Bare root Acer Palmatum

[colley614]

Hey peeps,

I have an Acer P. That I got this winter I planted it in Bonsai substrate to grow it out. Yesterday we had some pretty strong winds and when I got home it was lying on its side but the root is still in the substrate.

What can I do to sort it out?

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Do you have a photo of the devastation?

If it just got knocked sideways out of the pot, I would simply tilt it back up and replace it in the pot. Do not try to remove any soil or prune any roots - it is the wrong season for that work. Add soil to replace any that was lost on the ground. Make sure to secure the tree in the pot or container. This is why it is critically importation to wire your trees into their pots. If you weren't home when this happened, the tree would have died in short order. Even my Japanese black pine seedlings are wired into their pond baskets! I hope I am not preaching too much, but it is a small thing to do that provides a lot of security.

 

[colley614]

I've learned my lesson now. How can I wire something so delicate?

 

[leatherback]

I find healthy maples take pretty much anything this time of year in my part of the world.

This is what I do if I mess up and a tree is in your situation (Yeah, happened to me a few times too) .. I would go inside a shed or other protected environment. Prepare a new pot, or prepare a few tie-down wires. Then "shake" the tree gently out of the pot (Holding the trunk with one hand, pot in the other, holding the pot on its side and gently shaking the substrate out ill the tree can be removed. Then repot and wire into the pot this time.

There are several ways how to do this. You can get some idea on this video, if you have a very young tree with delecate roots, do not tie then that firmly. As you will have to work quickly and do not want to disturb the roots much, you can also consider a three-point tie from the top of the tree to the anchor holes or even by looping around the bottom of the pot.

 

[Shibui]

Just dig out and stand it straight again. Replace soil mix. No problem. A few hours out of the soil is rarely a death sentence for a tree.

Lots of ways to tie a tree into a pot.
Traditional wire through the drain holes over the roots.
3 or 4 wires as a cage over the roots
Tie twine round the pot and round the trunk.
The tie down really only needed for a month or so until the new roots grow through the soil mix (unless you experience hurricane force winds and then you also need to tie the pots down)

 

[colley614]

Thanks so much for the advice everyone. I did an emergency repot and tied it in. Amazing how much root has grown since February!