Is my new buddy alright?

[sorce]

new buddy'?

I've been thinking about how the effects of simply "pronounizing" our plants can be worse than anything!

Sorce

 

[sorce]

Thank you very much!
about the meaning of my name.. I wouldn´t even know where to start from. It is literal to start of, but also spiritual; metaphysical and metaphoric... well... i don´t want to blabber too much about it.

Cheers! I like it!

Sorce

 

[Gustavo Martins]

Where are you in Portugal. Climate can differ but I don’t think there is any place in Portugal where it gets cold enough to kill a maple. On the other hand, you need to protect it from the sun from late spring onwards. Japanese maples are probably not the easiest species to start bonsai in Portugal but it can surely be done. As the others have said, you can probably and safely transplant it into a larger pot as long as you don’t mess with the roots. Give it some shade after the transplant.

 

[LittleDingus]

Just a pondering..
When is the last time you've done this?

I have a feeling this is one of those myths that is only a myth because of newb watering mistakes, that remains a myth because when we are more advanced, we already believe this "myth" so we never try it again. Also because it's uneccesary and slows things down probably...but...

I don't even necessarily believe this is true.

Not that it matters at all, you're just one of few who entertains these thoughts of thought for the sake of thinking.

I figured you'd be asleep for awhile! What time is it yonder?

Sorce

Outside of bonsai (houseplants, orchids, herbs, etc...), the "don't pot too big" advice is more about things like not taking up more space than is needed, not growing a weed garden, etc...Some flowers won't bloom until their pot bound or touching neighbors, etc...

If the plant of interest is the bulk of the pot, there is less need to constantly weed. The plant doesn't look as dorky because it's not a thimble floating in an ocean. Plus there is more room for other plants

Myself, I've rarely thought of it as a watering issue except below a certain size where the pot dries out too fast for the plant. With proper soil for the species, you shouldn't be able to water log it enough to kill what's planted in it. If you can, it's probably not the right soil

 

[Lifeinloops]

Where are you in Portugal. Climate can differ but I don’t think there is any place in Portugal where it gets cold enough to kill a maple. On the other hand, you need to protect it from the sun from late spring onwards. Japanese maples are probably not the easiest species to start bonsai in Portugal but it can surely be done. As the others have said, you can probably and safely transplant it into a larger pot as long as you don’t mess with the roots. Give it some shade after the transplant.

I am in Lisbon, gonna try to transplant him into a slightly bigger pot.

Although after pondering on the subject with as little information and experience as i have, what sort of soil should i use? i have got no clue about wich one is on the pot now

What soil do i use?
Do i need akadama at all?

 

[Shibui]

I don't use akadama at all. I believe it is another of the things that have suddenly achieved magical status for bonsai growers. Japanese growers use it because it is locally available and does a good job for them. Where we don't have access to akadama there are other more local and convenient substitutes . Some of them may even do a better job than akadama?
Do you have access to a bonsai nursery? They will have a bonsai potting soil that should be OK for your tree at least until you have learned more. Most general plant centres will also have a commercial 'bonsai potting mix' available.
When using larger pots the type of soil becomes less critical. I have even used a premium general potting mix for bonsai in pots that worked very well.

 

[Lifeinloops]

good luck and you might have heard of New Bedford and Fall River massachusetts? i am eating linguica on a pop-roll and drinking a sumol right now
wish i had a malasada as well. i live 5 mins from these two heavily portuguese cultured areas by the way


good luck with the maple, i like it. get it outside in semi sun

Nice man, There are a lot of PT communities arround this world, never heard of malasada tho XD hope its good

 

[hinmo24t]

Nice man, There are a lot of PT communities arround this world, never heard of malasada tho XD hope its good

for sure, and the two most concentrated ones in north america are 5 mins away from me and all around me. my coworker g santos, r sobreiro, s antunes, and t demello are all 100% and make up the majority demographic in our office

and i have reservations at 'portas de cidad' tonight

malasadas, dank

 

[Lifeinloops]

for sure, and the two most concentrated ones in north america are 5 mins away from me and all around me. my coworker g santos, r sobreiro, s antunes, and t demello are all 100% and make up the majority demographic in our office

and i have reservations at 'portas de cidad' tonight

malasadas, dank
View attachment 365247

Malassadas, also known as mal assadas, which means badly baked. never heard of that, apparentely very common in the US. they resembel "filhoses", i am pretty sure thats what they are, same ingredients i suppose, looks like the only thing missing for u is to actually speak portuguese!

