Crispy edges and dark spots on new acquisition

[SeeSeas]

Hello, I am a long time lurker that is dipping my toe in the water for the first time. I acquired a lovely Japanese Maple last weekend. I don't know where whether it came from near or far. At first I thought it might have gotten a bit sunburned on new tips but as I look closer, I see some spotting as well. The spots appear darker on the top of the leaves than underneath. It seems to be deteriorating quickly. I have no history regarding treatments, or its maintenance regimen. It is supposedly 20 years old.

Locally, it has been a cool, wet spring with just a few sunny days, but I don't know if it is a local tree. Any thoughts on getting it back on track? It is otherwise quite the lovely tree on a rock.

 

[Kullas]

Im looking forward to learning also.

 

[bwaynef]

I'd tend to think this is pathogenic in nature. Fungal even. I'd spray but others wouldn't. You could also tilt the pot to improve drainage, water less frequently, and make sure not to get the leaves wet. Or you could do all those things AND spray.

(Cue Sorce saying that fungus is an indication that you shouldn't be growing that tree and should only focus on something that will thrive in your yard ...and weirdly punctuating it while he's doing it ...and stringing together some weird ideas from sentences that he starts his post with (that didn't make any sense at the time) with something else a bit further into the paragraph (or series of paragraphs (or "paragraphs" which are really just a bunch of sentences in proximity)). Anyway, he'll be along shortly.

 

[SeeSeas]

My yard is full of vigorous maples of all types, so it is in good company. I am wondering whether I should indulge in a systemic fungal treatment as well. It looks fairly well established in the pot. It just feels damp and not wet but that is just under the surface. It does look like it was recently sprayed with something that has a white residue. It doesn't look like powdery mildew, which is a big problem in these parts.

We are expecting a gully washer in a few days. Perhaps I should move it under cover and way from my other maples. It seemed to drain ok but there is a huge rock under it taking up space too.

I saw another post from years ago that had similar symptoms but that thread ended without a resolution.

 

[bwaynef]

One thing I should've mentioned before (but won't be helpful to you right now). The best way to handle this situation is to not HAVE to handle it ...by treating with Lime Sulfur during dormancy. That has almost completely eliminated any ailments during the growing season on my deciduous trees, maples in particular.

 

[sorce]

Just don't be the moron that kills all the life in the soil that converts an organic fertilizer to an available form and believe it's something other than a lack of health that is actually causing the usual stated benefits of using an organic fertilizer, slow "healthy" growth.

Welcome to Crazy!

Once you're spraying anything, you're better off leaning into it and using chemical fertilizer which is only good if your enemies are fisherman because mostly what you pay for is the destruction of the local watering hole!

Do what you will.

I'm going to invest in a proper unit to run a brix test on my trees and when I put up 12's and 14's I doubt anyone else's $ is going to go where there mouth is.

I'll be paying for shipping the unit to anyone who feels like it though.

Talk is Cheap, morally, I'm only cheap when it comes to everything but Morals.

The only thing more valuable than Truth Truth is Proof Proof.

And Bread Pudding.

Sorce

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Welcome Aboard! It’s great to see another PacNW member.

So as you know we’ve been having a cold, wet and overall for maple leaf health, a miserable spring time. This means we chock up the pots to improve drainage and thin out the foliage that touches each other.

But this wasn’t anything you did, it came from the the nursery that sold the tree to you. It’s a hygiene issue from overwintering.

One fungus, amongst many, that loves this weather is tar spot, yet it’s not the only one. I think you have this, but also something else. btw Tar Spots life cycle includes shoots up spores from the detritus on the ground and in the pot in springtime. Yeah you can use lime sulfur during the winter, I dont, but I do use copper two or three times every winter.

In this case I’d cut back all the affected leaves, or at least those parts that are affected. Dispose of these in the compost pickup bin. Do not put the cuttings in your compost. Spray your scissors with alcohol’ afterwards.

