Root Rot?

node

Hi,

I'm still pretty new around here and thought I'd try and ask for some help on an Acer Palm. of that I recently picked up cheap at a garden center.

It looked a fine specimen when I saw it, but on closer inspection of the roots at home, I found that the plant was suffering from what looks like a serious case of rootrot. It has gone so far that it has reached the main trunk by now, but seems localized on one side though.

Also I noticed that the soil in the pot is dripping wet.

My questions are:

Seing that the buds are already opening, would you still advise repotting immediately?

Is there anything I should do with the affected tissue, like cutting it away and covering the wound with paste?

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated!

node

Attached Images

	Apr05_Acer_Peve_M_ROOTROT_01.jpg (71.4 KB, 91 views)
	Apr05_Acer_Peve_M_FULL_04.jpg (65.8 KB, 70 views)
	Apr05_Acer_Peve_M_ROOTROT_02.jpg (72.2 KB, 72 views)
	Apr05_Acer_Peve_M_ROOTROT_03.jpg (70.9 KB, 60 views)

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BonsaiGreenhorn

Although I am not extremely knowledgeable with J.Maples, I would say repot it, even though from up top it seems healthy, the rootrot is probably taking over slowly with that soil thats in there. Is it spring over there too? Early spring is a good re-pot time for J.maples, they like a free draining soil, Akadama if you have it.

Best of Luck!
& Keep us updated.
-Evan

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node

Repotting it is then. First thing tomorrow...

I'll post some more pics of the extent of the damage and the whole
process of repotting and removing the damage.

Might be educational...

thx for the info...

btw. it is spring here too. Temps are still pretty low, yearning for some sun... and not just for the plants

node

__________________
Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform. - Mark Twain
Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right. - Isaak Asimov
The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. - Bertrand Russell

midwestbonsai

I would also cut off the affected areas of roots. Get rid of them.

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node

I am planning on doing that.

As you can see on the pictures, part of the bark around the base of the trunk has also rotted away.

Any info on whether it is better to leave the wound open, or to cover it up with woundpaste?
Or even treat the bare dead wood with Jin-oil?

Treating with lime-sulfure might mean, I could keep part of the wood.

As it is, getting a trunk to thicken is hard enough, so I'm not all that happy about having to carve chunks out of it...

__________________
Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform. - Mark Twain
Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right. - Isaak Asimov
The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. - Bertrand Russell

Aaron_K

Hi Node,


Okay, that definitely looks like a case of root rot to me. This has been caused by the soil that it is in, which has very poor drainage by the look of it. The soil has become compacted and when water is applied, its basically a swamp. The root in question has probably been starved of oxygen, died and then started rotting and continued its way up the tree, over the winter period.

Japanese maples are a very thirsty tree, but they also like a well draining soil. If you can, plant this tree in some akadama soil, as its the preferred choice for the species. The tree has only just broken bud, and should be OK to repot. I repotted one of my maples after it had been in leaf about 3 weeks (A bit naughty I know and not recommended).

If you don't have any akadama, use 1/3 regular potting compost that has been sieved to remove the fine particles. 1/3 sharp/builders sand 2-3mm grain size, and 1/3 grit. It is very important the compost is sieved, otherwise you will end up with a swamp in your pot again.

The rotten section in question can be used very effectively to make a unique feature of the tree, so I wouldn't be too disappointed by it. Some people actually encourage their trees to rot in some instances, in a controlled manner, so that the tree looks older and adds character.

Leave the wound open to dry out for now, just ensure that the roots aren't damaged too much in the repotting. You should be OK to wash all that crap soil off, and place directly into it the new soil. I did this with mine... and its thriving. As you are wanting to fatten the truck up also, I'd suggest putting it in a large training pot which will allow for good root growth.

Keep us updated. Good luck!

Kindest regards,

Aaron

node

o.k. coming up, the update on the actual operation I did today...

__________________
Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform. - Mark Twain
Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right. - Isaak Asimov
The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. - Bertrand Russell

node

Here it is then.

Let's start with the patient.

The patient is an Acer Palmatum Peve Multicolor with a bad case of root rot.
We are going to try and remove the affected areas, and while we're at it, we are going to repot the Acer in new soil.

Attached:

Picture of full tree
Picture of damaged area,
Picture of tools.

NOTE: I have already sieved the fines out of the Akadama before I remove the plant from the pot. This will reduce the amount of time the roots are exposed to the air.

Attached Images

	Apr05_A_PeveMC_Repotting_01.jpg (60.4 KB, 66 views)
	Apr05_A_PeveMC_Repotting_02.jpg (53.4 KB, 62 views)
	Apr05_A_PeveMC_Repotting_03.jpg (71.1 KB, 56 views)

__________________
Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform. - Mark Twain
Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right. - Isaak Asimov
The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. - Bertrand Russell

node

Time to get started.

First thing to do is to remove the plant from its pot, and to take a extended look at what we are dealing with. Careful does it...

As you can see on the pictures, the root system actually doesn't look all that bad.
What we do notice is that the whole thing is dripping wet. (It has rained, but it really is excessively wet.)

Typically for a non-bonsai trained garden center plant you can clearly notice the roots wrapping around the outside of the pot.

It is going to be a while yet before this plant is ready for a bonsai container.

Attached:

Pictures of Root System

Attached Images

	Apr05_A_PeveMC_Repotting_04.jpg (69.6 KB, 51 views)
	Apr05_A_PeveMC_Repotting_07.jpg (68.1 KB, 48 views)
	Apr05_A_PeveMC_Repotting_05.jpg (65.0 KB, 42 views)

__________________
Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform. - Mark Twain
Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what's right. - Isaak Asimov
The most savage controversies are those about matters as to which there is no good evidence either way. - Bertrand Russell