Japanese Maple Health Check - Soil Issue?

[JesseKane]

I've had this little Japanese Maple a little over a year now and still getting to know it's moods. I've noticed that many of the leaves are curled and am curious if this is an issue. The soil it came with doesn't have much drainage, could this be a cause? Some leaves have more than others, could it just be a result of wind here in Colorado this spring? It does have a small amount of what I assume to be wind or sun burn. I've been keeping it in an area that only gets direct sun in the morning, but haven't had a chance to set up a shade cloth yet.

Thanks!

 

[AcerAddict]

Welcome to the forum! Honestly, the leaves don't look bad to me. Like most Japanese Maples, they can indeed be moody, and they don't like too much wind or sun, with a few exceptions. From your pictures, it looks like it's in standard potting soil, with like a layer of bonsai soil on top. Is that correct? If so, then yes, you'll want to get it into something that drains better. However, I'd wait until next spring, which is the time to repot JMs, along with most other deciduous trees. You don't want to do heavy root work in the hotter months. Considering you've kept it alive for more than a year, you're off to a great start thus far. With that heavy organic soil it's in, just be careful of overwatering for now, that's all.

 

[JesseKane]

Good to hear that everything seems to be on track, thanks for the feedback! The soil has some of the same top layer rock mixed throughout, but the rock isn't porous and the soil is definitely highly organic. Re-potting is on the list for next spring. I'm letting it grow and stabilize as much as I can, I had a rocky start with this little guy last year. Shocked it somehow and it dropped all it's leaves, minimal regrowth, and also kept it inside. Then started to learn about proper care and managed to get it to go dormant and overwinter reasonably. I think I tend to over-water after almost killing it the first month, so I'll keep an eye on that.

 

[AcerAddict]

Good to hear that everything seems to be on track, thanks for the feedback! The soil has some of the same top layer rock mixed throughout, but the rock isn't porous and the soil is definitely highly organic. Re-potting is on the list for next spring. I'm letting it grow and stabilize as much as I can, I had a rocky start with this little guy last year. Shocked it somehow and it dropped all it's leaves, minimal regrowth, and also kept it inside. Then started to learn about proper care and managed to get it to go dormant and overwinter reasonably. I think I tend to over-water after almost killing it the first month, so I'll keep an eye on that.

You definitely need to have Japanese maples outside year-round. They don't do well indoors. Overwatering is something that is a common mistake for both bonsai enthusiasts and plant aficionados alike. In their desire to be kind and helpful to the trees, horticulture novices think they want buckets and buckets of water, which in most cases couldn't be further from the truth. There are some some species that LOVE water, and even thrive in literally standing water, such as Bald Cypress trees. JMs however, like a well-draining soil.