Field maple-Sunburn or something more sinister

[Mojo Moyogi]

Josh, you are welcome.

Cheers,
Mojo

[shibui]

Its not sunburn, but its actualy wind burn.

Windburn, sunburn. Just 2 different names for the same thing. This happens when the roots cannot supply enough water to the leaves to keep them cool and properly hydrated. Sometimes because there is not enough moisture in the rootzone (proper watering or watering during the day will help), sometimes because the wind strips water away from the leaves quicker than it can be supplied (misting or watering during the day will help), sometimes because it is too bloody hot and the plant cannot supply enough moisture to the leaves to evaporate to cool itself ( misting and shade will help keep the leaves cooler). obviously some plants are more prone to burn than others but proper watering and some sort of shelter will help prevent a lot of it.

I bought some Acer Shirasawanum "aureum" from Melbourne recently and they suffered wind burn almost immediately after arriving in Adelaide

This can happen when plants are moved from a sheltered environment to a more exposed one. If they had been grown under shade in Melb they would probaly burn even when moved to a more exposed area in Melb. Many plant will adapt when given the chance. It will be interesting to see how your trees go next year hen they come into leaf in your environment and can adjust gradually.

[Luke308]

I bought some Acer Shirasawanum "aureum" from Melbourne recently and they suffered wind burn almost immediately after arriving in Adelaide

This can happen when plants are moved from a sheltered environment to a more exposed one. If they had been grown under shade in Melb they would probaly burn even when moved to a more exposed area in Melb. Many plant will adapt when given the chance. It will be interesting to see how your trees go next year hen they come into leaf in your environment and can adjust gradually.

When I received them I put them into a shaded area with my recently repotted maples (yes repotted out of season as an experiment and have had great success which I think is mainly due to aftercare and no major root pruning. I did snip the tap root though)

they have all been affected by either wind or sun, or a combination, but the one closest to the edge has been affected the worst. Will be interesting to see how they grow over the next year. Pity they are grafted though, I may experiment and see if I can grow them on their own roots.

I also just bought a Acer Japonicum from a grower approx 2 hours away from me and it was in dappled shade. I didnt think when I got home and put it in full sun and it appears to be going strong considering the hot weather we have had lately. Will be interesting to see how they all fair in the coming year.

[bodhidharma]

If it is the tree you bought at the Castlemaine Show (it would be one i had for sale) Then dont worry. It has done this before. It is when the tree has gone through a cold snap and then back into extreme heat again. You will notice our cycle has been like that this year. I cut the dead part of the leave off or, basically, leaf cut the tree. Sure it looks ugly at the time but it is going dormant soon anyway. Unfortunately you miss out on Autumn colour but that is the way it goes in Bonsai. Next year keep it in 50% shade during the hot months and bring it out late March into full sun for best colour. It looks like you are working the tree hard with grafts and have you snapped a couple of branches and are healing them?

[Josh]

If it is the tree you bought at the Castlemaine Show (it would be one i had for sale) Then dont worry. It has done this before. It is when the tree has gone through a cold snap and then back into extreme heat again. You will notice our cycle has been like that this year. I cut the dead part of the leave off or, basically, leaf cut the tree. Sure it looks ugly at the time but it is going dormant soon anyway. Unfortunately you miss out on Autumn colour but that is the way it goes in Bonsai. Next year keep it in 50% shade during the hot months and bring it out late March into full sun for best colour. It looks like you are working the tree hard with grafts and have you snapped a couple of branches and are healing them?

Yeah Bodhidharma, one and the same. I have 2 grafts going on this tree and bugger me it decided to push out a new bud right next to one of them . The branch that is bandaged was one that it bent down for the graft. The tree got knocked over by a possum and caused the branch to split. Not ideal for for a graft branch. There is new growth on the tree since I posted this and it is all good, no browning
I should have been more awake and put this tree under covere when it got hot. You live and learn. I was once told a mistake is only a mistake if you don't learn anything from it. Otherwise it is a lesson.

Thanks
Josh

[Josh]

So this tree has come back in good health. It resides in a more protected site and seems to like it. No signs of any evil disease so all good. Thanks to everyone who gave suggestions and helped out

IMG_2773.JPG

It had a really ugly base so I decided to ground layer the base and start a new nebari.
Josh

[quniverse]

Hello. My first post.

The results look great. Some great tips.

Has anyone tried those small plastic greenhouses about 1.5m tall to prevent wind burn on maples (obviously kept in the shade)? I live in Perth and the wind is usually strong/hot no matter which direction it comes from.

I was wondering if the size of the greenhouse can cause issues?

I've also found a kitty litter tray about half full of water is a good method of keeping the tree hydrated. Best to make sure the water level goes almost all the way down before refilling.

-Sean

[Phoenix238]

Hi Quniverse

Personally, I've been through 2 of those walk-in plastic greenhouses and both have been destroyed by strong winds. The plastic just can't handle 100km/h gusts. That said, I think they're a great idea over winter to get early germination of seeds.

[quniverse]

Thanks Phoenix238. Another post suggested replacing the plastic with 50% shade cloth, will let you know how it all goes.

-Sean

[Josh]

This tree is powering on now. Airflow is the biggest issue with those small hothouses. The air goes stale quickly and breeds disease quickly. If you get one make sure there is plenty of air flow.

Josh.