[color=red]Sharpes Pygmy Maple - Crown Problems[/color]

My Sharpes Pygmy Maple seems to have some kind of fungus that has almost completed defoliated the crown of my plant. The leaves dry out, turn brown and crinkled and fall out. I got this plant this year from a Mississippi grower. I live in Chicago. At first I that the plant was undergoing some kind of minor shock from the change of climate. But with the leave drop countinuing, I have become increasingly concerned. Some of my fellow enthusiats advised that I have fungus, given the very wet Spring that we have had here in the Midwest. I have been treating the plant weekly with deconyl, benomyl and almost every other kind of fungicide to no avail. The plant is still alive with no new growth on the crown. But it is not getting better. So what do I do now? Thoughts, help, prayers, advice PLEASE.

Where are you keeping this tree? How often do you water? What soil is it planted in?

I don't know the cultivar. Is it an Acer palmatum (Japanese maple) or some other maple? How large is it and how long has it been in a pot?

Thanks for you help. My tree is a Japanese Maple 'Sharpes Pygmy' Bonsai purchase from Brussel's Bonsai here in the States. The tree is about 18" tall with a large crown about 24 -30" in diameter. I don't know how long it has been in its pot, but there are no roots showing at the bottom of the pot. I noticed some new growth - very slight - in the crown just today. Maybe this is a positive sign. The soil seems to be some kind of proprietary mix of akadama and ordinary garden soil. I would have transplanted it, but it too late in the season. I water everyday given the heat wave that we have been having here in Chicago. I will try to get a picture posted tomorrow, though I am new to this site and not really familiar with all of its tools.

Thanks for your help. Really!

New growth is a good sign. Try not to wet the foliage as you water, and try not to water until the soil is pretty dry all through the pot. Keeping a wooden or bamboo chopstick poked into the soil and removing it daily to feel the dirty end for dampness is a good way to determine when the soil is dry enough that you need to water.

Overwatering is a frequent cause of foliage problems -- though perhaps not like those you describe.

hi,

dappled shade from either netting or the branches of another tree above can help acer palmatum cultivars - they grow very well in the dryer, shaded and sheltered area under other larger trees - imitating this can allow young new leaves to open and harden off better while protected from the harsh elements.

new buds opening is a good sign though - protect the tree and they should form properly and not dry up quickly.

Thanks all for the thoughtful suggestions. In class today with a bonsai master (the curator of our Chicago Botanic Garden collection), he suggested coring the soil around the tree about every 3 inches, 1 inch from the edge of the pot. I did so and filled the holes with sifted porous bonsail soil. This should encourage root growh - I hope. I will let you all know what happens and get photos of the tree in its current poor condition, on our site by tomorrow. Thanks again.

Hi All - Here are some photos showing the crown problem that we have been talking about. Still looking for help. Thanks.[img][/img][img][/img]

Mmm? Guess I really don't know how to send photos. I tried!

Did you read this?

https://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t243-tutorial-on-posting-pics

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Here are the photos of Sharpes Maple crown problems.



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Still no great on the photo attachments, but I will get better! Hope the photos help.

The photos are fine. Good job. Your best advice probably came locally, since that person has actually seen the tree.

Just looking at your soil through the foliage, is there any organic material in it or is it entirely granular inorganic material like Turface?

Jim brings up a good question regarding soil composition. Maples will grow just fine in pure inorganic material (Turface) but you need to fertilize frequently. I use liquid ferts of differing characteristics pretty much every time I water. The fertilizer in solution drains out and only leaves behind a very small amount of nutrients. You may want to investigate the possibility that the tree is in need of nourishment. I just went thru this with my large bougie. Sickly contorted leaves without much deep green color. Stepped up the feeding regimen and it has turned around nicely.

Hi, the pics are nice, but I still can't see close enough. A close pic of the foliage, including leaf/stem/twig atachments and bark may show signs of fungal attack. I'd venture a guess that what you're seeing is the result of dessication due to hot dry winds your city is so famous for. The transition from the southern 'Ol Miss.' climate to northern Ill. Big Gusty may be effecting the tree. I have a similar wind situation here in SW Or., hot and dry every afternoon. I prefer a soil mix with a bit more organics, 60 -70%, lots of water when it's hot and misters when it gets over 95F. I mist a few times a day in the summer, but when it gets real hot I leave misters on all day. A position where the tree gets direct sun from sunup till about 11:00 or so and then shade or dappled light the rest of the day is best for potted maples, but in boxes or in the ground they can take alot more sun, my Sharps dance in the full sun all day long. See if you can get a closeup pic using a plain white posterboard for a background. It's very hard to diagnose from a pic anyway, so anything you can do to clarify will help alot.

JimLewis wrote:The photos are fine. Good job. Your best advice probably came locally, since that person has actually seen the tree.

Just looking at your soil through the foliage, is there any organic material in it or is it entirely granular inorganic material like Turface?

Only slight - if any - organic material in some kind of proprietary soil that combines sand, akadama and some kind of very small stone.

RKatzin wrote:Hi, the pics are nice, but I still can't see close enough. A close pic of the foliage, including leaf/stem/twig atachments and bark may show signs of fungal attack. I'd venture a guess that what you're seeing is the result of dessication due to hot dry winds your city is so famous for. The transition from the southern 'Ol Miss.' climate to northern Ill. Big Gusty may be effecting the tree. I have a similar wind situation here in SW Or., hot and dry every afternoon. I prefer a soil mix with a bit more organics, 60 -70%, lots of water when it's hot and misters when it gets over 95F. I mist a few times a day in the summer, but when it gets real hot I leave misters on all day. A position where the tree gets direct sun from sunup till about 11:00 or so and then shade or dappled light the rest of the day is best for potted maples, but in boxes or in the ground they can take alot more sun, my Sharps dance in the full sun all day long. See if you can get a closeup pic using a plain white posterboard for a background. It's very hard to diagnose from a pic anyway, so anything you can do to clarify will help alot.

Thanks for your comments. I think that my weekly funcide treatments are being to work...I noted more new crown growth this morning. Hoorah! I'm going to continue to keep is out of direct sun, change the soil ph - might be too acidic - and water a trifle sparing.
Thanks all your very kind assistance. I'm let you know my progress is about a week.