Does my field maple have root rot?

[Wizeeerrrddd]

Hey so I've been experimenting with this field maple for a little while and in the past week or so i've noticed these black marks on the tips of most of the leaves.

What would you recommend I do and what do you think is causing it.

I potted it up in a large container with standard soil for winter, that was over a month ago.
As of recent it did rain fairly heavily for two days last week

 

[Stan Kengai]

It may not be root rot yet, but it is definitely staying too wet.

 

[sorce]

Forgive me, but I believe these simple, "staying too wet" sentiments lead to more to root rot and dead trees than necessary.

When we are told "staying too wet" we do one of 2 things.

1. Leave it to dry, which it never really does, causing the actual fungus of root rot to gain hold due to a lack of flushing with fresh water.

Or 2. Repot out of season and health capability, due to fear of further "overwatering", which also kills the plant.

IME....just keep watering the hell out of it.

Root rot is a fungus that is caused by festering situations, like grandma's houseplants with no drainage holes to keep her doilies clean.
The overwatering myth came from that.

Overwatering doesn't cause root rot.
It prevents it.

Sorce

 

[Forsoothe!]

Here's something from the Internet:

"Soil Pest and Root Rot Treatment
Mix one part of additive-free 35% hydrogen peroxide with ten parts water.
Water infected plants thoroughly. The soil will bubble as the oxygen is released.
For pests, water with the mixture twice a week, allowing the top 2 inches of soil to dry between watering. Root pests should subside within a week.
For root rot, water plants very thoroughly, then allow the soil to dry. The top 2-3 inches of soil should be completely dry before returning to a regular water regimen. If the process is done correctly, root rot can easily be treated with only one watering of peroxide.

Foliage Pesticide Spray
Mix equal parts 3% hydrogen peroxide and distilled water.
Use a spray bottle to thoroughly soak the infected plants. Make sure to get the undersides of the leaves.
Spray once a week or after it rains. Hydrogen peroxide both treats and further prevents pest infestation.
This weaker solution will prevent damage to the leaves but is effective as a general insecticide. I've found that it is effective against a variety of mites and aphids.
Because it also has fungicidal properties, one may find it as a possible solution to mildew and fungus outbreaks.

Water Treatment
For a general water treatment and dechlorinator, mix one tablespoon hydrogen peroxide for every gallon of water used.
The hydrogen peroxide acts instantly to drive out chlorine, excess iron and sulfates.

A Word of Warning
You'll be pleasantly surprised with the effectiveness of hydrogen peroxide for plants! My one word of caution is to avoid using it in the soil too often. Since it will easily rid your soil of harmful pests, it can also take its toll on beneficial soil organisms.
So, use it wisely and only treat when an infection or rot has been confirmed. Thanks for reading my article. Leave me any feedback or questions that you may have!

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.
© 2012 Zach https://dengarden.com/gardening/Hydrogen-Peroxide-for-Plants
Zach has been an online writer for over seven years. His writing focuses on gardening, cooking, and aquariums."

 

[Paulpash]

Why hasn't it started to turn yellow?

 

[0soyoung]

Mix one part of additive-free 35% hydrogen peroxide with ten parts water.

Or just buy 3% peroxide off the grocery/pharmacy shelf.

 

[Wizeeerrrddd]

Thanks for the information guys, ill try the peroxide out and update again in this post at some point

 

[keithl]

Or just buy 3% peroxide off the grocery/pharmacy shelf.

So no need to dilute the 3%? Just pour it straight in the soil? What about after, do you need to run water through it at all or just leave it be until it dries and then resume watering?

 

[0soyoung]

So no need to dilute the 3%? Just pour it straight in the soil? What about after, do you need to run water through it at all or just leave it be until it dries and then resume watering?

I don't. I dilute it to about 900 ppm = 2 tablespoons 3% H2O2 in a quart of water.

I think 3% is a bit risky for possibly damaging your plant. On the other hand, I know that as little as 300 ppm peroxide can be effective against most fungal/bacterial pathogens on plants.

But, yes, apply it and then continue as your normal watering regimen.

My terse response was just that one doesn't need to procure 35% peroxide and dilute that to the 3% concentration that is always on the grocery/pharmacy shelves = just buy 3% at your local grocery/pharmacy.

 

[AJL]

Field maple is deciduous and in November the leaves will inevitably start to look a bit tired before senescence / leaf fall. Also we have had one of the wettest autumns on record here in UK so quite likely the tree got waterlogged !! Why not sort out your drainage problem, let it dry out and leave nature to take its course.
I dont agree with promoting the need for pouring bleach (peroxide chemicals on to a tree that has a few withered leaves!

 

[leatherback]

fully agree with @AJL here. Ensure proper care. root are rotting not due to infection but because they died. soil has loads of livong components and the aim should not be to sterilize. just make sure your care is right.

 

[Wizeeerrrddd]

Although I bought the peroxide I too felt it didn't need that sort of treatment. Instead I have carefully moved the tree into a smaller makeshift pot without disturbing the roots that much. As Peter Chan says I just changed the clothes it had on.
Also although it is a decent start to a bonsai and I have a few ideas of what I could do with the tree, I am mostly testing different conditions so I can see the effects of my choices to gain some experience since I know field maples are fairly hard to kill off.

Maybe I should of gone through and cut out all the dead roots though, that's the next experiment to see what will happen to the tree over winter with those roots. Maybe with the roots freezing it will be okay?

 

[Wizeeerrrddd]

Why hasn't it started to turn yellow?

Also the leaves all started to turn yellow a few days after my post.
Wish I had taken a picture now, the yellow mixed with the black tips looked really nice actually despite knowing how it was caused.

 

[Lars Grimm]

If you feel that the soil is waterlogged, but don't feel that you can repot, you can take a chopstick or screwdriver and make some vertical holes in the soil to improve drainage. You can also always slip pot into a different container, like a pond basket, that has a lot more drainage holes.