Oh me, oh my, I DARED disagree with - the supreme "enlightened one" - Howard. TWICE!!! and now just look.... Oh Howard please, calm down, you'll blow a fuse again and go off on one of your seemingly endless, aimless rants. LOL.....you are so predictable ....even down to your recruiting techniques. (I've been around a wee little while myself - how bout that?) Give Google a rest, put the dictionary down, and listen up.... Don't worry yourself about my "cachet". I prefer the real life variety, as opposed the imaginary kind derived from - a message board - on the internet - at GW - for God's sake. How very sad. Oh, and speaking of imaginary, where were you master, with all of your words of condemnation when "mike_gee" (your "boy")was spewing "his" vile nonsense on the innocent, all the while praising and applauding your every utterance? You were grinning ear to ear weren't you? Enjoying center stage. You even named (nothing to do with nominating, of course) "him" one of the "enlightened ones". I would think someone such as yourself with a "ten year" seniority/superiority would have spoken out against such a thing. You said nothing, a man in your position(?), you said nothing. Pettiness, mean spirited, uncalled for....... indeed. Please, you and your posse own those words. Don't fret over my memory either - It's all there in black and white my friend...........copy and paste, and a few other little goodies.... But .....you know what....it's all OK Howard.....who cares? It's a message board. That's it. That's all it is. So, get with the gw high-ups (the ones on your level) and have me banned. Report me. DO IT! Get that rock out of your shoe Howard.....LOL...... I've nothing to loose. **I** choose to be done with this now, Howard. I've spent all the time on this I intend to. Rant to your vast numbers of adoring fans if you wish. This "Big Girl" is taking her **hardball** off the court. "Rock the grow, Brother"

Since the thread is revived, here's an update regarding my phal! The base, with the rotted (but very dry) top, started to grow a new leaf within a few weeks or a month of me removing the spike. Then, before the new leaf was full size, it started growing a second new leaf! It has been re-growing healthy roots all along, so I think that helped as well. It grows in a mixture of bark and sphag and seems to be doing better than when it was in tightly-packed 100% sphag. It's Brother Sara Gold 'Peach' The top, which does have a dry spot from rot, has been in sphag and bag for a while, much longer than the thread you revived. Almost a year! It started out w/two full size leaves that grew a tiny leaf and root start. I took it out of the bag to look at it and I guess that stalled everything. Eventually one of the large leaves came off one day when I was adding water to the set-up (it still looked healthy but didn't have any stem). Shortly after, the tiny leaf start on the single remaining leaf began to grow again and I only *hope* the root is finally growing as well--I won't make the mistake of checking it and stalling the process a second time. Hope this helps you make a decision; I think cutting off the spike will help your plant fight the rot and recover. Melanie

Just some clarification, please. Have these been in the same container for all that period of time? Have they ever been repotted or root pruned? Have you ever provided any fertilizer during this period? If the answers to these are yes, no and no, then I am a bit surprised these trees are even hanging on to life as tenuously as they may be. While it is perfectly possible to grow these trees in containers long-term - even permanently - they will require regular attention to keep them thriving. This would include repotting and root pruning at least every 5 years (possibly more often if in smaller pots) while at the same time refreshing the potting medium. Left too long without this attention, the roots will fill the container and become choked. They will also take up all the space, with the potting soil virtually disappearing over time. When this happens, it is almost impossible to keep the root mass properly hydrated, even more so in a windy climate, and even daily deep soakings may not be enough in summer. And the need for frequent watering of any container-grown plant leaches the soil of any nutrients. These must be replaced on a regular basis so fertilizing is always necessary. How often depends on how frequently you repot and what type of fertilizer you use. A slow release fert at the time of repotting and again each spring as the trees leaf out will get them off to a good start, but I'd recommend supplementing with a dilute liquid fertilizer weekly throughout the growing season as well. When you water, water the container soil only. It is of no benefit to the tree to water the trunk or foliage and Japanese maple foliage is quite delicate and can be damaged with watering in strong sunlight. Water slowly until the water runs freely out the bottom of the container. If this happens very rapidly, you can bet your trees are very rootbound and need attention ASAP.

I understand your hesitation to stress the plant too much, but I would do something to facilitate those leaves getting up toward the surface: remove some of the bark from that side, snip some of the dried-out roots that are hindering its progress ... something. Personally, I'd soak it in a bucket/bowl for 30-35 minutes to soften things up, unpot it, still in the bowl, to gently clear it of that old bark. Then I'd snip all of the dead roots near the crown, and get it back in the pot in a way that will let that keiki grow upwards.