AusBonsai

i recently went on vacation this past week and before i left my japanese maple forest was doing as fine as ever. i left my sister in law in charge of the watering and she called towards the end of the week to tell me that some leaves were turning brown and drying up. i thought it was because of the japanese bettles eating the leaves so i didnt mind much. when i got home to look at it everything was brown... there was not a speak of green left and apparently there was a storm over the week. i looked at it closely and the truck is still green and looks as it always did and the root ball looked fine and even had some new growth. i am very worried because this is my prized bonsai in my collection. what do you think happened and is there any hope of it comming back??? anything would be great because i cannot afford to lose this bonsai.

thanks everyone

over watering could be the problem, but most likely the storm could have stressed the trees.
if there is new growth then see how it goes. it wouldnt shoot new growth if there was major problems i would think

could it really be overwatering if it was only for a week at the most?

Where is MA?

You sure your sister didnt leave it outside and forgot to water it, then the day before you returned drowned it in water to "fix it"?

It's in the US Aus. Here is the forrest.
viewtopic.php?f=114&t=1531&p=14673#p14673 .
What was the tempreture like was it hot. It does sound like a lack of watering to me but just can't be sure.
It would help to show a new picture. If the trunk is green and looks normal there should be a good chance of it bouncing back with good after care. Don't fert and don't overwater.
Working out what happened is very important keep a close eye on it.

i agree with bretts

it was pretty hot here and windy as well. i would post new pictures up but all the leaves from the tree are gone now. would it still help if i posted pictures of the trunks?

Yes post a close up of the trunks and a picture showing the position it is in in the yard. I guess it is getting into Autumn there how far away?
Hot and windy sounds like the problem especaily if it was not watered enough.
A weak root system could have been the issue before your friend cared for it so don't be too hard on them yet Although it did look like it was going well in the last picture.

feeling a little restless now so im just gonna post some pics now.. it shouldnt hurt to see it now

everything is still very flexible and im not too sure of the positioning, it was out on my deck

If it was just wind and heat the leaves would still be hanging on in some places is this the case. I do suspect that your caretaker did not take care though.
If it is still green as Brett suggested move it to a more sheltered position lay off the water. Now this might get a response from Brett get some Superthrive and treat it with that at two drops per litre ( drops as per eye dropper ) use that for the watering.
Now in the USofA you are going into Fall so you will not get much response, but most trees will if they are going to survive will show signs. So good luck.
Would still like to see a picture though so we can make a better analysis. I was writing my response, while you were posting pics not to worry it will recover.
Pup

here are some pictures of the rootball if it helps... sorry about the picture quality

That root ball looks OK except that it is very wet!!
Let it dry out a bit between waterings. Pup

lol a storm just passed by and i just brought the tree inside where it will stay for now. do you think i can leave it by the window untill it recovers? and thanks for the quick response Pup and everyone else

jimmyle wrote:lol a storm just passed by and i just brought the tree inside where it will stay for now. do you think i can leave it by the window untill it recovers? and thanks for the quick response Pup and everyone else

I would not keep it there permanetly as I said you are going into fall and it will need some chilling. Not frost, Good luck, Pup