Beginner needs help with dying trees -Reply
Keith Sedgwick
*snip*
>>Common to all the trees: I have an automatic watering system each
morning at 6am for about 20 min. They are at the edge of my patio and receive
morning sun til around 1:00. I live in Oklahoma City.
I have fed them twice since I bought them about 2 months ago with a weak
solution of miracle grow - once when I got them and once just yesterday.<<<
It is hard to say on watering. It depends soooo very much on the local
conditions, such as humidity, temperature, wind, types of soil, time of year,
and so on and so on. I do not use an automatic watering system. I water each
of my trees by hand. Doing this forces me to look at each tree every day and
sometimes twice a day. That way I can recognize problems before they
become a disaster. Not really knowing what your local growing conditions are,
I would say 20 min a day would be OK. I always water until I see a good
stream running out the drainage holes.
>>>1. I bought a Red Japanese Maple forest of 7 trees and when I bought it, it
had numberous, small white splotches on several of the trees leaves. The guy
who sold it to me (who from what I understand is very reputable in Okla area -
Mike Raska) told me that it was minor burning from watering in the sun. Well,
the splotches have gotten much worse and several of the trees appear to be
very close to dying.<<<
Have you taken the forest back to Mike Raska to let him look at it? Maybe he
can tell you what the problem is. It sounds like a fungus or some other
disease. Maple leaves, when they are sun burned, dry out on the edge of the
leaf, turn brown and become "crunchy."
You are very brave. When I start with a new species I try to get a starter tree
first and see if I can provide the correct growing conditions. I would really
like
to work with an Azalea and a Blue Atlas Cedar, but all of the starter plants
(I've
tried -- seven or eight of each species) I have tried, live for two or three
years
and then they die. Each year they get weaker and weaker and finally give up
the ghost. I know that does not help you with your present problem, but maybe
in the future you might try that approach first, before spending big $$ for a
tree
and then have it live only two or three years.
>>>Also, there is three shades of the leaves and each tree has only one color
of leaves - green, brown, or red. The green leaves are doing fine and the red
leaves are about to die, while the brown is somewhere in between. The pot
these trees are in is shallower than the others, but doesn't appear to be drying
out too much. It is hard to tell though as the dirt is covered with some type
of
moss.<<<
I assume all trees are the same species. Sounds like they might be lacking a
certain nutrient or you have a PH problem with the soil. If you have a lot of
moss on the surface, telling when trees need to be watered is hard. Moss will
also prevent water from penetrating into the soil very fast.
I have read that you should not let the moss grow over the entire surface of the
soil. It keeps the water out and makes watering difficult. When water does
penetrate the soil, it stays wet too long. The soil does not dry fast enough.
This prevents air from getting to the roots and the tree stays too wet.
Some red maple leaves are very red when young and then naturally turn a little
green as they age. You might want to give them a "shot" of iron. That is the
first thing I try here in Utah when I see yellow leaves or leaves turning a
different
color during the growing season.
>>>2. I bought a "Boulevard Cypress" (what Mr. Raska called it) that was in a
very small pot and MUCH to big for it. The roots were pushing the tree out of
the pot. Even though in the middle of the summer, we repotted the tree into a
larger pot.<<<
I haven't tried a Boulevard Cypress so I cannot be of much help. Maybe it was
repotted too late. I try to do all my repotting in the spring.
>>> At the time of purchase, the tree's foliage on the bottom third was almost
all brown and dead. Mr. Raska told me that it was because he didn't have room
for it on one of the tables and it spent a lot of time below the table.
*snip*
Anyway, I trimmed all the dead foliage off and it has done OK for a while, but
now some more of the foliage is dying and the color of the tree is much lighter.
I know the soil is not drying out too much because it is still somewhat cool in
the evenings.<<<
I would again say to try a shot of iron. Lighter foliage could be caused by
iron
chlorosis. Over watering could also cause it. How is it shaped?
