All my trees have been in containers for ten years, root pruned after several years. Some in wood containers, some in ceramic pots. They were moved to a temporary but sunnier location, and it was terribly hot for the last month. This is in north south carolina.Zone 7 b. All the leaves curled and turned brown. Now that they have been moved into a more appropriate site, part shade. I dressed them with some new top soil, added orchid bark for mulch and feed them 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of dyna grow. All but one plant has begun to rebud and rebloom. Should I be concerned. The trees would usually be the very last trees to loose there leaves. Often nov. dec. what should I do, Continue the feeding regiment or stop for the year. The last tree has shown no signs of new growth, and has developed black areas o. The bark, even some, very slight dark ooze. Some limbs are spotted some with larger areas. Would anyone know what this might be. Do I need to be concerned for my other trees? Thanks if you can share your knowledge.
Hello, I wouldn't worry: maples are very resilient. Some branches may be dead in the spring because not enough nutriment have been stored in the wood, but if they're healthy, they backbud profusely, even on old wood (that's what it's a favourite for bonsai enthusiasts). But I would definitely stop feeding them, or at least, avoid N in the fertilizer and use one with much higher percentage of potash - sthg like 0-4-6, if it existed ;-) Potash is good for the root system I heard. Not savvy enough to give a definite opinion, but that doesn't seem good at all: I would definitely separate them from the healthy trees, and sprayn them with Bordeaux mix, I'd say it could be a kind of bacterial disease.
Alain k, Can you tell me if the Bordeux mix is commonly used on Japanese maples. I only ask because I have understood that some types of sprays should not be used on Japanese maples. The point you made about the root system, sounds good, keeping them strong is the much better choice than my Dyna grow which is for spring/ summer foliage. It's 9% total N. 3% phosphate, 6% potash, and 2 % calcium. As far as the very troubled maple, with the black bark, and ever so slight dark goo, I may just prune off some of the limbs. There were a lot of dead ends, but a lot of spring in a good number of limbs. I will try to find the borduex . It's hard to loose any trees, especially when they are several feet high. Appreciate your time. Thank you for the advice.
You'll find a lot of info in this thread: http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=84467&highlight=Bordeaux And of course make sure you disinfect the tools you use after pruning the trees!
FYI Thanks you for the link re: Bordeaux. In researching the product Bordeaux, (we had the odd situation where our trees had been placed temporarily, near an older fruit tree, that had been a problem to the owner). as I further researched I stumble onto a photo of "sudden oak death". A serious issue. The pictures of a blackish ooze coming from the bark , said for me, that's the problem with our tree. The black bark had begun to appear in the lower half of the trunk in a few days since I started looking for advice. Without know much more than this, we just decided the tree had to be destroyed. Had the condition been minor, I would have attempted the spray. The decision appeared correct, in that, once we cut the tree in half, there were a few black spots. We're we right or wrong I think we were right. But a heartfelt loss. Everything we did, we wore gloves, we bagged all parts, bagged the soil. Hated to do it, but felt obligated to reduce the chances of infecting more than our trees. we may use the liquid copper this winter on the other maples, this time, just in case. The product was by "Bonide" used for fruit trees, ornamentals, even grass.
