My 2â ... Take an old knife and run it around the inside of the pot to loosen the dirt from the sides of the pot. Then carefully push on the bottom of the pot to push the whole works out. You might need to turn it upside down and let gravity work for you. You can then use the knife to separate each seedling as carefully as you can. It might help to work on a table while sitting in a chair. Have your new pots ready with planting mix, make a depression in the mix with your fingers, place the plant in the hole and push the dirt in around it. After watering, it might be a good idea to keep them out of hot sun or total shade until you can see that they're growing OK.

I don't see any "black spots" in your photo album so hard to tell you what's up. What I do see seems to be some physiological leaf spot and that is harmless.....it is not a fungus but can occur from all sorts of cultural conditions, including the tree falling over and hitting the floor! FWIW, having the tree indoors through the growing season is not ideal. Trees that are native to temperate climates do not fair well as indoor plants - just too little light and too low humidity. Best to put these outdoors during the growing season and bring in only during the cold weather and for the least amount of time you can manage. And keep it a very low temps during this period as well. Also, Japanese maple foliage is extremely sensitive to nearly any type of spray - fungicide, insecticide, horticultural oils, etc. - and frequent spraying can cause all sorts of foliar reactions. It is very likely your spraying is creating more of a problem than the tree was having on its own! Regardless, at this late time of the season, I would not be overly concerned about any sort of foliar spotting....allow the tree to go dormant as it should and clean up any fallen foliage and destroy. Next season, I would rethink how you approach growing and tending this tree -- I don't think you are doing it any favors by keeping it indoors.

Thanks for your response Peter. I finally got onto a guy that 'seemed' to know what he was talking about. He confirmed its age (+-10/15 years). As I thought it is a victim of the drought we've had down this way. This is what he recommended: - Cut dieback back to just above new shoots However he said it'd never be the same as the new shoots were from 'dormant' buds caused by the stress. I asked re sealing etc and he didn't think it was important... Same with borer/holes. I guess he figured treatment was only like Aspirin with a cold (treating the symptoms only). He also mentioned that it had been 'scorched', and reitererated the need for JM's to have some shade. I'm however interested in looking at the possibilities of fungal problems you mention. Any particular reason you mentioned this? Since he lived in the general area he said he'd drop by next spring and see whether it was doing any 'recovery'. If it wasn't, he stated, it might be time to say goodbye. I did forget to ask about on-going treatment from now, should I just keep up the water? Maybe do a mulch etc around the tree? It's on the front lawn. What sort/type of feed do I use with JM's, and when should I apply it? I should have asked all this and silly me was more interested on 'fixing' more immediate problems... Any worries you have regarding the given diagnosis please feel free to explain. Further, any other advice would be appreciated Cheers

Not all cultivars of Japanese maples will have a similar growth habit. And it also depends on where the graft is located. Low branching is a common characteristic of the vast majority of JM cultivars. If you want a tree with a clear straight trunk, look for cultivars that naturally assume that habit or purchase one with that potential that will not need pruning or staking to achieve. 'Olson's Frosted Strawberry' will never get to be a large tree (considered a dwarf, reaching about 6-8' at maturity) and has a semi-weeping habit. A single, clear trunk is not likely something that is easily trainable. Nor necessarily desirable. One of the most appealing features of JM's is their very sculptural and often asymmetrical growth habit. A straight, clear trunk is the exception, not the norm, and is often out of character with the tree and its typical growth habit. As to Japanese maples "pre-shaped by the nurseries", I know of no reputable commercial grower of JM's that follows this practice, although many do stake their young trees to develop a more vertical growth habit. But just as many only stake the trees to prevent breakage and other damage during transport and shipping.