 

[hinmo24t]

Malassadas, also known as mal assadas, which means badly baked. never heard of that, apparentely very common in the US. they resembel "filhoses", i am pretty sure thats what they are, same ingredients i suppose, looks like the only thing missing for u is to actually speak portuguese!

lol, was in advanced placement spanish 4 at one point in HS, but its gonnneeeee, 15 years later

 

[Gustavo Martins]

for sure, and the two most concentrated ones in north america are 5 mins away from me and all around me. my coworker g santos, r sobreiro, s antunes, and t demello are all 100% and make up the majority demographic in our office

and i have reservations at 'portas de cidad' tonight

malasadas, dank
View attachment 365247

Malassadas are typical from the Azores, not the mainland Portugal. There are large communities of Azoreans in America and Canada. Mainland portuguese mainly emigrated to Europe (France, Germany, UK)

Portas da Cidade in Fall River are a copy of those found in Ponta Delgada, Azores. It means city gates.

 

[Gustavo Martins]

If you just want to grow it out I would bother too much with the type of soil. I grow out mine on regular potting soil until they are ready to go into a bonsai or shallow pot. At that time I get bonsai soil.

 

[Lifeinloops]

If you just want to grow it out I would bother too much with the type of soil. I grow out mine on regular potting soil until they are ready to go into a bonsai or shallow pot. At that time I get bonsai soil.

Well, it makes sense now that u said it, its a regular tree, regular soil should be fine..
I v got an oak and a pine who are growing extremely well on regular soil, oak was a seed, pine was very little when i planted him, not gonna turn him into a bonsai, even tho i could, don´t wanna ruin him..

I m gonna try my luck, my girlfriend is the plant expert, we both getting into bonsai now.

 

[Bonsainoob88]

Well, it makes sense now that u said it, its a regular tree, regular soil should be fine..
I v got an oak and a pine who are growing extremely well on regular soil, oak was a seed, pine was very little when i planted him, not gonna turn him into a bonsai, even tho i could, don´t wanna ruin him..

I m gonna try my luck, my girlfriend is the plant expert, we both getting into bonsai now.

If I were you I'd get it out of that soil as much as possible make up a mix of akadama , pine bark and pumice . Put Into a plastic nursery pot quite a bit bigger and put the tree out of direct sunlight for a couple of month or till you see roots growing at bottom of pot . Then next spring you will be in better shape .

I made the choice of using shitty soil on 2 of my trees last year and the roots ended up suffocated, overwatered and nasty growth . One tree died (I did repot it about 3 times )

And one has bounced back in its new mix this year and looking amazing .

It's still early in the spring and you have a lot of time for your tree to recover just gotta be on sick shelf for a while .

Also to note, I'm a total beginner so you might want to disregard everything I say buy just speaking from my limited experience

 

[Lifeinloops]

Hello people from bonsainut, wanna give u guys an update and maybe demystify the previous myth of wrong seasons/times to transplant little trees.
my acer is now like this. i think due to direct sunlight which apparently he now has for some reason even tho I didn't move him.
But i don't know what to do to prevent this from escalating apart from obviously protect him from direct sunlight.
Any ideas?

 

[Shibui]

There are lots of reasons for scorched Acer leaves. You will need to explore each to see what has happened and try to prevent it from happening again. The burned leaves will not recover but the tree should grow new leaves that will be good.
Without knowing much more about your care of the maple it is hard to pick a single reason but maybe this list will give some help.

