Help after dunking Maple !!!!!

stocaz · Post by **stocaz** » March 11th, 2013, 9:27 am

Hi all,

I had a major ant problem in my maple's soil so I was told to leave it submerged in water to get rid of them which I done.
I left in submerged for 2 hours which fixed the problem but
Now my soil has been wet & muddy for 4 days and I'm worried about root rot etc

I am inexperienced so wanted to ask if I can leave it out of the pot for a little while to help dry it out or should it be ok ?

I am going to repot it in winter but am concerned.

Any advice would be great

Ross

Josh · Post by **Josh** » March 11th, 2013, 9:55 am

I would say you have a serious drainage issue if it's still wet after four days. No pot soil should ever be able to be described as muddy

I can't see your picture so not sure on how to answer your question. Problem with leaving it out of the pot would be the external roots drying out and getting die back. I have had a massive ant problem lately and I usualy soak my trees over night. They then go back on the bench and get watered daily/twice daily as normal. Does your soil normal drain freely when you water??? By this I mean it runs out the bottom of the pot freely. In this heat I am having trouble keeping the pots damp.

Josh

stocaz · Post by **stocaz** » March 11th, 2013, 10:23 am

Thanks for your reply, when the tree is watered it does drain freely through the bottom but since I submerged the plant
the soil is cluggy like mud, if I put my finger in to it to check for moisture instead of the soil breaking apart it feels like sludge. It is definately rootbound there are fine roots everywhere and I'm not sure if that is causing the problem as well.
It's like there's no air in the soil at all.
Also I do have a moisture meter and some parts of the pot will be dry and other parts saturated.

Don't know I'm lost just got a bad feeling I'm gonna loose this tree for some reason

stocaz · Post by **stocaz** » March 11th, 2013, 10:32 am

Not sure if this photo helps

Scott Roxburgh · Post by **Scott Roxburgh** » March 11th, 2013, 11:06 am

Just leave it in the pot, and water it sparingly.

It seems that your soil is not appropriate for tree, but there isn't much you can do about it now, wait until repot time and do a full repot. It'll be fine until then.

Jason · Post by **Jason** » March 11th, 2013, 11:52 am

I've been using the Mortein Ant Baits around my bonsai area, which seems to be keeping them at bay. They don't get rid of them totally, but has killed them off enough to leave my pots alone. Might be worth a try

I was also leaving them standing in a tray of water (standing on pot feat so they were above the water line) before I found the baits

They seem to have left my mealy bugs, and are now focusing on my girlfriends sunflowers... which I think now have aphids lol

63pmp · Post by **63pmp** » March 11th, 2013, 11:55 am

If you are really worried, take it out of the pot and plant it in a shady part of a garden bed, make sure the soil is packed firmly around the edges, don't mess with the roots, and the root ball is about an inch below the surface of the SOIL, not the leaf litter or mulch. Water it in and leave it.

The finer soil of the garden bed will suck the excessive moisture from the maples roots.

Repot as buds start to swell in spring, make sure you sieve your potting media.

Paul

stocaz · Post by **stocaz** » March 11th, 2013, 12:12 pm

Thanks for your replies..... As an amature I really appreciate all the advice I get from this forum.

Ross

Jasonb · Post by **Jasonb** » March 11th, 2013, 4:24 pm

Hi stocaz,

I had the exact problem with a liquidamber a few weeks ago. And I agree with 63 100%!!! Although I knew I would be moving so instead of a garden bed, I chose a big pot so I could bring it with me. At the very least, slip pot it until you are able to repot into some good bonsai soil.

Regards, jason

stocaz · Post by **stocaz** » March 11th, 2013, 5:12 pm

Jasonb wrote:Hi stocaz,

I had the exact problem with a liquidamber a few weeks ago. And I agree with 63 100%!!! Although I knew I would be moving so instead of a garden bed, I chose a big pot so I could bring it with me. At the very least, slip pot it until you are able to repot into some good bonsai soil.

Regards, jason

Thanks for the reply, the pot thing is a good option for me as I don't have much garden.
Ill get it done tomorrow for sure !!

What soil should I get for the pot ?
Just a standard potting mix or a cactus mix ?

Thanks again

Ross

Jasonb · Post by **Jasonb** » March 11th, 2013, 5:25 pm

Head to bunnings and grab some cacti and succulent mix, should be around 20 dollars. Make a few of the feeder roots hang down by lightly pulling on the corners, be sure not to rip or break them ( as best you can ) and fill lightly. What ever you do, don't squash down the soil, that will only lead you down the same path with poor draining soil, let the first few waterings place the soil down. Water as usual after around 2 to 3 days and I think you'll get away with it. Keep us posted mate,

Jason

stocaz · Post by **stocaz** » March 11th, 2013, 6:25 pm

Cheers Jason, fingers crossed mate I've had this tree for 1 week, bought it off a shop through eBay,
Arrived infested with mealybug,scales,ants & now this

Can be pretty stressful when you don't know what your doing.

Thanks Ross

Jason · Post by **Jason** » March 11th, 2013, 6:30 pm

stocaz wrote:Can be pretty stressful when you don't know what your doing.

Thanks Ross

I feel for you there dude! Learning things the hard way is no fun sometimes

Andrew Legg · Post by **Andrew Legg** » March 11th, 2013, 7:04 pm

Mate,

Slip potting into a new free draining mix is not a bad idea at all, but if I were you, I'd not tease out the roots. By now this tree will be slowing down for winter and will not be putting on much new root growth. This means teasing out the root is pointless as they are not going to actually do anything in the new mix. More important will be the carefully monitor the moisture in the soil. You can do this by using a toothpick or kebab stick which you insert into a new spot in the soil every day. Leave it in for 10 minutes and then see if it is damp when you pull it out again. You'll only need to water again when it is not too damp. Becasue of the nature of that rootball, I'd also suggest that you dunk water it in future as well. If you pour water on it may not water the entire root mass. Dunk water it for 5 minutes and then keep monitoring. Good news is that the tree still looks good, so I don't think you have a root rot problem yet. You'll know you have root rot if the soil is still damp and the leaves start wilting. Of course, the tree is deciduous, so don't confuse dropping it's leaves for winter with root rot! Lots to think about huh!

Cheers,

Andrew

stocaz · Post by **stocaz** » March 11th, 2013, 7:38 pm

Andrew Legg wrote:Mate,

Slip potting into a new free draining mix is not a bad idea at all, but if I were you, I'd not tease out the roots. By now this tree will be slowing down for winter and will not be putting on much new root growth. This means teasing out the root is pointless as they are not going to actually do anything in the new mix. More important will be the carefully monitor the moisture in the soil. You can do this by using a toothpick or kebab stick which you insert into a new spot in the soil every day. Leave it in for 10 minutes and then see if it is damp when you pull it out again. You'll only need to water again when it is not too damp. Becasue of the nature of that rootball, I'd also suggest that you dunk water it in future as well. If you pour water on it may not water the entire root mass. Dunk water it for 5 minutes and then keep monitoring. Good news is that the tree still looks good, so I don't think you have a root rot problem yet. You'll know you have root rot if the soil is still damp and the leaves start wilting. Of course, the tree is deciduous, so don't confuse dropping it's leaves for winter with root rot! Lots to think about huh!

Cheers,

Andrew

Thanks Andrew.

Are you suggesting once I repot the tree in spring into fresh bonsai soil that I should dunk it instead of watering as normal ?

Cheers

AusBonsai