Urgent Trident Maple Help!

[Nicks_Bonsai]

Needs some urgent help Not sure if this is normal but my Shohin Trident Maple which I purchased back in December has come into leaf like a month back however the leaves were looking a bit tangled and bunched together, after a few weeks I left it outside a few weeks back when the night temp went to -1 for one night which may have cause a bit of Frost damaged (not sure if this is the cause), since than the leaves have been wilting and turning crispy iv been watering when needed and checked the roots which may need repotting.
Any ideas of what could be causing this and how to correct it? Someone told me that Seaweed emulsion could help. But trying to figure out if it's too late or what to do?

1st 6 images are from a couple weeks back when it had most it's leaves. The rest were taken today.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Dav4]

It's a trident... keep it from frost damage going forward and it'll be fine. Fwiw, I'd lose the heavy moss on the soil surface as it has a habit of damaging bark on the trunk if they're in contact, and you'll get a better idea about the condition of the soil.

 

[Nicks_Bonsai]

It's a trident... keep it from frost damage going forward and it'll be fine. Fwiw, I'd lose the heavy moss on the soil surface as it has a habit of damaging bark on the trunk if they're in contact, and you'll get a better idea about the condition of the soil.

Would it be wise to also slip pot it into something slightly bigger?

 

[Dav4]

That could actually be counterproductive. I never recommend slip potting as a rule. Honestly, that pot looks plenty big for the tree. I would pull the moss off of the soil surface and maybe pop the tree out of the pot to get a better idea of what’s going on with the roots. It’s possible all your issues stem from the frost damage. If there are issues with the roots, take pictures and repost here.

 

[Nicks_Bonsai]

That could actually be counterproductive. I never recommend slip potting as a rule. Honestly, that pot looks plenty big for the tree. I would pull the moss off of the soil surface and maybe pop the tree out of the pot to get a better idea of what’s going on with the roots. It’s possible all your issues stem from the frost damage. If there are issues with the roots, take pictures and repost here.

Ahh sorry I thought the root images uploaded but clearly not I'll post them now.

 

[Nicks_Bonsai]

More Images

 

[Nicks_Bonsai]

That could actually be counterproductive. I never recommend slip potting as a rule. Honestly, that pot looks plenty big for the tree. I would pull the moss off of the soil surface and maybe pop the tree out of the pot to get a better idea of what’s going on with the roots. It’s possible all your issues stem from the frost damage. If there are issues with the roots, take pictures and repost here.

 

[Dav4]

Doesn’t look bad. If this was my tree… I repeat… If this was my tree, I’d pull the moss off of the soil surface, use a root rake to free up and remove the bottom 25 to 30% of the root ball, add fresh soil and wire back in the pot. Here’s the thing… If this was my tree, I would’ve repotted it at a better time and I would’ve bare rooted It. In my opinion, it’s past the window for a bare rooting.

 

[Nicks_Bonsai]

Doesn’t look bad. If this was my tree… I repeat… If this was my tree, I’d pull the moss off of the soil surface, use a root rake to free up and remove the bottom 25 to 30% of the root ball, add fresh soil and wire back in the pot. Here’s the thing… If this was my tree, I would’ve repotted it at a better time and I would’ve bare rooted It. In my opinion, it’s past the window for a bare rooting.

Yeh unfortunately I didn't know if it needed it at the time of purchase, I just hope it doesn't die on me

 

[Dav4]

Yeh unfortunately I didn't know if it needed it at the time of purchase, I just hope it doesn't die on me

So, it's a trident... unlikely to die unless you do something very rash. I feel comfortable that, following my advice, the tree won't skip a beat, but I don't have the tree in front of me to truly verify it's situation. Good luck.

 

[rockm]

If it got below freezing, there could be top damage and root damage. That's the danger of freezing and shohin bonsai. Even short freezes can freeze the soil through, damaging roots within the root mass. I'd just let it alone, keep it out of frosts and freezes and see what happens.

 

[Shogun610]

that’s why when purchasing a decent shohin maple like this , you gotta learn how to care for them.

 

[bbk]

that’s why when purchasing a decent shohin maple like this , you gotta learn how to care for them.

