Maple Bonsai - A Seedling Journey

[shibui]

Base of the tree still normal is good news. The bug spray should deal with the flying insects but probably won't reach any in the soil if they are there.

Are you sure you are watering your trees well enough? I don't know what aspect or exposure your balcony has but I will bet that it gets far hotter and drier here and I can keep bonsai outside, usually in full sun - but only if I water PROPERLY. In the past I lost trees in summer. When I checked, the rootball was damp around the edges but bone dry in the middle indicating I had not been watering effectively.
I'd give the maple(and all your others) a good drink.
Seasol does not appear to do any harm though I don't find it actually makes much difference to the plants. Water is far more important.

[sirstiv]

Yeah in my opinion it's pretty easy to gauge how much to water indoors. It's more consistent since you don't have harsh conditions.

The bonsai is losing 1-2 leaves a day from shriveling...

At this rate i'll probably have no leaves in 2-3 days. Should I just cut all the leaves off or is this too stressful on the plant?

Also is a repot with new soil advisable?

[Watto]

I would be giving your plants a good water and then a substantial spray with a fungus spray. Cut off any affected leaves and put them in the bin.

[shibui]

I can see that it is easier to monitor water indoors and if you are confident it is getting enough that's OK.

You can usually defoliate maples without adverse affect but to what end? If it is a leaf disease then you might be doing some good, or if the tree is stressed with poor roots inhibiting water uptake defoliation might give it some respite and time to recover??? Removing dead/dying leaves is fine because they are of no use to the plant anyway but you will need to get new leaves sprouting in order to keep the tree viable.

Very few people would repot a Japanese maple at this time of year but in an emergency I would try. Just remove the potting mix to see what is going on but try to leave as many roots as possible intact to minimise trauma to the tree. Only cut roots if they look to be rotting. It will also give you an opportunity to see if the mix is still damp right to the centre. I have root pruned Trident maples at this time of year and they nearly all survive so I expect a Japanese maple should too.

Personally I would do as Watto has suggested - Give it a good drink (soak the pot for an hour) and possibly follow up with a fungicide that targets root rots then wait to see if it improves.

[orpy]

Hi Sirstiv,
I agree with Shibui and Watto's advice. At this point you still need to determine the cause so a repot or more exploration to check the soil for cause ie. fungus, insects, etc may help determine that, so go for it. Look for rotting roots vs white healthy roots, mould, insects and post photos if uncertain.
The tree is in trauma so minimise further trauma if/when cause is determined.
I'd seriously think about moving it outside. Have you considered that an inside environment and LED grow light may provide good/ok conditions for maple growth but may provide better conditions for fungi or insects? Air movement is v.important. Good luck with your little tree.



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[sirstiv]

I will look into it tomorrow and try post some updates. (only because the the plant was watered and sprayed today)

The pattern is that the leaves have started shrivelling from the bottom first and making it's way up.

I thought the top leaves would start first.

My place if a fairly sterile place, tiled, constant 20 degree temps. It's in an empty spare room with good ventilation.

I guess we'll see. The tree may be too far gone already. Hopefully this learning experience will have a positive outcome.

[sirstiv]

Ok here is the root status... granted they're probably not the best pics since it was still abit damp in the pot.

Opinions? You can see a close up of the trunk/stem too.. that looks fine...

[sirstiv]

Another dryer picture of the roots ...
I let the plant rest on damp soil for a few hours.

Re potted it in the end. (sprayed the soil with yates products then added some slow release fertiliser.

Now the waiting game begins.

[orpy]

Good that you've got it back into a pot to reduce further stress. The shrivelling of oldest leaves first sounds more likely to be soil borne fungi based but beyond my knowledge - others may assist.
Did you notice anything else in the soil? It was damp - overly damp, right in the middle of the roots? Did the soil smell clean & fresh or off/rotten.
The fine roots look ok for a maple seedling, but could be more of them & stronger too. Did you see healthy white tips vs brown? Any mushy?
Hold off on any other ferts until it recovers and is actively growing (ie, requiring nutrients). Good luck.



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[sirstiv]

Nothing smelt rotten when I took it out of the pot.

The roots were really damp as it was watered like 12hrs prior... and since it's an indoor + lighting plant, usually takes 2 days to dry out before another water.

Couldn't find anything in the soil that was suspicious... Regardless I guess we'll see hopefully within 2-3 weeks. Otherwise i'm keen to try again.