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23-May-2005
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#1 |
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what's a Neophyte?
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Trident Maple need advice please
Hello All,
Im fairly new to bonsai, but like most noobs have spent much time trying to learn EVERYTHING!!! I have a steady growing collection of trees, and i went to a show on saturday, where I found this little one. The lady selling this tree is leaving the country, I managed to get not alot of history on the tree. I picked it up for 25 pounds (45 dollars) as I thought I was getting a good deal. The tree is around 30 cm in height including the pot. the trunk is around 2-3 inches and has a hole in the trunk. the hole goes right through from top to bottom. this tree has arial roots. I managed to uncover 3-4 woodlouse or pill bugs co-habiting the hole in the trunk. My initial concern is that, if i leave the rot untreated, the inner heartwood will completly rot and will destroy the flow of water and nutrients as the sapwood will disintergrate. luckily the ariel roots stop the soil touching the underneath of the hole and keeping it damp. other than that, i like the tree, but am concerned abut the lack of foliage, which may be indirectly due to the rot... or not...  .im resisting the urge to repot out of season... the lady selling it had no idea when it was last repotted. i would guess 1-2 years looking at the degridation of the akadama soil. I lifted the tree and it shows healthy white root tips, although they arnt numerous, they are there. anyway enough of my waffle, hope i gave enough info, please let me know if you need to know anything else. Im hoping i can be directed on: A) how to tackle the rot B) how to preserve the inside C) help the tree become vigerious. D) Help with how to direct the tree's growth and design over the next few years. im in the uk, zone 8-9 ish in anticipation..... Degs |
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Trident Maple need advice please |
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23-May-2005
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#2 |
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Attila Soos
 Join Date: Jan-2002
Location: Los Angeles, California
Country: USA
Posts: 1,924
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Hi Degs,
Based on the colour and the density of the crown, your tree doesn't look very happy. If I were you, I would repot it ASAP. Without disturbing the roots too much, I would shave off about 20% of the rootball and repot it in a much larger box or nursery can. If you don't do it now, you will lose another season of growth and the tree will remain weak for another year. In good, well draining soil the trident regains its vigour very fast. Then, next spring you can do a heavy rootpruning and put it back into a bonsai pot. When strong and healthy, trident maples can take severe rootpruning. I wouldn't worry about the hole inside the tree. You can treat the wood inside the hole with systemic fungicide to prevent fungus growing inside. You can also do the following: Fill the inside with waterproof cement, making sure that you cannot see the cement from outside on either ends (top end and bottom end). So, you would still have a hole, but just a shallow one, since the inside would be filled with cement. Otherwise, tridents are strong growers and I am sure that if you let it grow vigorously, the callus will cover the opening of the holes within five years. P.S.: I actually like that hole, and would try to prevent it from closing on the upper end. The bottom, however, I would fill with cement and let the nebari to grow over it. Last edited by Attila : 23-May-2005 at 07:50 PM. |
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23-May-2005
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#3 |
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Life Student
 
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Just an idea :
Let tree become healthy, then open up the trunk. You'll have an open hollow trunk, wich you can treat with fungicide after that. Wich I could make a virtual. Thanks, Patrick |
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23-May-2005
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#4 |
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Bonsai Nursery Owner
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cute tree , but in your heat range it should look a bit fuller by now . I agree with attila about putting it in a bigger pot with well drained soil for the year to reintroduce vigor. I would gently comb out the circling roots , but I wouldnt cut any this late in the year in your zone. once it starts to grow better , start fertilizing it more . I like the hollow up top . really adds character . I like to keep the hollows free draining , because if it gets plugged up from the bottom youll have standing water and a lot more rot problems than you have currently . ive seen wood hardener used on the inside of a hollow trunk with good results . It plasticizes the wood stoping it from weakening into mush around that drain area possibly ruining the nebari area . Id let it calous over around the edges for a truly ancient look , but id let the bottom have a small opening for dranage and make the top area a great focal point that is currently is . great buy !
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24-May-2005
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#6 |
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what's a Neophyte?
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Hi,
Thanks for the replies. i too like the hollow trunk, and want to keep it that way. I was initially concerened about the soil. i must stress there are white root tips, but the pot is not covered in them. I was under the understanding that repots should not be done until autumn or very early spring, i know this is definatly true for root pruning. but if you are sure i can risk a repot without rootpruning then I will do so. I will use coarse grit and pure Akadama on this tree, although, I do have some pumice, I would imagine this will be even more free draining. However, why would it be necessary to repot into a much larger pot? I thought if you overpot into too large a tub then you create more probs. Maybe i could apply the wood hardener while im repotting, it would make it easier since i could look right underneath, but if the repot is the most important thing, then this is what I will do. Again, my thanks for your assistance. it is well received. Degs |
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24-May-2005
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#7 | |
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perpetual student
 
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Quote:
(a beginner's $.02) JP
__________________
I'm an acorn, small and round, sitting on the cold, hard ground. Everyone walks over me, that is why I'm cracked you see. I'm a nut, I'm a nut, I'm crazy. -author unknown |
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24-May-2005
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#9 |
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Attila Soos
Join Date: Jan-2002
Location: Los Angeles, California
Country: USA
Posts: 1,924
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The idea is not to disturb the roots too much. Late spring is still accepable to repot, but not the best time. Especially with weakened trees.
