Acer palmatum fireglow

[akhater]

I cracked for this Acer palmatum fireglow today !

It is not a cheap investment for me $100 usd but I couldn't resist it.

I'm really new in bonsai and I don't want to blow this out so I really need all the help I can get.

1. It doesn't look grafted to me but maybe I missed the graft point
2. the trunk at the base rather large

well now I have it but I have no idea what to do with it or how to proceed so any help is more than precious.

If anyone is reading to tutor me through out this project let me know

 

[cquinn]

If i were you I would educate myself on air-layering (lot's of articles on the web). You could end up with some more good material that way. Got to Brent's site www.evergreengardenworks.com for great information.

 

[akhater]

thanks for the reply

I have layerd 5 or 6 times so I am familiar with it to a certain extent

Where do you suggest i layer?

 

[cquinn]

thanks for the reply

I have layerd 5 or 6 times so I am familiar with it to a certain extent

Where do you suggest i layer?

What I've done in the past on nursery trees is to first layer the very top "skinny branches"; I grow these out for forests. Next I layer at the larger forks (I'm a sucker for double trunk maples). Once this is done you've successfully made chops to the main trunk and have many trees to show for it. If it's nebari is unsatisfactory to you, then I guess you could layer again at the base.

 

[rockm]

If it were mine, I'd be very concerned about what's going on under the soil. The top growth looks to be pretty weak. The soil looks very heavy.

The bare whips at the ends of the branches are an indication you have a problem brewing.

 

[akhater]

the soil is heavy indeed but i thought a repotting now it is in leaf is too risky ...

Please advise what should I do

 

[jferrier]

Not sure about the weather where you are but its a bit late to repot, but I agree, this tree looks like it may not be doing so well. Saw you are in 11b. What are your lowest winter temps? You may not have cold enough winters for Japanese maples. I'd probably not cut any of the the roots right now and plant it in the ground until it recoops. You can gently brush away some of the heavy soil and amend your local soil if needed. If you don't disturb the roots too much it should be safe to do this now.

 

[akhater]

it is too late for repotting I think, the tree has already leafed out temps are in the 20 degrees centigrades.

The lowest temps in winter are usually in the 6 7 degrees centigrades but sometimes we do get a day or two of snow so in the 1 or 2 degrees

I thought for a long time japanese maples cant grow where i live but i saw quite a few as landscape in the gardens around me and this for years in a row so I thouhght it would do fine.

Please advise on how shld i nurse it till fall or next spring before i repot it

Tx

 

[jferrier]

Well, first off, the pic may not tell the full story. Do those ends that appear bare have viable buds that just haven't opened or do they look dead?

 

[akhater]

first let me thank you all for the help and assistance.

The twigs has buds the hasnt open yet but there is a dead part on the end of each one.

Shld i cut the dead part to the first bud to monitor if dieback is increasing?

 

[rockm]

There is a second repotting season for maples once their leaves have "hardened off" in early summer. Here in Zone 7 that usually means the beginning of June. The leaves have to be leathery in texture before this is done. Once the leaves harden off, JMs can be heavily pruned and root pruned.

I have a similar maple in bad soil that is showing signs like yours. I plan on repotting it in June.

I don't think this is an issue with unopened spring buds, as things should be pretty far along in Zone 11 (which may be the problem here anyway--maples don't perform well in such a hotter climates. They are marginal in the Southernmost regions of the U.S., which tops out at Zone 10.

Landscape growing is a lot different that growing in a pot. The ground is a vast buffer against temperature extremes. In a pot, the roots are exposed not only to low temps in colder regions, but to heat extremes in warmer climates. In a temperate species in a marginal climate that can make a really big difference.

 

[akhater]

spring has just arrived here which is quite unusual for us but we are still having rain and cool temps for the season, a lot of trees around just started to wake up just like this JM.

i think it all depends on what "very hot" means, we rarerly have temps above 30 degrees centigrades in summer. Maybe it is too much for JM. So I guess I have to keep it in the shade am i right?