Like this:
\ /
\ /
|
or this:
/\
/ \
/ \
|
The shape of a tree should not be that of an upside down triangle. Of course,
there are always some exceptions. Having an upside down triangle would
prevent sun from reaching the lower branches. That is why a clipped hedge is
always wider at the bottom than the top. If a hedge is wider at the top than
the
bottom, the bottom leaves drop off and the lower branches quit growing.
Well, this is longer than I intended but, good luck!! Keep growing.
Keith
ke...@intaud.usu.edu
Lyndal McMurphy
First, thank you very much for your reply. I have received several replys
and many by email. I think I found another great newsgroup!
>It is hard to say on watering. It depends soooo very much on the local
>conditions, such as humidity, temperature, wind, types of soil, time of year,
>and so on and so on. I do not use an automatic watering system. I water each
>of my trees by hand. Doing this forces me to look at each tree every day and
>sometimes twice a day. That way I can recognize problems before they
>become a disaster. Not really knowing what your local growing conditions are,
>I would say 20 min a day would be OK. I always water until I see a good
>stream running out the drainage holes.
I have tried water the few trees I have by hand. When I do, it simply washes
the soil over the side of the pot and the water just flows right over the side
and doesn't even penetrate! I have encountered this with several trees I
have owned. (RIP) I have noticed that many bonsai trees have soil right up
to the rim and how do other people get around this problem?
>>>>1. I bought a Red Japanese Maple forest of 7 trees and when I bought it, it
>had numberous, small white splotches on several of the trees leaves. The guy
>who sold it to me (who from what I understand is very reputable in Okla area -
>Mike Raska) told me that it was minor burning from watering in the sun. Well,
>the splotches have gotten much worse and several of the trees appear to be
>very close to dying.<<<
>
>Have you taken the forest back to Mike Raska to let him look at it? Maybe he
>can tell you what the problem is. It sounds like a fungus or some other
>disease. Maple leaves, when they are sun burned, dry out on the edge of the
>leaf, turn brown and become "crunchy."
I am sad to say that one of the respondents told me that Mike had a heart
attack a couple of weeks ago and is recovering. Needless to say, I don't
wanna bother him right now. That was going to be my next step until I heard
the news. However, you described the leaves on my maples precisely - "crunchy"
and brown and it started on the edges of all the leaves. I noticed tonight
that one tree even lost all its leaves! I moved the tree under the patio
into the shade. I received this suggestion from several of the repondents.
>Some red maple leaves are very red when young and then naturally turn a little
>green as they age. You might want to give them a "shot" of iron. That is the
>first thing I try here in Utah when I see yellow leaves or leaves turning a
>different
>color during the growing season.
A "shot" of iron? How do I do this? Remember, I am very new to this - thanks.
>Anyway, I trimmed all the dead foliage off and it has done OK for a while, but
>now some more of the foliage is dying and the color of the tree is much lighter.
>I know the soil is not drying out too much because it is still somewhat cool in
>the evenings.<<<
>
>I would again say to try a shot of iron. Lighter foliage could be caused by
> iron
>chlorosis. Over watering could also cause it. How is it shaped?
>
>Like this:
>
> \ /
> \ /
> |
>
>or this:
>
> /\
> / \
> / \
> |
>
>The shape of a tree should not be that of an upside down triangle. Of course,
>there are always some exceptions. Having an upside down triangle would
>prevent sun from reaching the lower branches. That is why a clipped hedge is
>always wider at the bottom than the top. If a hedge is wider at the top than
> the
>bottom, the bottom leaves drop off and the lower branches quit growing.
So that's why my parent's hedge looks like that!! My dad will be glad to hear
this! You can see right thru the bottom of the hedge! Anyway, my tree is
the first variety, if either. The foliage is very thin right now.
Thanks again for your suggestions and comments!
Lyndal McMurphy
mu...@icon.net
UncBaudy
trees by submersing them in a tub of water up to the top of the soil. When
air bubbles ceased to come out the tree was removed and allowed to drain.
This seems to work quite effectively. It's also a lot of work if you have
a lot of trees.
Good luck,
Bob in Oregon.