AusBonsai

Hi Guys

My Japanese Maple was left under the sun for too long. Now leaves are burnt and more than half have dropped. Is it a good time to repot and do some work on it like cut back and style.

Thanks

Personally I wouldn't work on a tree that's stressed and not in good health. It is not the best time to repot a deciduous tree now anyway. I would work on it's recovery first then worry about the rest later.

Josh

Ok Thks

Is there any thing I can do to help it recover?

Give it a soak in seasol and move to a more protected area.

Josh.

Ok Thanks.

Hi Mate,

I agree with the guys above as well i had a similar situation except i bought the tree like that.

I defoliated which i would prob just leave it in the future. I placed it under a windowed patio so its a fair bit cooler and it's getting about 4-5 hours of sun light through a a number of large windows each morning but no wind. Seasol once a week currently as well

Defoliated on the 19th dec
Regrowth as of today

Wow thats alrite. Took less then a month. I have moved the maple into a less sunny spot.

Make sure its not a windy spot too. I had mine in mostly shade but it was a bit windy, still got leaf burn from the dry winds. I defoliated and it was back in good health inside a month.

Eusto wrote:Make sure its not a windy spot too. I had mine in mostly shade but it was a bit windy, still got leaf burn from the dry winds. I defoliated and it was back in good health inside a month.

Hi kuregtr,
Especially hot wind can be more devastating than sun. The boys have given you good advise. Give it a drink of Seasol at least twice a week until you see new leaves.

Regards Ray

Ray M wrote:Especially hot wind can be more devastating than sun. The boys have given you good advise.

+1 that. There's been a few threads on just this topic. If you have the time/inclination cutting the dead bits of the existing leaves off will speed up recovery IF your maple is out of the sun and wind.

Finally - don't let the roots sit in water!!! The plant is already stressed and drainage is ultra important or you'll get root rot.

Thanks for the tips

The wind in Melbourne is quite unpredictable (and so the sun). I've seen my neighbours covering cloth over their plants during crazy weather. Will that help?

Most of the leaves have fallen and I have been adding seasol so fingers cross hopefully all be good.

Its weird all my maples (trident and Japanese) and also Japanese elm all got their leaves burnt but the chinese elm looks fine.

kuregtr wrote:Thanks for the tips

The wind in Melbourne is quite unpredictable (and so the sun). I've seen my neighbours covering cloth over their plants during crazy weather. Will that help? Yes it will, but don't forget about the wind. The cover will certainly help with sun, but if hot wind is still able to get to the trees, you will need to add some protection.

Most of the leaves have fallen and I have been adding seasol so fingers cross hopefully all be good.

Its weird all my maples (trident and Japanese) and also Japanese elm all got their leaves burnt but the chinese elm looks fine. Chinese Elms are fairly forgiving. As long as they get watered before the roots dry out, they have a good chance of surviving.

Regards Ray

I just moved 20 pre-bonsai maples from the sun in to the shade / dappled light at the end of December.
Since moving them out of the wind heat, they've put on fantastically healthy growth. Very thankful I moved them in time.
In S.A. this week we've got a week of over 40 degree heat.

Hi Sean,
I'm right with you. I live in rural NSW and learnt the hard way 12 months ago that not much survives furnace like weather without some form of shelter. I moved everything into my shade house just after Christmas. I know that bonsai are outdoor plants, but when extreme temperatures are combined with fierce hot winds, it's survival mode. Do what you have to, mate. Similarly for every forum member getting hammered by the heat. Fingers crossed for the National collection in Canberra too.
Regards
John