Black spots on aureum maple

[Bonsainoob88]

Hello , I have just purchased another tree . I think I was a bit hasty as I liked the trees foliage and would like to bonsai it in the future.

However I have noticed since getting it home that it has these black spots on a lot of the leaves . After a bit of research I am just wanting to confirm if it is black tar spot which is common in maples .

If it is what I think it is , should I attempt to take it back to the shop for a refund or is there something I can do to get the tree back to good health ?
Also while we are on the subject of this tree , is it a good looking tree to bonsai ? I am quickly learning that I might be a bit out of my depth with this hobby . I am now 3 trees deep and all 3 are looking doubtful to bonsai


Thanks for replys

 

[NOZZLE HEAD]

Tar spot is just where you can see it, and does not infect the whole plant. If you make sure there is no leaf litter overwintering around your maples it should not come back.

This is consistent with other leaf spots of maple, and generally doesn’t effect the health of the tree as a whole.

 

[Bonsainoob88]

Tar spot is just where you can see it, and does not infect the whole plant. If you make sure there is no leaf litter overwintering around your maples it should not come back.

This is consistent with other leaf spots of maple, and generally doesn’t effect the health of the tree as a whole.

Ok so I just have to look after tree as normal and live with the black spots on the foliage . Then should come back minus the black spots next year . (As long as I properly get rid of the foliage that drops in autumn/winter) .
Thanks for input, dear me I cant believe I bought this dud. Gonna stick with what I've got for now and see how it goes from here on .

 

[August44]

I dont think it is a dud my friend. You will get better at looking and seeing as you go along.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I'd keep the tree because I love that leaf and that colour and you can beat if you cut off and burn those leaves when they turn in autumn.
They ain't gonna be bonsai, however.


That graft will get worse, and worse, and... The reason you don't see many special JM cultivars as bonsai as they are almost impossible to acquire without a graft. Otherwise... there'd be a million of 'em.

 

[NOZZLE HEAD]

Most cultivars can be air layered above the graft union.

It is just not done commonly in the nursery trade because it takes more time on a large scale.

 

[Bonsainoob88]

I'd keep the tree because I love that leaf and that colour and you can beat if you cut off and burn those leaves when they turn in autumn.
They ain't gonna be bonsai, however.
View attachment 302741
View attachment 302742
That graft will get worse, and worse, and... The reason you don't see many special JM cultivars as bonsai as they are almost impossible to acquire without a graft. Otherwise... there'd be a million of 'em.

Ok I'm not saying I don't believe you , and this may be a silly question to you
But why can't this tree be a bonsai? Can grafter trees not be bonsai ? Why not ?
Could it at least be a tree that stays in a pot miniature style something to work on aesthetically with pruning, wiring and so on ?

 

[August44]

Yes, you an call it a bonsai, and do all the work on it that you mentioned, but it will be "flawed" because of the graft as Forsoothe mentioned.

 

[Bonsainoob88]

Yes, you an call it a bonsai, and do all the work on it that you mentioned, but it will be "flawed" because of the graft as Forsoothe mentioned.

Ok I see , I can live with that.

 

[Bonsainoob88]

Should I remove the affected leaves and burn now as opposed to winter time ? There may not be much left of plant if I do

 

[Forsoothe!]

Ok I'm not saying I don't believe you , and this may be a silly question to you
But why can't this tree be a bonsai? Can grafter trees not be bonsai ? Why not ?
Could it at least be a tree that stays in a pot miniature style something to work on aesthetically with pruning, wiring and so on ?

This is where you're going...

The scion grows at a different, less vigorous rate than the rootstock.

 

[NOZZLE HEAD]

This is where you're going...
View attachment 302750
The scion grows at a different, less vigorous rate than the rootstock.

Not always, while that is the most common issue with grafted JM, there are no guarantees how vigorous the seedling based rootstock will be.

 

[NOZZLE HEAD]

Should I remove the affected leaves and burn now as opposed to winter time ? There may not be much left of plant if I do

I would not remove the leaves now. The tar spot, if that is what it is, will not sporulate untill the leaves naturally fall off, and you don’t have to burn them you can just throw them in the trash.

 

[August44]

Personally, if it were mine, I would defoliate the whole thing and teach it a lesson. I'm serious by the way about defoliating it. Who wants to look at that mess all summer long!

 

[Bonsainoob88]

Personally, if it were mine, I would defoliate the whole thing and teach it a lesson. I'm serious by the way about defoliating it. Who wants to look at that mess all summer long!

The pictures make it look a lot worse than it actually is . I think its beautiful, maybe it's a case of , " a face only a mother could love"....
I just hope that the black dots go walkies next year

 

[Bonsainoob88]

Most cultivars can be air layered above the graft union.

It is just not done commonly in the nursery trade because it takes more time on a large scale.

So about what nozzle head said . I wasnt sure what air layering was earlier so I checked out on google and I'm intrigued.
So is that a pretty straightforward process although time consuming? And could it be done with this plant ?
It really is impressive what I've learned in last weeks . Up until couple of weeks ago , I'd never heard of wire bending methods, grafting , air layering and loads more terms .

 

[AJL]

If the spots are bothering you and you live close to the garden centre where you bought it ,why not take it back and get an un -blemished replacement tree? you might then pick a better specimen with a less prominent graft union!!

 

[Bonsainoob88]

If the spots are bothering you and you live close to the garden centre where you bought it ,why not take it back and get an un -blemished replacement tree? you might then pick a better specimen with a less prominent graft union!!

It was the last one of those trees left so I couldn't swap for the same tree . I really like the leaves on this type. The spots dont bother me too much as long as the tree is otherwise healthy and growing well and they dont return next year.
As for the graft after what nozzlehead said maybe I could try that . I know it's going to be a long process but I suppose it's all about the long haul .
That said if they had more I'd be swapping it tomorrow

 

[AJL]

A lot of plant species with pale yellow leaves are susceptible to various leaf spots , some of them can be caused by scorching in hot sun, so I suggest you keep it in partial shade otherwise when the warmer weather does arrive you could have more leaf scorch problems....

 

[bonsaichile]

Leaves look a tad too big. Do you know if they reduce well?