Is it normal For Trident leaves to look droopy?

Flabonsai

Yamadori
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The buds broke about a week or so ago and the Leaves look droopy and some of them almost look wilted is this normal when the new leaves are coming in? This is my first true trident.
 

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Flabonsai

Yamadori
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That looks normal to me.

Thanks, I did fertilize a few days ago with Miracle-Gro, 12-8-4 at full strength which calls for 1 teaspoon per a gallon of water for house plants. I was a little worried so I did flush it out a few times the next day with spring water. I guess maybe I should have used half the strength to be on the safe side.
 

FrankP999

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I can't tell from your photos if the trident is outdoors or indoors. If indoors, you should move it out.
 

Flabonsai

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You shouldn't be fertilizing with fast acting chemical fertilizers untill the leaves harden off. Maybe around late March.

Ok Thanks, I guess I'll find out the hard way if I did any damage.
 

Mike423

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While fertilizing before the leaves 'harden' does no real harm to the tree itself. It does promote the leaves to grow larger (which can rune a leaf size reduction) as well as promote new growth to have longer internodes. Mainly and especially with fertilizers containing Nitrogen.
 

Flabonsai

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While fertilizing before the leaves 'harden' does no real harm to the tree itself. It does promote the leaves to grow larger (which can rune a leaf size reduction) as well as promote new growth to have longer internodes. Mainly and especially with fertilizers containing Nitrogen.

I'll Make Sure I hold off before I fertilize again until the leaves have time to harden. I was just hoping I did'nt burn the roots and that's why they looked droopy/wilted.
 

Flabonsai

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Just curious -- are you keeping this indoors?

Yes it's indoors, My light setup is 4 four foot T5 high output fluorescent that put out 5,000 lumens per tube that's 20,000 lumens 6500k spectrum. I run them 16 hours a day on a timer. The temperature range runs anywhere from 65 to 85 and the humidity levels are between 50 to 70. My widows stay open most of the time and my trees also get some light from my south window. I live in a apartment so that's why there inside. I will give the Trident a dormant period for a few months next winter over at a relatives house outside. I'm sure I'll get a lot of comments about this.
 

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very nice setup.i would like to do a setup like that so i can get some tropical trees
 
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my tridents are also just leafing out (and initially appear wilted until the leaves harden off).

how long have you had the light set-up running?
 

Flabonsai

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my tridents are also just leafing out (and initially appear wilted until the leaves harden off).

how long have you had the light set-up running?

I've had the setup for about 1 month after reading about how Jack Wikle does it. I got the idea of the setup from this link http://knowledgeofbonsai.org/misc/home-lighting-system-bonsai-under-lights/
and check these out also http://www.bonsaihunk.us/WikleArticle.html and http://www.fukubonsai.com/2b2a2a.html
 

Alex DeRuiter

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Very nice setup indeed! I think I might try to build something similar while all my trees are outside for the growing season.

I only asked because trident maples are decisuous and need to be outside for the winter. Did you just bring the tree inside early? I guess I should also ask where you live. ;)
 

Flabonsai

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Very nice setup indeed! I think I might try to build something similar while all my trees are outside for the growing season.

I only asked because trident maples are decisuous and need to be outside for the winter. Did you just bring the tree inside early? I guess I should also ask where you live. ;)

I've had the trident for a few weeks under the lights. The tree is from california and when I received it a few buds where just breaking. Over the last week they really have popped all over and the leaves are really coming in a strong red color.

I live down in florida and The tree will go back outdoors next winter to go dormant over at a relatives house for a few months.
 

FrankP999

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Trident maples need to be outdoors all the time. They will not prosper indoors and will probably eventually die.
 

rockm

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It should be outside. Your plan to keep it inside then place it outside for next winter is a dangerous one and could possibly kill the tree.

You will not be able to induce dormancy keeping it inside. Dormancy is brought on by shortening daylength that Northern latitudes get with the changing seasons (yes, Fla. is subject to seasons even though you don't get extreme winters--days do get noticeably shorter). The dormancy process begins in June at the summer solstice as days begin to get shorter. The shortening daylength "tells" the plant to put its efforts into building roots and woodier growth and not into leaves. It also tells them to start storing reserves in their roots. The process can't be duplicated very well--even with artificial lighting and timers inside. You cannot "force" a plant to go dormant.

If you place it outside in the fall, expecting it to go dormant in a few weeks, it will not. If you get frosts and (heaven forbid) freezes when it is outside at your parents home next winter, the plant will simply be shocked into non-growth. If it is frozen deeply enough, the tree will be killed, since it has not built up the winter hardiness that the dormancy process initiates.

Your saving grace is that you're in Fla. and freezing presumably won't be an issue. However, since the a primary reason to keep a trident inside might be to avoid deep winter cold, why is it inside in Fla.?
 

Smoke

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I don't see anything in that rack that couldn't be grown outside year round in Florida. Maybe some roof in winter but that would be it. Of course extraordinary weather would have to be dealt with on a case by case scenario.
 
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