hi everyone. just joined the forum and would like to get your thoughts on some things. we just purchased and moved in to our own apartment and recently bought a japanese maple -aka shidare momiji, (which might be tamukeyama in N. America). its been 4 weeks since I have repotted - twice!! which I now know I shouldn't have in summer (first repot had to be changed because of wrong advice on the soil so it was an emergency. I ran water over the roots to tease out the bad soil as much as I can, which I got rid of most of it) and luckily the tree is now budding and looks healthy. however, I have noticed 2-3 small new buds that looks like shriveled and died. I will attach the pictures below. not sure if this is a symptom of something serious or if its just a result of slight transplant shock, or due to the recent heat we have been having here in Nagoya - are actually in rainy season and the weather has been hovering around 30C the last week. I also have a small twig, which had 2 leafs that shrivelled and died. not sure if the twig is dead already, seems to be in a limbo between living and dead... after initial potting I did have the tree under shade but last two weeks I have placed it in its permanent position, which sees sun from morning until 3 in the afternoon. I will be getting a parasol to give it some shade from around noon onwards. our balcony faces south, so it does get hot, but seems like the tree is doing well, with new shoots of leaves coming out the last 2 weeks. it's still green in color, but have recently seen some change towards more red tones, and some slight tip burns. I did put some bark mulch last week, but removed them since yesterday. for one thing, it was more difficult to see how moist the soil was, and I also felt that it actually trapped the heat, and soil temperature to be warmer than it is without. I have a soil thermometer, which usually hovers around 28~32C. and highest during noon heat around 34C..hope this is not too hot for the maple. though not sure how reliable these thermometers are. just today I have noticed some (2) white roots almost on the surface, so I put some forest leaves today mixed in with akadama to cover it up (mulch? compost? not sure what it is but was recommended to mix it in with my potting soil, mixed with akadama ??- sand like particles, in equal amounts). the potting mix is well drained, though since new to potted plants cant say how well. during this last week, with strong sun, I have been watering the tree almost daily, as the moisture goes away pretty quick. are these roots normal? or am I doing something wrong (watering?) or inadvertently damaged the roots while planting? living in japan, I have always enjoyed the maple trees around the neighborhood (and in kyoto and the mountains), and their spectacular fall colors. I just hope that I can keep this tree healthy and enjoy its colorful foliage everyday out on my balcony. I'm already considering another japanese maple, as soon as I can figure where I can squeeze them in my limited balcony space! here are pictures of my japanese maple online. you can see the leaves, as well as the potting soil etc. http://gallery.me.com/levend#100140 thanks in advance for your help!
Hi levsan, Your maple looks very healthy as far as I can see. Some dieback of smaller twigs is entirely natural, and can be expected even in the healthiest trees. The first picture, for example, shows the tip of a twig that likely died back last winter, and this years growth has pushed from the two healthy buds below the dead part. I can't help with what value the maximum soil temperature maples can tolerate is, but above 30C does sound rather high to me. Direct sun beating down on the side of a container can be a problen in hot climates, and has the potential to "cook" any roots in contact with the side of the container. If you think direct sun shining on the container might be a factor on your balcony, either wrap some type of screening (eg. bamboo) round the pot, or place the pot inside a larger pot with an air-gap between the walls of the two. HTH
thanks for your comments maf. I'm glad those small diebacks are nothing major. I got the parasol today but seems like it's going to place some parts almost permanently in shade except for 1-2 hours, and other areas much longer in the sun... its just been so hot this last week, with today and tomorrow hitting 37C.... I did cover the pot with bamboo, and together with the parasol have managed to keep the soil temp around 30C..probably still too hot but thats as good as it gets in my balcony, unless I move it to a permanent shaded area, which I assume will not give me nice fall colors. are there any dwarf to small size maples (for container) that prefer permanent shade and also be able to change colors?
