Tree Trouble Catalog: 10 Trees with 10 Problems

kompik

I have a peculiar habit of waiting until I have a whole pile of questions before asking for help. Today is no exception. There are a number of trees in my yard - some pre-bonsai, some ornamental, others just shade trees - that are suffering (to varying degrees) from a handful of different problems. I don't expect that any of these conditions are anything more than run-of-the-mill that you would expect to find in the middle of summer in the Midwest, but since this is my first year training bonsai, and I have a complete absence of any sort of horticultural background, I need some help identifying even the simple stuff. Okay, I admit I've done a little reading and have a few guesses about what's wrong in some cases, but it'd be nice to get some confirmation to be sure. Hopefully this can also help other bonsai newbies identify problems their having with their own trees as well.

A brief background: We had a rough spring, with early warm days followed by a cold snap, followed by very sparse rainfall. The summer has been hot and unusually dry as well (most of the state until recently was under official drought conditions). Also, soil conditions in my yard & garden are pretty bad; clay soil with poor drainage. Now, on to the individual cases...

(#51024) First up is a San Jose Juniper I ordered from a reputable seller from California along with several other pre-bonsai. It had several clusters of yellow needles spread throughout the tree when I got it, and they spread a little after I potted him. Since then the yellowing has stopped spreading (or slowed to an imperceptible rate), but the needles remain. Any ideas on what caused the yellowing? Is it a temporary or persistent problem, and how I can treat it now or avoid it in the future?

(#51025) Next is a Birdsnest (Norway) Spruce. Oddly, a Norway Spruce I potted up this spring looks healthier (aside from shorter new growth, but I'd expect that after transplanting) than this one that's been growing in the ground a year longer. This is a bird's-eye-view and shows how the needles in the center of the tree are all turning brown. I've read that this happens to "third-year-needles" in some conifers, and that removing these needles will encourage new buds to form next year. Is that what's happening here, or is it a health problem?

(#51026) Now I've got an assortment of maples to look at. First are a pair of young Japanese Maples of no particular variety (I got them from my father-in-law who grows them from random seedlings he finds in parks, etc.). I planted them in my garden last year. This spring they were hit hard by the cold snap (despite trying to protect them by covering them with burlap) and lost their first crop of leaves. Soon enough they put out a second set of leaves, though I did loose a branch or two. Now, I'm not familiar with the why's and wherefore's of Japanese Maple leaf coloration, so I'm not sure what to think about the leaves starting out reddish-purple, changing to green, then turning reddish-orange and curling up. They don't get much sun where they are, but this kinda looks like some kind of scorch to me. Also note the small holes in the leaves to the left.

(#51027) The second Japanese Maple has this nasty-looking wound. Any ideas?

(#51028) Then there is my Hedge Maple that I ordered and planted in my garden this spring. It's been growing pretty heartily, though now it's getting this strange leaf problem. Also, impossible to tell from the photo, the leaves on one of the lowest branches is full of leaves a shade or two lighter green than the dark green leaves on the others. What would cause that?

(#51029) I also ordered this Trident Maple and planted it in the garden. The Hedge and the Trident both get more light than the Japanese Maples, and the Hedge has always looked healthier than the Trident, which seems to have struggled to establish it's roots. Now it seems to be healthy and is a good color, though there seems to be something eating away at the fringes of the new leaves and causing them to curl. (Then again, maybe Trident Maple leaves start out curly, what do I know?)

Attached Images

	_San Jose Juniper-600-3.jpg (53.8 KB, 23 views)
	__Birdsnest Spruce-400-3.jpg (54.8 KB, 19 views)
	_Palm Maple1-600-6.jpg (51.3 KB, 24 views)
	_Palm Maple2-600-6.jpg (38.1 KB, 20 views)
	_Hedge Maple-600-6.jpg (55.2 KB, 18 views)
	_Trident Maple-600-5.jpg (56.9 KB, 23 views)

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kompik

(#51030) Moving on, I've got a Cotoneaster apiculatus 'Tom Thumb' I bought from a local nursery and planted out in my garden last fall (same partly-sunny area as the last two maples). Transplanting it as late in the year as I did was a bad thing, and this spring I saw that a few of the old branches had died because of it. Oh well, live and learn. Lately the plant has been covered with these black dots and discolored leaves here and there.

(#51031) One of my ornamental Dogwood trees has two (probably unrelated) problems. First, it has leaf discoloration (dark green along the veins, light green between them). Second, there seems to be something eating the ends/edges of the leaves, causing them to deform (curling and wrinkling). Oddly, both of these problems seem to afflict some leaves, but not others (note the leaf to the left in the photo) at about a 60:40 ratio.

(#51032) Then there is a Hawthorn with all sorts of problems. The leaves wilt, get holes, and are spotted with orange spots. The brown wilted leaf at the top of the photo may be caused by something unrelated, or could also be symptomatic.

(#51033) I've got a nice, big Redbud in my front yard that's plagues with these black spots on the foliage. This may or may not be related to my Cotoneaster (they are on opposite sides of the house, for whatever that's worth). As you can see, the leaves seem full and healthy, except for these spots.

And that's that. If nothing else, I hope some of these photos can be used to illustrate common problems so others can compare them to their own conditions.

Attached Images

	_Cotoneaster-600-4.jpg (58.0 KB, 18 views)
	_Dogwood-600-5.jpg (59.6 KB, 9 views)
	_Hawthorn-600-7.jpg (45.7 KB, 16 views)
	_Redbud-600-6.jpg (58.9 KB, 12 views)

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tree bender

If you haven't already. I'd recommend you join the Columbus Bonsai Club. Somebody there should be able to help you with your issues.

bandbchute

I must say... I agree with Tree Bender. Also, you might want to head to the library and check out some books to read for reference. There is a ton of beginner books that can answer your questions. Better yet, buy a couple that you can have on hand to answer your questions quickly.

Good luck with your tree's,

Brian