My first maple

[Beano]

I picked up this trident today. Unfortunately I got excited and didn't take a photo before I layer into it, but essentially all I did was take out some branches coming from the same point and some wiring.

Waiting for more options on the top area. I know it looks like a stick in the photo, it's much nicer in real life.

[Bougy Fan]

Good move getting a Trident here in Brissy - I have had nothing but heartache with Japanese maples. The tridents seem to do very well with the sad exception of no autumn colour. Keep us posted !

[Beano]

Japanese maples look odd to me. I like the trident leaves. They look like small liquidambar leaves. They are quite small on my little tree, are the likely to stay that way?

[Bougy Fan]

Not if you are feeding them heavily and growing them on - I have some that are 120mm across the lobes

[Beano]

So it was fine when I got it, but the new growth has weird leaves. They're all puffy and don't open out flat, they look like parachutes. I've seen a few other threads on here arguing the cause as being either overwatering or fungus.

I have now stepped back the watering to every 2nd or 3rd day, when the soil is dry, but because it is slip potted the soil around the roots is different so maybe there are still drainage issues? The only difference to the leaves is that they are now bigger, but still abnormally shaped.

[shibui]

I think this is probably fungal infection. The good news is that (here) it is rarely fatal and they usually get over it. Just feed and keep it healthy and .
Some have used high strength fungicide and it goes away. Mine usually goes away without fungicide so maybe the fungicide does not necessarily cure this???

[longd_au]

I had the same problem with some of my small tridents and one or two have died as a result.
I found the cause being bad drainage and constantly moist soil in the ground.
A few I re-potted into a free draining mix have recovered. I left a few in the ground with this condition but dropped off the watering and they too have recovered with normal leaf growth.
Those affected have greatly reduce and slow growth.
I would monitor the soil and for long term feasibility, I would re-pot with a free draining mix.
Otherwise, the watering gets too difficult.

[Beano]

Thanks for the info. Do you think the fungus comes to present because the ground was too wet?

[Beano]

Well, this one got a repot back in August and the new growth has finally normalised. Before that I had tried copper sprays, and watering less. I'm thinking the drainage in my last soil mix was poor. Now I have new different mix, it seems much happier.

[Bush bunny]

Talking about smaller leaves, my one trident, was left out of watering thinking it had received enough rain. It's leaves shriveled and died off. But I kept watering and feeding it diluted Seasol, and new leaves, smaller arrived. So not all is lost eh, what it got was a voluntary or could be involuntary de-foliation.

[Bush bunny]

I did reply, but I am informed that after complaints from some, my postings are being screened. But I mentioned that environmental change too can effect a trident or any tree really, if their nursery where they were grown is in a different micro-climate than where you live. They are temperate region trees that require a dormant period as they are deciduous. But my first one did not automatically shed its leaves the first winter, although kept in a sheltered position outside. (They come up from a greenhouse Sydney region) But she/he caught up, and is now doing well with Autumn colors last autumn. Ficus would do fine in Brissie, whereas here in Armidale we have to give them indoor or very protected areas in the cold days especially nights. I lost one that was going well, and then started to show stress outside in a protected position as soon as the night temps dipped. I brought it inside but - it died.

I did read that one can induce dormancy in deciduous trees, but I'll leave that to someone who lives in Qld to give that advice.

[Beano]

Hi, I got your replies. It is a young tree, it didn't change colour when it was in brisvegas but dropped leaves. It's now in FNQ so it'll behave differently again this year.

[Bush bunny]

I think my trees or deciduous ones, except the English elm, the trident, and liquid amber, didn't not shed their leaves at all in winter for maybe a couple of seasons. But they do now. The two Japanese maples I bought last year, they did shed their leaves, but little color in comparison to the trident that was older anyway, and acclimatised. I did some leaf size reduction on them too last year, and pruned them into shape. They seem to have thrived so far.
Best of luck.