Trident maple problem...need help

I purchased a trident maple a couple months ago. It's 15 yrs old and well established.... healthy... I hope. This brings me to my problem. I left for vacation for a week. Left my girlfriends daughter to water it daily while I was gone. I got back and every leaf was dried out and a light brown to slightly green color. She swore she watered it everyday but I'm thinkin not enough. I defoliated the entire tree just behind each leaf where it meets the stem of the leaf. I've been watering it for the last two weeks and keeping it shaded. Was this the right thing to do? I need help. So if anyone has any suggestions I really appreciate it. I'm very new at bonsai. I've read as much as I can. But in some cases its hard to remember everything. PLEASE HELP!!!!

Thanks,

Joel

Joel,
Once the leaves are trashed it is best to remove them by pruning and leave a stub at the base of each leaf.
With not as many leaves on the tree it will not take up as much water so be careful not to over water,
Good luck with your Trident.
Ken

So cutting the entire leaf off and leaving just the stem from the leaf was the wrong thing to do? I was always confused about that. I hope this won't cause too many problems. Seeing I already defoliated the entire tree.

Joel wrote:So cutting the entire leaf off and leaving just the stem from the leaf was the wrong thing to do?

No, you did the right thing. It's been around 25° Celsius here, I did it on a young trident, and a week later new leaves were starting to come out. But it was heavily fertilized in early spring and the growth was very strong. I let it rest (no fertilizer) for a month before leaf-cutting.

Thank you Ken and Alain.

What kind of fertilizer do you recomend for my trident? I havent fertilized it yet. I am new and trying to read up on some things to make sure I don't make any mistakes. I know to fertilize only from spring to fall. and then none in winter and less watering in winter too.

Joel

Joel, I would not fertilize until the leaves come back out.Then You can use any type of fertilizer just follow the instructions from the manufacturer. Remember to water only when the soil is dry.
Ken

kenduncan wrote:Joel, I would not fertilize until the leaves come back out.Then You can use any type of fertilizer just follow the instructions from the manufacturer. Remember to water only when the soil is dry.
Ken

Yep, that is sound advice.

Where do you keep the tree? It should be outdoors. Right now it should be in the shade, then gradually to part sun as it recovers. Very important not to overwater. If you don't see signs of recovery, scratch the bark to find out if it is still alive.
Iris

I do keep it outdoors. Its been in the shade for about two weeks now. I'm not overwatering. I will gradually be movng it to less and less shade. Thank you Iris. I appreciate all the help from everyone that has responded to my questions. Looks like the roots that are coming out the bottom of the pot holes are still alive. Hopefully that is a good sign. And some of the new shoots on the tree are getting small leaves too.

Thanks again everyone

That is a good sign. To confirm, you did do the right thing. Using a light feed now that you are seeing some leaf growth and new shoots would be fine. Give it a little more sun. I'd let it grow where it wants the rest of the season though..just to gain some strength.

It's been in the 100's in tulsa, I just defoliated some smaller tridents and left in full sun. Doing great...5 days after defoliating they are producing new leaves.

Neil

G'day Joel...

"...water only when the soil is dry...".

Dry, but not deied out...

Pat

After defoliation, the tree should be put into full sun in a humid environment. The heat on the root ball stimulates the growth of roots, and its effect on the branches is that they react by activating adventitious buds.

However, I don't think that keeping it in shade for a for a week or two or three is going to kill the tree. It's just not what I do.