Direct sun: Acer can tolerate some direct sun but how much depends on how well it is watered. Try to shade from hot afternoon sun in summer. If there is enough water Acer can manage quite a lot of sun. Sun is different strength in different places. Each grower will need to find the right balance of sun/water for their own location and care.
Change of light: Leaves adjust hardiness depending on how much sun they receive. If a plant that is used to shade is suddenly put in sun the leaves will burn. This is a little like our skin - expose suddenly to hot sun and get burned, expose gradually and the skin adjusts to tolerate sun better. When moving plants make change gradual.
Not enough water: Leaves need water to cool and protect themselves. If the soil is dry they may not have enough water and leaves can burn. Sometimes it is hard to know how much water to give in different times of the year. In summer more is usually better.
Wind: Hot wind causes excess transpiration of water from leaves. If the plant cannot take up enough water through the roots leaves will burn.
Too much water: Interesting that too much water can also cause leaf scorch. Too much water for a long time can cause roots to rot. When there are not enough roots the plant cannot get water even if the soil is wet so the plant cannot take up enough water then the leaves can burn.
Excess salts: Too much fertilizer can sometimes burn leaves. When pots are not watered thoroughly nutrients and salts can build up in the soil to toxic levels and cause burned leaves. Some water sources have high levels of natural salts that can cause leaf burn either directly or by slowly building up in the soil. When watering we need to water enough for it to run out of the pot and take excess nutrients and salts.
Damaged roots: Damage to roots will limit the amount of water the tree can absorb and leaves may burn. I have experienced severe leaf burn after late spring and summer repots of maples here. Usually the tree will just drop some or all damaged leaves until a water balance is achieved then when new roots emerge new leaves will also grow. Soil pests and diseases can also damage roots and cause leaf burn - see too much water above.

 

[Lifeinloops]

There are lots of reasons for scorched Acer leaves. You will need to explore each to see what has happened and try to prevent it from happening again. The burned leaves will not recover but the tree should grow new leaves that will be good.
Without knowing much more about your care of the maple it is hard to pick a single reason but maybe this list will give some help.

Direct sun: Acer can tolerate some direct sun but how much depends on how well it is watered. Try to shade from hot afternoon sun in summer. If there is enough water Acer can manage quite a lot of sun. Sun is different strength in different places. Each grower will need to find the right balance of sun/water for their own location and care.
Change of light: Leaves adjust hardiness depending on how much sun they receive. If a plant that is used to shade is suddenly put in sun the leaves will burn. This is a little like our skin - expose suddenly to hot sun and get burned, expose gradually and the skin adjusts to tolerate sun better. When moving plants make change gradual.
Not enough water: Leaves need water to cool and protect themselves. If the soil is dry they may not have enough water and leaves can burn. Sometimes it is hard to know how much water to give in different times of the year. In summer more is usually better.
Wind: Hot wind causes excess transpiration of water from leaves. If the plant cannot take up enough water through the roots leaves will burn.
Too much water: Interesting that too much water can also cause leaf scorch. Too much water for a long time can cause roots to rot. When there are not enough roots the plant cannot get water even if the soil is wet so the plant cannot take up enough water then the leaves can burn.
Excess salts: Too much fertilizer can sometimes burn leaves. When pots are not watered thoroughly nutrients and salts can build up in the soil to toxic levels and cause burned leaves. Some water sources have high levels of natural salts that can cause leaf burn either directly or by slowly building up in the soil. When watering we need to water enough for it to run out of the pot and take excess nutrients and salts.
Damaged roots: Damage to roots will limit the amount of water the tree can absorb and leaves may burn. I have experienced severe leaf burn after late spring and summer repots of maples here. Usually the tree will just drop some or all damaged leaves until a water balance is achieved then when new roots emerge new leaves will also grow. Soil pests and diseases can also damage roots and cause leaf burn - see too much water above.

Thank you so much for your amazing response! really appreciate the insight u gave me.
I think there is definitely direct sun, maybe not enough water, that is tricky, because i am afraid to keep the soil moist at all times, afraid that it might cause the roots to rot like you have mentioned.
also the wind, i hadn't considered the wind, its really windy and hot where he is.
I am not fertilizing it at the moment because he is in a large pot, been a while since i last fertilized it.