Guess the dices are rolled I have paid the money now i have to see if I can save it

 

[rockm]

If you have temps that rarely top out above 86 F in the summer, then you're not in Zone 11b. The USDA zones are based on average MINIMUM WINTER temperature averages. Zone 11b (the USDA Zones top out at 11 in the US) is a tropical zone where WINTER TEMPERATURES don't drop below 86 F, or about 30 C. USDA Zone 11 is for places like Hawaii and tropical Mexico...

If you get snow once or twice in the winter, your USDA Zone is probably closer to 7 or 8... That's the good news.

The bad news is your tree still has some issues. If it has dead ends on branches, it means something is killing them. My bet would be on the soil.

You could nurse it along this spring, summer and fall and repot next spring, but you'll have to be careful the soil doesn't stay waterlogged in the spring and over the winter.

 

[akhater]

sorry it seems I have been badely informed. Peak temp in summer are usually 32 degrees and normal temps in winter is 8 10 degrees (centigrades) we do have about 10days each winter of extreme cold for us with temps in the 2 3 degrees and probably some snow

when i saw the die back I thought probably overwater since in nurseries they water plants everyday needing it or not and soil is very bad..

I also noticed the pot has no whole from below, i will cut holes in it and wait till soil dries in surface before water it and keep it shade only 2 hrs of early sun and fertilize every 15 days

Sounds like a good plan?

 

[jferrier]

Just saw your trees jsut woke up. Are you sure the ends are dead? May just be that all the buds haven't swollen and emerged yet.
You might not want to fertilize it if its not doing well. Japanese maples don't really need that much fertilizer anyways, and if its stressed might be best to leave it alone. But you definitely need drainage holes.

 

[rockm]

"I also noticed the pot has no whole from below" Probably a big part of the problem. No drainage and bad soil is very bad thing. Cut A LOT of holes...

DON'T fertilize the plant. It could do more harm than good. Keep it moist, but not soggy.

 

[jferrier]

spring has just arrived here which is quite unusual for us but we are still having rain and cool temps for the season, a lot of trees around just started to wake up just like this JM.

i think it all depends on what "very hot" means, we rarerly have temps above 30 degrees centigrades in summer. Maybe it is too much for JM. So I guess I have to keep it in the shade am i right?

Guess the dices are rolled I have paid the money now i have to see if I can save it

Give it morning sun. I get many many days of 100 F (38C) weather here. As long as its shaded and well watered, no problems. You might have a period of slowed growth during the hottest part of the summer though.

 

[akhater]

yes i am sure they are dead I will post a pic in the morning close up and good quality one

cutting holes is easy but I really doubt, no matter how I water, water will ever reach the bottom, this soil is full of clay and, when watered, the clay becomes saturated and it wont let water penetrate further...

 

[jferrier]

yes i am sure they are dead I will post a pic in the morning close up and good quality one

cutting holes is easy but I really doubt, no matter how I water, water will ever reach the bottom, this soil is full of clay and, when watered, the clay becomes saturated and it wont let water penetrate further...

I'd really get it out of that clay or you're going to continue to see decline. I don't root prune after leaves emerge, but not saying that it can't be done after leaves harden. I'd probably tend to just remove as much soil as possible after leaves harden and wait to prune roots once it gains some strength and the timing is better. Let us know how it works out. Is it too late to get a refund?

 

[akhater]

If you have temps that rarely top out above 86 F in the summer, then you're not in Zone 11b. The USDA zones are based on average MINIMUM WINTER temperature averages. Zone 11b (the USDA Zones top out at 11 in the US) is a tropical zone where WINTER TEMPERATURES don't drop below 86 F, or about 30 C. USDA Zone 11 is for places like Hawaii and tropical Mexico..

From this site our average minimum temperature is above 40F so I am in 11 no ? unless I am totally misunderstanding the concept

EDIT: from http://www.ehow.com/list_7629711_planting-zones-mideast.html I am in zone 8 (a or b)

I doubt i will be able to remove a lot of soil without cumbing the roots i will need to root bare it and probably break a few.

What are the survival chances if i do it now?

can I still layer it ?