Japanese maple dying

[Ncpfeiffer]

Help! My maple seems to be dying. This spring it got all its new foliage and was looking good. Then we started getting tons of rain and now the leaves are wilted and drying. I’m not sure what to do. It seems to be affecting the whole tree and not just select branches. It is in the sun in a.m. and shade in afternoon. I live in Oregon. It is in a training pot and this is the second season I’ve had it.

 

[Ncpfeiffer]

I should also mention, a couple weeks ago, when I noticed the wilting, I carefully examined the leaves and found aphids, so I sprayed with soapy water. There is no sign of aphids any longer, but the wilting is getting worse.

 

[0soyoung]

It would seem that you've identified the problem

This spring it got all its new foliage and was looking good. Then we started getting tons of rain and now the leaves are wilted and drying.

Roots must get air (oxygen) to live --> they are apparently drowning.

The first thing you can do is to simply tip the pot and let the water run out, over the lip. You shouldn't need to tip it so far that the soil starts to spill out.

Then, second thing, move it out of the rain OR cover the substrate with plastic or aluminum foil until the clouds go away and/or the leaves perk back up.

This will become less of an issue the more that roots have populated the substrate.


It is worth noting that the leaves will be similar when the pot is too dry, strangely enough. But then, you just water and the turgidity returns within an hour or so, usually. The common thing about both is that the roots are not supplying water to the tree to make the soft tissues turgid - in one case because they cannot do their job because there is no water available, in the other because they cannot do their job because there is no oxygen.

 

[Ncpfeiffer]

Thank you. I hope I’m not too late. It is really not looking good.. do you think I should take it out of the pot and see what the roots look like?

 

[0soyoung]

Thank you. I hope I’m not too late. It is really not looking good.. do you think I should take it out of the pot and see what the roots look like?

I think you risk damaging the roots further. But, if the substrate is well populated, take it out of the pot and just set it naked on the bench until the substrate/soil had dried.

Tipping the pot to the point that the substrate/soil is about to fall out works best in my experience - let it sit that way for several minutes, hours, or even for a day.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

If the pot has little or no value to you AND it's made out of plastic, get yourself a red hot glowing nail and add a few extra holes.
That should provide some extra breathing holes.
I do it to most nursery pots, so I can keep watering without causing too much troubles.

 

[sorce]

I should also mention, a couple weeks ago, when I noticed the wilting, I carefully examined the leaves and found aphids, so I sprayed with soapy water. There is no sign of aphids any longer, but the wilting is getting worse.

I have a feeling you're dealing with 2 different "wiltings".

What kind of soap? How much in the soil?

Yesterday, my still very wet pots, contained wilting trees. 90F. I feel that was your first wilting.

It is also much more likely I reckon, that the soil is compacted and shedding water.

You MUST find out for sure.

Welco to Crazy!

Sorce

 

[rodeolthr]

I would definitely make sure that your drainage holes are not clogged. I've had maples drown themselves when the roots clog the drain holes and the rainwater pools. It doesn't seem to be a huge deal when dormant, but once it starts to grow, the roots quickly begin to rot. I have lifted the whole tree and root mass out of the container if super saturated and allowed it to drain for several days also.

 

[Ncpfeiffer]

Well, I lifted the tree out of the pot, and it is wet, Although not to the point of dripping, but it is also very rootbound. I don’t think it’s a good idea to try to work on it now while it’s sick, so I’ve got it sitting out of the pot to dry a bit. What do you all think?

 

[Ncpfeiffer]

The spray was a very small amount of Dawn dish soap and water. I spraying the leaves only, but I imagine some went into the soil.

 

[ajm55555]

The spray was a very small amount of Dawn dish soap and water. I spraying the leaves only, but I imagine some went into the soil.

You should rinse well after a few minutes even if the amount was small. Trees react differently to this treatment. Wilting should not be a consequence though, burns are more likely.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

The spray was a very small amount of Dawn dish soap and water. I spraying the leaves only, but I imagine some went into the soil.

Dawn is a detergent, not a soap. Also it is not an insecticidal soap. When spraying an insecticidal soap it is a topical insecticide. In other words, you want to be spraying the insects, and not the tree or plant. Easier said than done, I know, but insecticidal soaps can actually damage plant foliage by removing or thinning the cuticle - the wax coating on leaves - which protects a tree from dehydrating. This is a short way of saying - when you spray a tree with a Dawn detergent solution you may actually be drying out the leaves.

This is just a suggestion because I don't know how strong of a detergent solution you used. However Japanese maple leaves are relatively tender when they first emerge from the bud, so you should try to avoid spraying them with a chemical if you aren't 100% certain it won't harm the leaves. If you see aphids, first try to physically remove them by just spraying the tree with water. Next, check for ants, because in many cases the aphids are being brought by ants. Otherwise consider an organic insecticidal product like pyrethrins (made from chrysanthemum) which won't harm your plant.

Stay away from home remedies on the Internet I hope I am right because minor wilting caused by dehydration should be easy to counteract. Just rinse off the detergent and protect the tree from direct sun and wind, and wait for the tree to recover.

 

[ajm55555]

If you see aphids, first try to physically remove them by spraying the tree with water

Those who fall down will try to crawl back to the tree (been there). I'd rather squash them for good even if there are a lot.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Those who fall down will try to crawl back to the tree (been there). I'd rather squash them for good even if there are a lot.

I think it depends on where you are and how the aphids are getting to your trees. If your trees are on a bench outside, if you blow them off with water it often takes care of most of them. Aphids are pretty defenseless and once knocked on the ground several feet from your bonsai bench, they have a tough time recovering. However if they are getting to your trees via ants, the ants will simply protect/bring them back. At least in California, I never had an aphid problem (at least not directly). What I had was an ANT problem, and the ants were the one causing aphids. Treating for ants on the ground/bench was much easier and more effective than treating for aphids on my bonsai. I could treat aphids on my trees all day long, and in a week the ants would bring them back. Removing the ants removed the problem at the source.

 

[ajm55555]

I think it depends on where you are and how the aphids are getting to your trees. If your trees are on a bench outside, if you blow them off with water it often takes care of most of them. Aphids are pretty defenseless and once knocked on the ground several feet from your bonsai bench, they have a tough time recovering. However if they are getting to your trees via ants, the ants will simply protect/bring them back. At least in California, I never had an aphid problem (at least not directly). What I had was an ANT problem, and the ants were the one causing aphids. Treating for ants on the ground/bench was much easier and more effective than treating for aphids on my bonsai. I could treat aphids on my trees all day long, and in a week the ants would bring them back. Removing the ants removed the problem at the source.

Agreed, it probably depends where you are, which aphids you have and so on. Here in Germany/Italy I've seen ants taking care of aphids but aphids without ants too. I had some on some rose bushes without ants and as soon as I approached to kill them they'd let go and fall off. Then after a while they were in line climbing up again. After a squash party it seems they understood they were not welcome.
I'd say aphids are the easiest of the problems anyway. I wish I only had them! But if they are left alone and the population explodes, they can dry up and kill young shoots.

 

[caerolle]

Those who fall down will try to crawl back to the tree (been there). I'd rather squash them for good even if there are a lot.

Do you have a tiny little hammer for this?????

 

[ajm55555]

Do you have a tiny little hammer for this?????