Need advice on whether my Maple Bonsai is still alive, and if so, how to recover it

[dunha2j]

Last week was hot in southern Michigan, and my Japanese maple was left out in the sunlight without water for about four days....

I'm looking for advice on whether it's still alive and how to care for it while it's in this state.

The last couple of days, I've been keeping it inside, beside a window with some sunlight, watering it daily, and spraying the leaves with some water as well.

 

[darzuo]

I've seen maples bounce back from worse, but who knows. Either way don't keep it inside, leave it outdoors in shade and keep soil moist. Not sure if theres any point in misting, these leaves look like a lost cause, just have to hope for some new growth

 

[Jrmcmich]

I’m guessing spraying leaves won’t do anything. Assume all you can do is place it in light shade and water as needed and see if it responds. Guessing will drop all leaves

 

[rockm]

Leaves are dead they are not coming back. It will resprout from the trunk. Get iit outside

Does no good to bring it inside and will make matters mostly worse. Back outside in the shade. Keep the soil moist not wet. Wait

 

[zita]

cut off the leaves and put it back to SUN, actually where it was prior.
normal watering, add nutritients

 

[Shibui]

Hopefully you have learned a valuable bonsai lesson. Very few bonsai can go 3 days without water in Summer. Most need watering every day and sometimes twice a day. Definitely need to check the soil each day if you want your little tree to live.

First aid for dehydrated bonsai is soak the pot in water ASAP. Dry soil is hard to wet so just watering the soil is not enough. Soak the entire pot for at least an hour or even overnight.
If you are lucky and the trunk still has life, it will throw new buds in a few weeks. Put the tree back outdoors. If leaves open in shade they will get sunburnt when you move the tree back into it's proper home again.
Without leaves the tree won't be using much water, if any so you may not need to water every day but you should check each day and water when the soil is just starting to get dry..

I would take the opportunity to trim the long branches. Not strictly necessary but may save the tree wasting effort on buds way out on the end of long branches.

 

[Ininaatigoons]

If you have to leave a tree for a few days make sure it's watered well. Then cover soil with wet newspaper or spagnum moss and wrap the pot in cling wrap or even a tied plastic bag to keep evaporation at bay. Put in shady outdoors location if possible.

 

[penumbra]

Apparently many people hold out for a chance it is still alive, but I don't subscribe to that group. Three hot sunny days without water in a shallow pot has surely desiccated the root system. Still, if it were to survive most of the advice given is appropriate. And bringing an outdoor plant inside in this instance is a common mistake and counter intuitive. If there is any life left in this poor plant, that alone could finish it off. Any chance that this tree might make it is jeopardized by taking it in. Also, depending on where you live, you may or may not have time for new leaves to mature before the end of the season. I say cut those long whips back had, soak the pot, put it outside and hope for the best but don't expect it.
We have all killed plants here.

 

[zita]

about cutting/trimmung the long branches:

yes, but: first cut off all the leaves.
they are no good on the tree anymore in any case as they are lifeless (different to crisped leaves)

Then inspect: there are some new buds on the tree already, mainly on the right side of the tree. Of course, in case they are alive, you do NOT cut thouse back.
Cut back every branch back to a bud that is alive will be king. Not sure how the situation really looks like as the pics do not show thouse new buds well enough.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Leaves are gone. You can wait for them to fall off, or if you find it annoying, cut the leaves off at the stem. Do not damage the buds at the base of the leaves.

Then, place it in shade outside, and keep it watered. (Without leaves the tree does not need any sun, but make sure it stays warm). Make sure you don't turn the soil into a swamp by over-watering - without leaves the tree will use far less water. If you caught it before the roots dried out, you have a chance. If the roots dried out, the tree is gone... but stay patient until you know for sure.

Cross your fingers and wait. If you are lucky, you will see signs of growth from the buds. If you are not, nothing will happen and the tree will just sit there... waiting for the burn pile. FWIW I had a large landscape maple that got scorched last summer when it was still in a large 15 gallon black plastic landscape pot. It dropped all its leaves and pouted the rest of the year, but I remained patient because it was in a large pot and I was pretty confident the roots had not dried out. This spring it budded out like normal, none the worse for the experience, and is now planted in my front yard.

 

[zita]

Leaves are gone. You can wait for them to fall off, or if you find it annoying, cut the leaves off at the stem.

they wont fall off for weeks and there is a difference, whether they are there or not.
If left, the tree will always spend energy trying to fix them.
Scorched leaves are ALIVE while what we have here are dried out dead leaves. They have to go, the tree needs human support.

Then, place it in shade outside, and keep it watered. (Without leaves the tree does not need any sun, but make sure it stays warm).

no leaves there and still worried about burning them? imho sun is a main driver

I had a large landscape maple that got scorched last summer when it was still in a large 15 gallon black plastic landscape pot. It dropped all its leaves and pouted the rest of the year, but I remained patient because it was in a large pot and I was pretty confident the roots had not dried out. This spring it budded out like normal, none the worse for the experience, and is now planted in my front yard.

great story, congrats!
so the tree was about 8 month without any leaves or with a set of severly scorched leaves?

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Actually removing dead leaves may force the tree to open existing buds and generate a second flush of leaves. This is often done with J. maples earlier in the summer to replace older, heat damaged leaves. However it is usually only done with otherwise healthy and strong trees. In you case it is too late to get a new canopy but you may get some new leaves if the tree is still alive. Opening leaf buds will be the first sign of life.

 

[rockm]

they wont fall off for weeks and there is a difference, whether they are there or not.
If left, the tree will always spend energy trying to fix them.
Scorched leaves are ALIVE while what we have here are dried out dead leaves. They have to go, the tree needs human support.

no leaves there and still worried about burning them? imho sun is a main driver

great story, congrats!
so the tree was about 8 month without any leaves or with a set of severly scorched leaves?

The tree is NOT expending any energy to repair leaves. It stopped doing the minute they died. They are dead. Period

If you start cutting dead leaves you risk removing new leaf buds

I find a lot of what you’ve said here very confusing.

 

[dunha2j]

Thank you all for the advice!

Last night, I was careful in trimming off the dead leaves and cutting back some of the branches to the point where there are buds. I'm not 100% sure the buds are still alive, but fingers crossed.

The plant is back outside in a spot that is shady for most of the day.

 

[vesper818]

 

[rockm]

Thank you all for the advice!

Last night, I was careful in trimming off the dead leaves and cutting back some of the branches to the point where there are buds. I'm not 100% sure the buds are still alive, but fingers crossed.

The plant is back outside in a spot that is shady for most of the day.

The tree needs NO hard pruning. In trimming off limbs you may have elmimated live tissue. Bette to have left the branching intetact UNTIL AFTER the tree has begun resprouting. That way you maximize the live tissue instead of possibly eliminating it. Resting buds may or may not be visible or recognizable.

 

[Shibui]

The tree needs NO hard pruning. In trimming off limbs you may have elmimated live tissue. Bette to have left the branching intetact UNTIL AFTER the tree has begun resprouting. That way you maximize the live tissue instead of possibly eliminating it. Resting buds may or may not be visible or recognizable.

This is NOT my experience. Trimming over long branches of trees under stress seems to promote better regrowth where I live.
I guess it could be possible to cut too far but I cannot imagine any beginner doing so. Cutting back to any of the previous leaves will be fine.