Repotting a couple J. Maple

[MrFancyPlants]

I’m pretty pleased how these two turned out. I think it is a good step forward for each of them the blue grey potted one I believe is a “coral bark” variety. The other a seedling from a landscape tree. Both have been 5-7 years since their last repot.. I hope the pictures are decent enough.

 

[bonsaichile]

Nice! I like the movement on the one on the left in the first pic

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Few more photos.

 

[JudyB]

Looks like you've got good root growth.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Looks like you've got good root growth.

Thanks Judy. Although, you’d hope there would be a fair amount of roots after 5 + years without being repotted. I kind of lucked into having a couple available pots and I think they fit the trees pretty well if appropriately training wheels sized. Hopefully the soil doesn’t drain too fast it is roughly equal parts scoria akadama pumice and calidama. I had forgotten that calidama is closest to scoria in it’s properties when I was throwing together this season’s mix. I did sprinkle in a little spagnum as I went, and on top.

I’m over thinking things, but hopeful for some good development in the next couple years.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Update with some signs of life. My plan for this season is to let everything harden off before removin the longer internode should of duplicative growth that may contribute to lumps.. and doing some carving of the existing lumps.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Ught oh, the less promising wild type looks like it might be having a fungal issue. I saw some damage on the trunk, but thought it might have been due to a old collision with a rock. Movement has pretty much stopped and some of the buds seem to be greying out. Even worse, I wasn't real sanitary when repotting these two. I used the same bucket of rinse water, didn't sanitize my root shears etc. Fingers crossed for the wild type, but I really hope the coral bark doesn't catch what the other had. Coral bark seems vigorous so far.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Assuming it is a case of Anthracnose can I use some bayer 3 in 1 that I have on hand? Directions on the bottle imply a foliar application although the leaves are not yet out. Some of the buds look healthy although have slowed to a crawl. The anti fungal component is usually applied as more of a soil drench, correct? Should I prophylactically treat the, as of yet, unaffected maple?

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Can you guess which one is under the weather? Well they are both outside, but was was in a pond basket sicken into a grow box w volunteer tomatoes and potatoes. Do you thing I am good with the 3 in 1, or should I get some supplemental fungicide to switch out with?

 

[MrFancyPlants]

When is a good time of year for carving maples? Nothing major, but I'd like to dig at some of the lumpy scars in an attempt to get them, to heal smoother. I can see what I am doing better in the winter/spring, but would think having the tree leafed out would give it a jump on healing. I'm thinking of working the one in the grey pot. I thinned out and reduced the growth after it "hardened off"* late spring, but let the sacrifice branches extend, and they are getting nice and long.

(* or lignified, or stopped extending by my own definition. I acknowledge @Smoke 's point that "hardening off" isn't really the right terminology even if it is generally accepted. Furthermore, I acknowledge that I probably limited my ramification development on my designated branches by waiting until they extended to prune them. I'm ok with that as the sacrifice branches and trunk are what I am mainly working on now. I selected for branches with shorter internodes where possible, though they never really produced secondary flushes, the sacrifices branches continued to extend.)

The wild type maple in the earth-tone pot has survived and has a decent set of healthy leaves although the top died back. I'll keep treating both for fungus at least through next spring to be on the safe side

 

[AlainK]

My 2 €cents worth:

Remove the stones: they'll keep the heat of the day and fry the roots on surface.

OK, it's damp under the stones? Well when it's in full sun, instead of being fried the surface roots will be boiled.

Maybe I shouldn't worry but here, it's about 20 at night and 35 in the afternoon, and I've moved almost all my trees at least in dappled shade. And water them twice a day.

 

[Cadillactaste]

@Bananaman... Because Al isn't commenting under Smoke currently. No clue as to address your question.

 

[MrFancyPlants]

My 2 €cents worth:

Remove the stones: they'll keep the heat of the day and fry the roots on surface.

OK, it's damp under the stones? Well when it's in full sun, instead of being fried the surface roots will be boiled.

Maybe I shouldn't worry but here, it's about 20 at night and 35 in the afternoon, and I've moved almost all my trees at least in dappled shade. And water them twice a day.

Would the rocks get any hotter than the soil directly exposed to the sun? Usually I use rocks to stabilize everything if I didn't wire the tree into the pot, but I wired these so not sure why I even have them. I'll take them off for good measure.

Any input as to what time of year to carve out lumps from my maple trunks?

 

[AlainK]

Would the rocks get any hotter than the soil directly exposed to the sun? Usually I use rocks to stabilize everything if I didn't wire the tree into the pot, but I wired these so not sure why I even have them. I'll take them off for good measure.

Any input as to what time of year to carve out lumps from my maple trunks?

Well, wait for other advice, as many people, as many different opinions: the one I can give you is:

Stones gather heat, and render it: if there's a hot spell where you live it's like, say, Hawaian bar-b-q.

 

[AlainK]

Any input as to what time of year to carve out lumps from my maple trunks?

Er... What do you mean by "carving out lumps"?

You mean -- Arghhh!!! DEAD WOOD on an Acer palmatum???

Oh no, no, no, please!

 

[MrFancyPlants]

Er... What do you mean by "carving out lumps"?

You mean -- Arghhh!!! DEAD WOOD on an Acer palmatum???

Oh no, no, no, please!

No, no deadwood. Some of the older wounds are healing lumpy causing some reverse taper. I'd like to carve out the lumps so that they heal over smoother.

 

[AlainK]

No, no deadwood.

Phew... Close shave

 

[0soyoung]

Would the rocks get any hotter than the soil directly exposed to the sun? Usually I use rocks to stabilize everything if I didn't wire the tree into the pot, but I wired these so not sure why I even have them. I'll take them off for good measure.

If the soil were dry as a rock, it could get quite hot.
Water has an enormous heat capacity, so it takes a lot of energy to heat it up and damp soil stays cool in the sun, until it dries.
On the other hand, the rocks reduce the exposed surface area of the soil which means the rate of evaporation will be reduced. Its hard to say whether they are good or bad.

IMHO, the issue is roots die at temperatures around 95F/35C or higher. Stick an ordinary meat thermometer probe in the soil, between the rocks, deeper, etc. and see what the temperatures really are. If they are cool, all is cool. If not, throw something over the pot or move the pot to keep the root temperature down.

I don't like to stabilize roots this way. I generally don't like rocks atop my substrate. But that's my problem. I you like them @MrFancyPlants, that's your prerogative for your trees. I encourage you to measure and manage your root temps.

 

[Bananaman]

 

[ysrgrathe]

Well they are both outside, but was was in a pond basket sicken into a grow box w volunteer tomatoes and potatoes.

I don't think this problem is vert, but you should be aware that both potatoes and tomatoes can harbor verticillium. I wouldn't grow maples with them.