What do you mean by extra drainage? Unfortunately, that soil is not a good choice at all. Regular MG stays moist far too long and this stuff is worse.

Read up on container soils here:

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/2842847/container-soils-water-movement-and-retention-xxii?n=488

Dave,

thank you for your response.

i added a handful of inch size pebbles to the container bottom which is lined with plastic..Could you recommend a better soil for this application..?

thanks for your help..

Can you identify the variety of Japanese maple this is?

The bottom of the pot is lined with plastic? As in, there are no drainage holes?

You need to have holes in the bottom of the pot so you're able to flush the soil

Filling the bottom of a pot with gravel/pebbles is just a myth and actually works the opposite way.

Start with a pot that has drainage holes or add some to the current pot. Then, you'll want to completely bare root the tree. Remove all of the old soil and hose off the root mass. Inspect for dead or damaged roots and remove. You'll probably have some that are rotten due to the mix you've used and the response your tree is having.

for soil, the easiest thing I could recommend would be the 5:1:1 mix. You have to sorce the ingredients and make it yourself .

5 parts pine bark fines. Pieces should be between 1/8-1/4" (remove as much of the sapwood (the light stuff) as you can.)

1 part peat

1 part perlite

dolomite lime. (I do about a teaspoon per gallon of soil mix. Some probably add more.)

.

Ok.. Thanks so much for this..

i will source the soil mix and as you recommend wash the root mass off..

Thus repot was just last weekend, I don't imagine their will much root rot in one week..but will inspect.

thanks again!

Read that link I posted in my first reply. I know it's a big read and you need to have a little free time, but I promise you will have a much better understanding for container soils and water retention. And understanding those will greatly help you and your plant.

Its totally worth it.

Best of luck to you, and sorry, I'm not sure exactly what variety your tree is. Maybe someone else will chime in with that.

Thank you Dave

very helpful.

I kind of suspected the above, but didn't mention as I am not too familiar with the variety.

my girlfriends mother did the same with a Chinese elm. After a few years indoors it wasn't doing very well as they need their chill hours. The past winter I payed to keep it in a 36° greenhouse and now it looks better than ever.

Is that plant in the picture actually a Japanese maple, though?

It's hard to tell because of the wilted leaves, but it looks to me like it might be a Ming aralia

Nope, it looks like a very stressed green laceleaf JM, something like 'Viridis' or 'Waterfall'.

It's stressed because it was repotted while in leaf, which can be accomplished if nearly all the foliage is removed. I think this is a case where getting some advice before going ahead might have been the better course.

I agree with Pam. It's Acer palmatum dissectum but identifying it exactly in it's condition won't be easy. I was thinking 'Viridis' too because of its wide popularity.

Al

If those pix are ALL of the same plant, I wish to suggest an ID correction. It's not a Japanese Maple.

It's a Ming Aralia, Polysias or Aralia.

The plastic liner needs to go, it's impeding proper drainage, sorry.

Lena

I swear that I'm seeing compound leaves.

The OP states that he has been growing this plant indoors for seven years. That was my first clue that it is not what he thinks it is.

Paul Cronin, did your plant look like the one pictured here?

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/discussions/3679859/help-with-beloved-ming-aralia

Taking a closer look at the plant in question, I am willing to revise my ID as well :-) Silly me, I assumed the OP knew what kind of plant they were dealing with and took that identification literally.

The leaves DO look compound so that would eliminate it being a Japanese maple. But it is so limp and anemic looking, it's hard to make a jump to a Ming aralia. Can the OP post a photo of an individual leaf? That would help.

I have only just seen this post. But my immediate reaction was 'That isn't a Japanese Maple.' And my second thought was 'That's a miserable Polyscias aka Ming Aralia.' The plant clearly has compound pinnate leaves.

Heed all the advice about drainage. It's all down to the mix and the holes in the pot. Pebbles in the bottom don't help. If the container needs a plastic lining (is it wicker) it is unsuitable for the plant and should be used as a cache pot only. The plant needs to be potted into a proper container with drainage holes.