seems to be recovering a bit but I'll put up a few pics of the tree before I prune off a little bit of the foliage. I'll just take off the biggest leaves. What do you think?

front 1.jpg

new growth.jpg

bugs.jpg

trunk scar.jpg

The final photo shows a trunk scar on the tree that looks to be at least a year old. not sure what may have caused it but could it still be there?

[kcpoole]

Japanes maple can suffer from Bark sunburn and die back during our sydney Summer.
It is a good idea to try to keep them out of the hottest sunshine to avoid it here.

Ken

[Ces]

Japanes maple can suffer from Bark sunburn and die back during our sydney Summer.
It is a good idea to try to keep them out of the hottest sunshine to avoid it here.

Bark sunburn, aye? First I've heard of that. Thanks Ken. Some of these exotics need a teaspoon of cement. Until then I guess, she stays in the shade house.

[thoglette]

Bark sunburn, aye? First I've heard of that. Thanks Ken. Some of these exotics need a teaspoon of cement. Until then I guess, she stays in the shade house.

Yup - keep them out of the sun and out of the wind.

[Andrew Legg]

Ces,

I have heard/read that palmatums don't like insecticide sprays. I believe it sets them back. Others with more experience will need to verify that for us though. In my experience, nurseries often sell this type of tree in what is essentially pure milled pine bark, or close to it. This means that when you water, you need to do so carefully. I dunk mine in a bath of water for 5 to 10 minutes to ensure that the medium takes up the water properly as pine bark is almost water repellent when bone dry. Often when they first go in they float like a block of polystyrene!!!!

Cheers and good luck.