Mycorrhizae in potted maples
Soumil Yarlagadda
9 months ago
last modified: 9 months ago
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
9 months agoSoumil Yarlagadda
9 months agolast modified: 9 months agoRelated Discussions
Acidifying Pots for Maples
Comments (3)Hmmm - are you sure that acidification is your answer? Highly organic soils form many soluble complexes with iron (Fe) and make it readily available for uptake. Container soils are not often deficient in Fe. As soil pH goes down, iron (Fe) levels become more available and Fe toxicity a more common problem. Fe in soils also needs to be in balance with another (antagonistic) micro-nutrient, manganese (Mn) or it prevents Mn uptake. It just so happens that an Fe induced Mn deficiency looks remarkably like an Fe deficiency, so you tend to add additional Fe to correct. Saturated soils and lack or aeration in the rootzone also is a common cause of Fe deficiencies & chlorosis. If you know your water needs acidification, vinegar (starting at 1 oz per gallon) or citric acid (buy at drugstore) are good acidifiers. If you have a friend with a RO water purification system, that would be very helpful too. Agricultural sulfur (S), mixed with the soil will slowly lower pH, but it requires microorganism activity for it to be effective. It's often thought that due to its fungicidal properties, sulfur would reduce or toxify beneficial mycorrhiza on host roots. In calcareous soils or in situations where irrigation water is high in carbonates, S, through oxidation, will produce acid and improve rhizosphere conditions. This, in turn, leads to better establishment of mycorrhizal fungi on roots, increasing the beneficial symbiotic effects for host plants. I have used agricultural S on acid loving containerized plants and sometimes noticed marked improvement in color and vigor. Take care. Al...See MorePotting medium and pot size for new Japanses Maple?
Comments (3)That link has a lot of good info. I will add that trees in containers from retail nurseries are notorious for being pot bound. You won't want to keep them in their nursery pots for long. You will also want to make sure the root flare isn't buried as is often the case with container trees. That said, keeping them in the nursery containers for a week or two while getting the proper container medium ingredients isn't going to change anything. Unless they came directly fom the wholesaler, they have probably been in those pots for a while....See MoreMiracle-Gro soil mix for potted maples?
Comments (35)Most plants are not good houseplant candidates, due in part to light levels too low and in primary because of low humidity. JMs are not an exception to that generality. When maples reach a stage of deep dormancy due to shorter days (actually, longer nights are the trigger) and increasing chill, the tree needs a certain number of chill units that only accumulate between 34.5 - 53.8* F to be released from dormancy in a state that allows the plant to grow normally. If the plant's chill requirements weren't met, at least several notable of many potential physiological issues are very likely to be made manifest in the upcoming growth cycle and in many cases, the next. Initiation of growth pretty much trumps the plant's ability to resist cold, so once the tree exits the dormant or quiescent state (quiescence occurs after the plant has had sufficient chilling to release it from dormancy, but temps remain too cold to stimulate top growth) it has to be kept from freezing. In a perfect world, the best spot for your plant would be something equal to a cold hoophouse where temps can be relied upon to stay above freezing and below 50*. Best luck. Al...See MoreGrow maples in pots by burying the pots in the ground
Comments (11)Whether or not trees in pots that are set in the ground require more attention depends on what you're comparing them too. They require more attn than trees planted out, but less attn than trees planted in containers maintained above ground. You will still get a dwarfing affect with shorter internodes and smaller leaves, but it won't be as pronounced as it would be with a tree in an above-ground container. A good guess is somewhere half-way between normal growth (in ground) and how it would grow under container culture. You would still need to lift the tree & root-prune/repot on a fairly regular basis though, to keep the tree growing with good vitality and close to its potential genetic vigor. A couple of benefits: You'll be hard-pressed to over-water. The earth will act as a giant wick & pull any excess water from the container. You will also gain considerable benefit in the fact that the extreme temp swings associated with regular container culture are avoided because of the buffering effect of the earth. I grow lots of woody stuff on for bonsai. If I get something that's really root-bound in a container, and CERTAIN to decline in the upcoming growth cycle because I was too lazy to repot, I often sink the container in a bed or garden until I can get to it the following year. It's an oft used strategy for bonsai practitioners. Al...See MoreSoumil Yarlagadda
9 months agoSoumil Yarlagadda
9 months agoSoumil Yarlagadda
9 months agolast modified: 9 months agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
9 months agoSoumil Yarlagadda thanked tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)Soumil Yarlagadda
9 months agolast modified: 9 months agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
9 months agoSoumil Yarlagadda
9 months agoSoumil Yarlagadda
9 months agoSoumil Yarlagadda
9 months agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
9 months agoSoumil Yarlagadda
8 months agolast modified: 8 months agoSoumil Yarlagadda
8 months agoa1an
8 months ago
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)