I would lift the tree out of the pot (if it's tied to the pot with wire, cut the wire first at the drainage hole, if not, just lift it) and see how rootbound it is. If the soil is lose, just shake it until half of it falls off. At this point, if you see lots of dead black roots at the extremities, cut them off (not more than 20 - 25% of the total rootball) If the tree is so rootbound that the shape of the rootball is following the shape of the pot, and it's a compact mass of roots, with a hook carefully comb out the outer portion of the rootball and cut off about 20% of it. To answer your question, the problem with replacing all the old soil is that in order to do that you may have to disturb the roots too much, and that's not good. However, if you can just shake it out without too much disturbance, it's for the better. After repotting, it's very important to place the tree in light shade, protected from noon and afternoon sun. At the beginning, you may notice that some of the old leaves start browning at the edges, but soon there will be new growth coming out. |
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24-May-2005
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#10 | |
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Air Assault All The Way.
Join Date: Mar-2004
Location: Huntersville, NC (near Charlotte)
Country: USA
USDA Zone: 7-8
Posts: 1,680
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Quote:
The color of the foliage says that this bonsai is deficient in nutrients and/or suffering from too much water. The amount of foliage also indicates something is wrong. Attila is right. Re-potting is called for here. Two things to add to that though: 1) Completely defoliate the tree!!! Tridents can be defoliated several times a year for other reasons, but in this case it will minimize the stress of the re-pot since it will not have to support the foliage with moisture. 2) You probably need to check the rootball carefully. I suspect you have an interior area of the rootball that contains dead and decaying roots. These serve no purpose, and can spread rot to the surrounding live roots. Just adding more soil to the existing rootball will not alleviate this problem. You are new to bonsai and I am sure this will shock you, but in certain circumstances (possibly this one) you have to drastically prune, maybe even bare-root. Luckily, tridents are one of the more tolerant species for this treatment. Just make sure you defoliate in ADDITION to root pruning. It is not the optimum time, for certain, but the option is to hope the bonsai survives without it. I think action is necessary. When you check the rootball, eliminate any dessicated (dried up) black roots. SMELL the rootball!!! If it has an "earthy" unobtrusive smell (like tilled earth) you are in good shape. If it smells even slightly unpleasant, you probably have root rot. The dead area MUST be removed. It is like a cancer that will spread to healthy tissue. Cut it out, or it will kill everything eventually. If you do decide to re-pot, the oversized container will serve to speed up growth in, probably, the NEXT growing season. It will not have a significant effect this year, but it is still a good idea. Either way (new pot or current one), once re-potted, place it in dappled shade (best) to mostly shade. Keep an eye on watering an ensure that the soil mixture stays moist enough to provide water to the tree but NOT saturated. A good free-draining mix will do this. Some even encourage the use of added sphagnum moss to the root area IN the soil mix. I support that concept too. The soil in the current container looks heavy and too moisture-laden (it's hard t tell that in the photo though). Now remember, this action is for the tree to re-gain vigor. The problem is, tridents need to have a lot of moisture when they are healthy and full of foliage, so later a more moisture-retentive mix may be called for. Also, normally a healthy bonsai that is completely defoliated, is supposed to be placed in full sun to provoke the dormant buds to open. The dappled sun is about the most I would suggest for the first couple of weeks for the sake of the roots. Once the roots have improved, start giving it more sun. At LEAST a month after the re-pot, it would probably be best to use a weak fertilizer that is more rich in phosphurus (P) and potassium (K) and slightly weaker in nitrogen (N). A very weak fish emulsion that is also watered onto the foliage (when it has completely opened) is my suggestion. Given your area, I think the advice you have been given up to this point is worthy of consideration. If you do nothing else, please take a small chopstick and try to push through the root system to the bottom of the pot. It will help a little with aeration of the roots, and tell you for certain if you are pot-bound. The harder it is to push through, the denser the roots system is (in general). I wouldn't worry about the trunk "rot" for now. Roots are the priority. Get those right first and then deal with the treatment of the dead wood. Maybe a little (and I mean a little) pesticide BRUSHED on that area is a consideration to head off borers and such. Really not a pressing issue though. Good luck, John
__________________
John Dixon Si vis pacem parabellum Stay off the trails of others, that's where the booby-traps are. |
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