Next use the old standby, environmentally safe fungicide, 3% H2O2. Put 2 TBSP /QT spray. (Don’t do more please) btw It works wonders on all fungus, including the powdery mildew you mentioned.

Spray all leaves top and bottom and the media thoroughly. Spray again in 7-10 day intervals twice more.

Please post in 3-4 weeks and let us see how things are progressing?

cheers
DSD sends

 

[SeeSeas]

I am a former Water Quality Specialist and Industrial Waste Investigator so I so have a firm grasp on the impacts on fishing holes and more, which inspired my career. I have happy clover in my lawn too. I fish for Steelhead, Salmon and cool rocks on the side. I don't like those rocks covered with zoogleal film and sucking the 02 out of the waterways either. I don't mind a good watering hole. Dive Bars included.

What I don't know is the impacts of hard water on Bonsai. I am living with hard water for the first time in my life. Those darned Artesians!

I do wonder how often bonsai need to be flushed to get the salts out of the potting matrix.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Honestly, I haven’t had much of an issue with that on water from the Tolt River watershed. Where does your water come from?
Normal watering…

best
DSD sends

 

[SeeSeas]

Appreciate the welcome and the thoughtful advice, @Deep Sea Diver. I did pick up this gem at the local PSBA auction last weekend. It looks so well put together and loved that I'd hate to see it wither further. I'm going to start pinching and snipping those formerly beautiful leaves now.

Water comes from Mt. Rainier, essentially. I didn't live far from you until recently and I was on Tolt too. I grew up closer to Mt. Adams. I had no idea that hard water was a thing in these parts until I moved in between. I was shocked by the mineral buildups.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Uh Oh! So sorry about that. The Rees at the auction are usually in gret have. I didn’t make it to the auction last Saturday. Too much work going on here, playing catch up!

Like I said, it’s been a bad spring and not so good winter. The tree looks overall pretty healthy from your photos, so it ought to respond quickly.

I forgot to agree with you -isolate and keep it out of the rain. Also, remove any dead needles et from the media.

Once July rolls around, you should be in good shape to put it with the rest.

btw: I usually make it a practice of spraying new trees with H2O2 as a precaution.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[SeeSeas]

@Deep Sea Diver Are you talking about OTC medical grade H202 for the blend or another concentration?

Now that I think about it our excessively hard water may have come from that huge glacial melt over the last couple seasons with our heat dome. Mt. Rainier started to look like it was going bald and Puget Sound was silting up. Maybe this is a temporary condition, but from the looks of our appliances, I am thinking that it isn't the case in this aquifer. "It's the water and a lot more".

Big Leaf Maples in the region are suffering. I heard from laypeople that it is from warm, dry weather making them less vigorous but the DNR told me that a disease is wiping out the Big Leaf Maples along with music wood poachers.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Standard 3% H2O2 over the counter. One can actually use concentrations of up to 4 TBSP/QT water, but that’s iffy for new growth imho. Higher concentrations up to 3% can be used for root rot. But that’s for trees in the ICU!

Yep, the BLM‘s are getting dieback, over 20% affected, yet no one knows why at this point. There is no data on the Vine Maples being similarly affected. As Japanese Maples are closer in habitat to Vine Maples, likely not an issue at this time.

Our water hardness in the Seattle/Everett/Tacoma Metro area is between 12 and 35 ppm, which is considered soft. Hardness in Eastern Washington can be much higher. Not sure about well water in the area.

cheers
DSD sends

 

[SeeSeas]

Our calcium carbonate levels run from 45 to over 80 ppm. Most wells run around 60 ppm locally.

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

Interesting, what’s the pH running?

 

[SeeSeas]

Interesting, what’s the pH running?

Daily pH average range was 7.1 – 7.7 in 2021

 

[Deep Sea Diver]

The water managers like to keep the pH up just a bit to avoid corrosion, so our pH is similar.

Likely accumulation will be minimal compared to most folks, especially in places like Spokane and Phoenix

cheers
DSD sends.