Japanese Maple Established Group

[TimS]

Well i said this was going to be Mt Everest back at the start, and having left base camp i now find myself at Camp 1 in the Valley of Silence getting battered by all the mountain can throw at me. Will this journey continue, or does the story wind up here?

I started noticing a while back that the group wasn't happy, it got mildew, not terribly badly mind, but my efforts to stop it were unsuccessful. Not the end of the world as it wasn't serious enough to kill the trees, and i could treat it again in winter to get any spores that remained on the buds and branches etc. It would just mean a pretty rubbish autumn colour this year........then i discovered something much worse.....blackening of branches occurring.

I'm assuming either Phytopthora or Verticillium was upon me and there was nothing for it but to whip the trees out of their shallow tray and clear out as much of the old soil as possible (not ideal in autumn) and hope for the best. I have pulled out and destroyed 5 so far, including the biggest tree, that have succumbed to the rot, and i have 10 left that show no signs at all YET. They are now in exceedingly well draining nursery trays and only getting the most infrequent watering.

It was my own fault that this occurred, let me accept that fully now. I should have really cleared all the old soil out last year and done a full bare root as i normally do when i get trees that i don't know the history of. My hesitation back then has bitten me now.

There is a silver lining though; the big primary tree was horrifically ugly and i was going to need to do some radical work to ever get it back on track. I do find myself with lots of similar thickness trunks left, but i'll work around that assuming they survive their own 2020 trial.

Let this serve as a warning to anyone else growing maples, especially established groups, check that soil to see how much it's broken down and how wet it is.

I guess i'll just hunker down in the tent for now, cross my fingers this is the worst of the storm now, and come winter i will totally wash out the roots of any trees that survive and start over in a new direction with whatever plants remain (if anything). For the moment the remaining trees do look strong and healthy, but that's not to say they will keep looking so.

I live and learn, and sometimes the rookie mistakes are the best lessons.

4 of the 5 trees removed so far

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[MJL]

This is a bummer, I am disappointed for you and to be honest, this scares me a fair bit. While I understand that Japanese maples can be finickety (not even a word but I like it) - to date, my trees have withstood my slapdash care and indeed, pretty wet roots in shallow bonsai trays. I have only limited mildew issues too... albeit it is starting to touch some of my maples late in the season.

I really liked this forest and the changes you had made .... I guess there'll be the remnants and you'll have a story to tell and indeed, perhaps you can create something even better with less trees and a spoonful of imagination. Trees are trees, bonsai is only a hobby and there are far greater issues in life to be concerned with but ... that doesn't mean we can't be bummed by a set back. In your own words - it's @rse biscuits. Sorry to hear of this chapter and I look forward to seeing what comes from it.

[TimS]

Thank Mark, yeah its a bummer but if you're going to play with trees then eventually they will die one way or another. I do my best not to kill trees, and i'm largely successful in that, but it has seemed for a while that Japanese Maples just don't thrive in my microclimate in the back yard for some reason. Especially at the moment i'm really just feeling pretty fortunate to still have a job and be in good health along with my family. That's the main thing right now, the loss of a few tress is far lesser concern just now.

The big tree being lost is actually a relief in some ways, how i would have grown it on to fit in with this group i don't know. It would have had to leave the group altogether anyway i suspect.

Worst case scenario is i lose the entire group. It would suck and i'd be a bit bummed from the financial loss, not to mention i hate losing trees, but really at this time in the world there are much bigger fish to fry. I still have the Koyo pot as well so that would be a slight consolation.

Anyway i'll keep an eye on the rest, and in another month or so i'll fully wash all the roots out and give them a fresh mix to start in again. Wait and see for now.

[TimS]

As the great philosopher Freddie Mercury repeatedly told us; DUM DUM DUM "another one bits the dust." The inexorable march onwards of this continues.

9 remaining

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[TimS]

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I've had enough, pulled the rest of them out and washed what remained of the soil off them, and repotted them into fresh soil in a nusery tray with very good drainage.

All may be too little too late though. The 'new' group of 8

maplegroupnew.jpeg

[TimS]

I lost another tree from the group yesterday. I think there’s about 7 left now? I’ll keep monitoring but it’s not looking good

[SquatJar]

Sad to hear Tim, any updates on what you think is the cause? Fingers and everything else crossed the rest pull through

[TimS]

Without sending a sample off for analysis I’m going to assume verticillium or pseudomonas, but certainly It appears to be a bacterial issue. It’s not a surface issue, it’s under the bark in the vascular tissue which is why I’m going with bacterial rather than pest issue.

Possibly it’s treatable rather than turfing trees, but it’s affecting sections of the trunk rather than individual branches, so it’s just simpler to separate them from the rest of my trees by dumping them.

I’m always good about sterilising my tools so it’s hard to say where it’s come from. It’s a bit of a bummer, but it’s just a part of growing trees. They don’t live forever, and you sometimes have to make a hard decision for the good of the rest of the trees.

[KIRKY]

Sorry to hear Tim, its some sort of fungas that effects Maples basically a death sentence from my experience. I’ve had established trees in the garden 10 years and more only to have them suddenly turn up their toes. Lost four well established trees in one season just gone. There was no saving them once the trunk showed the black on the trunks.
Cheers
Kirky

[TimS]

Sorry to hear Tim, its some sort of fungas that effects Maples basically a death sentence from my experience. I’ve had established trees in the garden 10 years and more only to have them suddenly turn up their toes. Lost four well established trees in one season just gone. There was no saving them once the trunk showed the black on the trunks.
Cheers
Kirky

I do believe that pretty much there is no saving them once you see it, there may be a preventative treatment for them but that ship has sailed once the black spots appear.

Look at the positives I guess, if they all go it’s space on the bench for something less problematic!

[Ryceman3]

I know it’s not the worst thing in the world but nevertheless... sorry to hear stuff like this. Nobody likes a result like that. Look forward to the next instalment in that pot though. Onwards & upwards!

[TimS]

I know it’s not the worst thing in the world but nevertheless... sorry to hear stuff like this. Nobody likes a result like that. Look forward to the next instalment in that pot though. Onwards & upwards!

There’s no doubt it’s a bummer, I’ve always had issues with JM not ever really being great in my back yard. I think not enough sun and air movement is a factor but ultimately I need to take the responsibility for not bare rooting this group when I had the opportunity and giving it fresh soil.

For now my big 60 year old JM is clear of this issue touchwood, and it was in way more waterlogged soil than these were. I’ve moved it into a black plastic nursery tray just like the one this group is currently to aid drainage, and it will have another year off from any real bonsai practices. Just nipping tips out after 2-3 nodes extension so it doesn’t get wildly out of shape, good feeding and that’s about it.

As you say, another group of something will take over that pot some day!

Ahh JM I love them so much they just keep breaking my heart

[MJL]

Spewing for ya Tim. Such a bummer.