HELP! Deshojo not doing well

[thenewguy]

Hey all, new to the JM scene and looking for advice..

I got this Deshojo late April, I believe it was around the 24th that showed up, it was shipped from out east so it was in a box with peat covering the pot and wrapped in plastic, the stems were bent in half. Vibrant red are pics on arrival.

I waited for the top of the soil (akadama mix) to start to dry before watering it, we were experience horrendous wind and almost freezing temps so he spent about a week on my table in an east facing direction, duller red leaved pic is on april 30th, just before he moved outside.

The top soil was starting to dry so I watered him again until drainage, here is where it gets weird.. It started to wilt after that watering, I thought I had overwatered it somehow even though the mix has good drainage. Now under the impression of overwatering I waited again for it dry a bit on top before watering, he has progressively gotten worse. I soaked him in a pot of water 3 days ago for 45 min and it seems like there is life now.. Did I drought stress him extremely bad on accident?

Pics from today he has one branch that looks alive and 2 that look wilted bad but pushing new buds potentially.. The stem is also turning black so I have no idea... I am at a serious loss, lots of ag experience and this is blowing my mind.

Does he have a disease?

Thanks for the help, I appreciate it.

 

[Gabler]

Black stem? Sounds like Verticillium wilt. Can anyone with more maple experience confirm?

It would help if you put your location in your profile, so we know what your local climate is like.

 

[thenewguy]

Sorry I will update that shortly! I am in Alberta Canada

 

[ajm55555]

Black is not good, especially near the trunk base. It could be a disease (like Verticillium wilt for which there is no cure) or root rot.
In any case this tree seems compromised to me. All the new shoots have dried up and it's very difficult it will manage to produce new ones from the branches since they're young, if it had the strength anyway.
Since it was apparently doing fine when you got it I think it was probably just stressed, not a disease. I would have let it rest for a couple of weeks in the shade with minimal watering. The surface humidity is not the same as that at the bottom of the pot especially if the soil doesn't drain well. There are simple tools to measure the humidity down below. Overcare can be a killer like no care.

 

[Shibui]

If that is black around the trunk right at ground level there's probably no hope now. I've seen this several times here, usually the result of being too wet through late winter and early spring. The wilted and dying shoots up top are typical as no water or nutrients can get up there. Akadama can be a bit misleading as the surface dries out quick but underneath it is often still soaking wet.
I have occasionally saved a tree by putting the pot up on an airy bench in good sun and plenty of air movement but that's only in the very early stages. By the time the bark is black right round the trunk they do not seem to recover.

If the trunk down at ground level still looks healthy it's probably dehydration which is much easier to recover from.

Either way you definitely need to get a better handle on watering.

 

[thenewguy]

So my initial thought of it potentially being overwatered could have been accurate, even though the akadama was dry on top it could have still been sopping underneath?

I have grown in both hydro and soil and lots of different species so generally watering has never been an issue for me in the past, I will watch and be more careful as these seem to be a bit more sensitive.

Thank you for the help folks.

 

[thenewguy]

Since I only got the tree 3 weeks ago, could it have been compromised at arrival? This is so discouraging as someone with ag experience, I am unsure if it was something I did or if it was doomed to begin with.

I didnt water him for days after arrival and only did a few times prior to the soaking when he wasnt getting better.

 

[bwaynef]

Black (or discolored) in the spring time is much more likely to be pseudomonas. Verticillium wilt's only outward symptom is wilt. Cutting into the branch shows discoloration of the tissue, but it doesn't appear outwardly. (The discoloration is what causes the wilt, which "gums up" the tissues that send water up the plant (and nutrients down it). Without that water, the leaves go limp.

 

[thenewguy]

@bwaynef is there any treatment that I can do for pseudomonas to see if that saves this tree?

Does a 50/50 sulpher lime/water mix work?

 

[Gabler]

Does a 50/50 sulpher lime/water mix work?

That’s an absurdly high concentration of lime sulphur. That would definitely kill your trees. Unfortunately, I don’t know from personal experience what would be the right fungicide to use.

 

[bwaynef]

I'm not really an expert on treatment, but prevention is the best course of action. Drainage. Covering wounds with a cut paste w/ fungicide in it. Dormant sprays. Not repotting too early.

Once you see black, I think cutting below it is warranted. Sterilize everything (tool and tree).

 

[bwaynef]

https://crataegus.com/2011/11/29/read-this-if-you-grow-japanese-maple/ and https://pnwhandbooks.org/plantdisease/host-disease/maple-acer-spp-bacterial-leaf-spot-dieback

 

[JudyB]

Also be sure to quarantine this tree from your others and if it dies do not throw it on a compost pile or leave on the ground in your yard.

 

[thenewguy]

I'm not really an expert on treatment, but prevention is the best course of action. Drainage. Covering wounds with a cut paste w/ fungicide in it. Dormant sprays. Not repotting too early.

Once you see black, I think cutting below it is warranted. Sterilize everything (tool and tree).

Unfortunately cutting below the black I think is cutting it at the roots, its right at the base of the soil and even goes into the soil a ways. I think this tree is done for, its moved away from everything else and we will see what happens.