Japanese Maple ?sapling? not doing so hot.

16 years ago

I ordered a pair of JM saplings from ebay (little experiment).

the pair arrived in good order (2 weeks ago), both about 12" tall, root kept moist in bag w/ cotton and some original soil.

I've since potted both of them in 6" bulb pots, exact same soil, approximate same location of partial sun, and same watering schedule (once every 2-3 days, water when the top starts to appear dried out).

1 of the pair is doing well, showing new leaves budding, while the other one has almost all the leaves burned at the edges, and no signs of new growth.

I guess i'm looking for help on what i might have done wrong, to prevent future mistakes. I'm fairly new to the whole "planting" thing, but hoping to grow my green thumb.. :)

thanks,

Jeff

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Comments (5)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years ago
first ... august is not a great time to mail plants ... nor a great time to transplant plants ... that should have waited until the cooler months of fall ... i don't know when that is in zone 10 ...

second ... even the most experienced garden NEVER assumes a 100% success rate when trying new things .... so the fact that one looks good ... revel in your success ... there is no way to tell if the plant was shipped already stressed ... or the shipping did it.. or if you did it ..

if you have a warranty discuss the second with the seller.. and tell them that you will keep an eye on it.. and report back in 30 to 45 days.. and inform them of its status ... they are presumable the JMap expert .. see what they have to say about it ...

i would not rely on looking at the soil for clues as to when to water.. insert finger and see how damp it is at root level ... [you don't actually grow a green thumb .. it turns green by contact with the soil.. lol] ...say ... half way down the pot ... you have a greater chance of rotting the roots with too much water.. than killing it by letting it dry in between waterings ...

you should be able to tell when to water by the weight of the pot also ... let it dry .. feel the weight of the pot ...water it.. heft it again .. and don't water until its near the weight of the dry pot ..

finally ... the brown shriveled leaves indicate either drought or high heat in shipping or over watering [or a bunch of other problems] ... within 2 weeks in your possession it is extremely hard to tell what the result will be ... just keep them both properly watered .. and perhaps it will live ... its really hard to speculate at this time

good luck with that thumb and all ... ken
conifers
16 years ago
I have a little more hands on as well as lent experience from a grower:

I keep (after having learned the hard way) seedlings that are 2 years old or less right up against the north wall of my home. They need to be in full shade. As in your particular case, since they were just potted up and not knowing if the ebay grower pushed extreme growth with fertilizers or whatever the case might be, that's to say that it would appear that your seedlings could be up to three years old but more likely to be two, ...it doesn't matter because still transplants (what you have is a "disturbed root system - temporarily" meaning that the roots are not grasping any longer and as Ken suggests too, that this part of the year to send "plants not in pots" or "typically just the sending" can be dangerous to the plant.

That little degree of burn will not hurt them. Obviously from what I know, they need to be given much less light. Same for the other one. It'll begin burning soon enough, I've dealt with this.

Now this Fall when the seeds are forming on the trees (September here) start looking for seeds on these gems. collect your own and look up on the internet "seed sites" and find the information you need to grow your own for free. It's just like cooking man - you gotta read.

Dax
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ca_jeff
Original Author
16 years ago
no warranty on the purchase, though i wouldn't try to claim it with this guy anyways. He is a great e-bay seller, and sent me 2 new Japanese maples already after the post office lost the first 2.

The 2 sit outside at my covered patio, east facing. They only receive direct sun for an hour in the morning, when the sun is still very low on the horizon, so I don't think it's necessarily the heat that's doing the burning.

I did test for soil moisture with some spare chopsticks, and they were still moist about half way down. for a young tree, is it better to wait for the soil to be more dry before watering?
lucy
16 years ago
It would be better if they were planted in something other than soil made up mostly of peat. Something with lots of grit, larger particles, that allowed for fast drainage as maples really don't like wet feet. Watering less often is an idea, but if you aren't sure of when to do it, at least having a mix that doesn't stay soggy half way down will help.
conifers
16 years ago
Lucy is right about the drainage but they do need to be kept moist (too much water results in edges of leaves turning brown). I use commercial bagged potting mix. Mine are happy.

Dax

Japanese Maple ?sapling? not doing so hot.

Comments (5)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

conifers

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Japanese Maple ?sapling? not doing so hot.

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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5

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lucy

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