Recieved a potted Japanese Red Maple as a guests’ gift from a recent soiree. I kept it inside for a couple of weeks, then got a huge pot and replanted it outside. I was a bit worried about it inside, as some leaves began to turn dark.
Once outside in the pot, those leaves quickly shriveled up. I thought, OK, they’re gonna fall off and some new leaves will come on after it gets over the shock of repotting.
To my alarm, now the plant has begun shriveling in earnest. :eek:
I don’t know enough about these plants to know what’s wrong - lack of water? The info I’ve read about them says they hate to be over-watered; I don’t know how much is too much. The pot is located under a covered patio; it gets some slanting afternoon sun but not enough to burn it.
Take a look at this page from the Arbor Day Foundation:
Where is the “Garden Spot of the South”? As you’ll see on the linked page, Japanese Red Maples are not outdoor plants in some areas of the South. Also, the leaves are supposed to turn dark in the spring and again in the fall.
For starters, it looks completely dried out. I’d make sure that it is fully watered. Like, dunk the pot in a large container to ensure that water is taken into the soil.
Sometimes when stuff gets too dried out, the water will run off the top of the soil, down the sides of the pot, and out the bottom.
On the other hand, if your pot doesn’t have any holes drilled in the bottom, your plant might be drowning in crappy water.
Still, it looks like there’s enough healthy growth there. If it were me, I’d prune off all the shitty stuff, and just grow what’s left. But, othe’s might have a different opinion about that, so take it with a grain of salt.
Those maple trees seem to have a developed sense of “self pruning” – just letting the stuff die that isn’t useful anymore.
I’ve never had a problem over watering my japanese maple tree, or it’s offsprings in containers, and they do seem to be tolerant of low water conditions.
I have to say that my Japanese maple doesn’t look like yours, mine is purplish-red leaves with smaller leaves however I have branches that die off for no apparent reason. That looks like what yours is doing maybe. Mine is in the ground not in a pot though. I am in Tennessee so just a bit north of where you are.
oh and mine gets full sunlight from morning to late afternoon when the house’s shadow blocks the evening sunlight.
Those leaves are consistent with drying out. Go ahead and pull off the crispy ones, they won’t be coming back. You can scratch through the bark gently with a thumbnail to see if the stems are still alive. The plant probably dried out inside and then panicked when it was brought out and shed the leaves. With limited dieback it should survive. Acer palmatum generally have two flushes of growth, the second one being later in the summer. Be nice to it, feed it weekly with a low rate of fertilizer, and don’t let it get too dry and you will have a nice tree again soon.
I agree with the drying out diagnosis. Japanese Maples are pretty famous for this…it can even be caused by lots of wind if the tree is borderline dried out or in a bright or sunny location. BTW, what is your potting soil mix? This can be an important factor in water retention (among other things)
For the outer portion of the soil, we used some topsoil that my builder brother-in-law had stockpiled. The inner portion is the same potting soil which the tree came in. The topsoil is at least as good as the native soils here. There is a gravel layer at the very bottom of the pot, and there are 4 drain holes drilled in the sides.
I watered it well this morning but the pot is much too large for dunking (takes two people to lift). As of this afternoon it looks better.
When I potted it, I also sprinkled some granulated Miracle-gro around. Not very heavily, not even as much as the label stipulated. You can barely see a few granules in the first photo. Did I screw up with that?
I hate to be mean and keep on insulting your soil, but it looks like it’s potted in road crush - sand and gravel. I think you need to take out the local topsoil and put the plant in a potting mix that will be much richer than what it’s in now. That topsoil might be okay for plants that are planted directly in the ground, but a potted plant needs all the help it can get. If the topsoil it’s in is very sandy, the water will just be draining right out before the plant can get at it, and light, sandy soil doesn’t have all the nutrients that dark, rich soil has.
With that big a pot, I’d mulch around the top of the soil, too, to hold in the moisture.
Agree with featherlou’s good advice on the condition of the soil in the pot: it looks like the usual clay layer of Southern soil (Lived in MSPI, now in NC), minus the humusy living layer that allows plants to thrive here. As said, replant it in a more friable potting soil to let it recover. It will also be less heavy, and allow you to move it. Clay soil when wet is really heavy. Another pointer in making the pot lighter is to not use gravel as a drainage base, but crumpled aluminum cans or old flimsy plastic six pack pots; crumple em up and put them at the bottom of the big pot. Cheap, good drainage, and a whole lot lighter.
In looking at the 1st photo, I’m wondering if your maple might be rootbound. That would hinder it’s uptake of water. Were the roots tight up in the gallon pot it was in?
If so, break up the rootball when you replant it, to allow the roots to stretch out in their new home.
That’s quite alright, it doesn’t have any feelings.
It’s not sand and gravel (they are red here) - I guess that the photos are not very good. Sorry about that.
elelle, I remember that you had lived here, and this is kind of like the “good” soil you’d find in someone’s garden, yanno? So it’s clay-ey but not too bad.
Anyway, thanks for all the advice, everyone. The plant seems to have perked up quite a bit since yesterday.
Ninety, yep, I do know that soil, and the main thing is that clay soil can grow stuff well, but with a live soil duff on top to help. The layer of decent soil on top really helps to get a plant established. Making sense here? Anyhoo, I’d probably clip the maple on withered top to lessen trauma. Did you find that the roots were bound? Wanna know, it helps me understand probs for future folks asking. I do this sorta stuff every day: that’s my job.
Just because soil is considered “good” in a garden, does not mean that it is a good potting medium. Garden soils, especially those with a high clay content, tend to become compacted in the closed environment of a pot, and do not allow for good drainage and oxygenation of the root system. If you intend to keep your tree potted for the long haul, (as opposed to transplanting it into the garden) it is best to invest in some sort of soil mix meant specfically for potted plants.
I wouldn’t recommend field soil for potted plants. It is inappropriate, unless you have an extraordinarily large pot and want to do a blend. Potting soils from the Fafard company are well worth the price and will reward you with excellent plants every time.
It’s not a gargantuan pot, but larger than any other I have - I calculate the volume to be about 1.82 cubic feet, or around 14 gallons.
My plan is to keep a watchful eye on it - if it takes a turn for the worse, I’ll dig out this dirt and put potting soil (or a mixture) back in its place.
I’ve lost two in my front yard, a big one and a sapling. I cut the sapling down to a little stick sticking out of the ground, now a couple months later it’s coming back stronger than before. The big one I cut down to a stump and there’s now new red leaves coming out on it. I just wonder if it’s a good idea to let a tree grow from a stump.
