Orange dream help

[leatherback]

To me it looks like you damaged the root tips by letting the soil dry out too much & fertilizing every week. It is just too much.

I would increase watering and hold off on fertilizer.

I see no reason to believe this is wholesale fungal infection.

 

[Bonsainoob88]

Ok I've defoliated effected leaves and new growth . I'm going to up the watering and feed once every 2 weeks as opposed t weekly. Also spray with systemic fungicide and see how it goes from here. Thanks for all the advice guys .

 

[leatherback]

If it is in full organics from the nursery just don't fertilize. There is absolutely no reason to fertilize this much, certainly not if the tree is not growing well.

 

[leatherback]

feed

Maybe it helps to not think of it as food. In the best comparison, the sun is the feed; That is what gives the plant energy. Fertilizer is just some nutrients, feeding-supplements so to speak.

 

[Bonsainoob88]

Ok feeding will halt as of last Sunday.

 

[Bonsainoob88]

Ok so the tree got flushed out , watered more frequently with rainwater only and I kept on with the fungicide. The tree is still deteriorating and all new growth still black and everything turning crispy still.

Couldn't help but think root problems , so I've took from pot and I think the roots were rotting in the terrible soil . Also no new roots since I potted the tree in may , it just looks like more have rotted than have grew. Anyway Fast forward a bit and now ive cleared the soil away from rootball , repotted in my maple soil mix in a nursery pot . Its Very late in the season and probably a death sentence to be fair but the way it was going it was a slow death anyway. So we shall see how this one goes .
As a side note the same soil has almost killed off one of my other acers in the same way, (black growth , crispy leaves , struggling tree) .....

Do not use miracle grow bonsai mix it suffocates roots !

 

[Forsoothe!]

Defoliating a sick JM in August is signing it's Death Warrant.

 

[Bonsainoob88]

Defoliating a sick JM in August is signing it's Death Warrant.

I didn't defoliate

 

[Forsoothe!]

I didn't defoliate

I mis-read your post. Sorry.

 

[Rivian]

@Bonsainoob88 how are your maples doing?

 

[Bonsainoob88]

@Bonsainoob88 how are your maples doing?

They're great . After I repotted late last year there was no new growth above the ground and soon enough it was autumn so the leaves dropped anyway . In dormancy I chopped the branches off that were blackening up for some reason. I think I repotted just in time for it to grow new roots and it has came back with a bang this year . I'm going to slip pot it In next couple of weeks into a bigger pot and just let it grow for this year maybe next year aswell and fatten the trunk up a bit. then the following year I'll make the big cuts and start attempting to style it .

In summary I think it was in poor health because when I brought it home from the nursery I attempted to slip pot it into "bonsai soil" which was basically suffocating the roots . Best thing I could of done was repot it , I'm glad I did now .

 

[Bonsainoob88]

Update on the orange dream maple . Well I had some leftover wood so built a planter at start of June and it's looking a lot healthier this year. Just gonna leave this one be for a couple of years I think now .

 

[SgtPilko]

Glad these have turned out well for you! I've had some sickly looking maples from questionable retailers this year (buying frenzy!) and basically needn't have worried, they all came good eventually - these are battery farmed and used to different light levels, not exposed to wind etc so probably a shock in our gardens. Young maples seem to really want to grow like crazy throwing out mad shoots all over the place. We can probably just chill out and let them, cut off the bad bits, give em a spray and it'll take more than a few aphids or brown tips to hold them back for long!