Helpful!

 

[bbk]

So, it's a trident... unlikely to die unless you do something very rash. I feel comfortable that, following my advice, the tree won't skip a beat, but I don't have the tree in front of me to truly verify it's situation. Good luck.

I can’t talk with any knowledge or authority , but when you look at Peter Chan’s YouTube videos he talks about importing stumps (maybe logs???) Japan and that is where a lot of his stock came from.

it seems if any tree can handle mishaps a trident can.

just to emphasise I know nothing from experience, just echoing your point.

 

[sorce]

that’s why when purchasing a decent shohin maple like this , you gotta learn how to care for them.

I understand the difference between a bash on the past and a note for the future, same damn sentence, completely reliant on the readers' perception. What's interesting to me is you can gauge who is surrounded with good or evil depending on that perception. Odd that the same can be said about the typer without previous knowledge. I know you as good. Good folks don't let folks waste money in their future.

Hey @Miyagi_Do_Bonsai .......

Welcome to Crazy!

But......-1° sounds like not USA.

Where are you, where'd it come from, etc etc etc.

Looks like freeze all day.

Sorce

 

[Nicks_Bonsai]

I understand the difference between a bash on the past and a note for the future, same damn sentence, completely reliant on the readers' perception. What's interesting to me is you can gauge who is surrounded with good or evil depending on that perception. Odd that the same can be said about the typer without previous knowledge. I know you as good. Good folks don't let folks waste money in their future.

Hey @Miyagi_Do_Bonsai .......

Welcome to Crazy!

But......-1° sounds like not USA.

Where are you, where'd it come from, etc etc etc.

Looks like freeze all day.

Sorce

Hey, thank you I am based in the UK and it was originally purchased from someone on Facebook.

 

[sorce]

Hey, thank you I am based in the UK and it was originally purchased from someone on Facebook.

Stick that in your Bio so folks stop asking!

You can kinda make out where them whiter new roots definitely froze and went flat. Seems that next layer of older root may have got hit too...but leaving it alone should prove enough root health further in to keep it going.

Knowing where stuff comes from, latitude, greenhouse, wintered above freeze, etc etc, can help to know what caused this caused this.

Sure freezing caused the problem but something caused the tree to wake up early and become subject to this damage.

These ....root....causes can become very hard to figure out when shipping in plants, so it is recommended that if you must ship, you gather all the pertinent information from the seller, so you can best get it through what will most definitely be a more difficult period than normal, if just because of the box for 2 days, let alone temp and location.

Otherwise you may begin with a spinning head and spinning heads find it hard to see design.

You certainly have an eye for decent material, we must remove some of the rocks in the road of acquisition, to lessen your headaches.

Sorce

 

[dbonsaiw]

I never recommend slip potting as a rule.

Could you elaborate on this? Is this because you would prefer to prune the roots back and then don't need to up-pot it?

How about if you are growing a tree out in a pot and it's a 7' behemoth that is root bound - would you then up pot to grow it out further? This is actually something I will face next spring as I'm not ready to cut it just yet and want all the branches to supercharge trunk growth.

 

[Dav4]

Could you elaborate on this? Is this because you would prefer to prune the roots back and then don't need to up-pot it?

How about if you are growing a tree out in a pot and it's a 7' behemoth that is root bound - would you then up pot to grow it out further? This is actually something I will face next spring as I'm not ready to cut it just yet and want all the branches to supercharge trunk growth.

In my opinion, slippotting is a bad idea for two reasons. First, when you’re slip potting a tree, you are introducing a different soil substrate than the substrate present in the existing root ball… Most of the time. This can lead to difficulties in adequately watering and hydrating the entire soil mass, because water will move at a different rate through the different soil substrates. The second reason is that I believe every time a tree is repotted, you should do something to improve the nebari and the health of the tree. Using your example of a 7 foot monster that is root bound, simply slip potting may keep it alive, but I doubt it will continue to grow well. Perhaps, if you can ascertain where the roots leave the trunk of the tree, sawing off 25-30% of the bottom of the soil/root mass and raking out the sides into the root ball an inch or so well expose roots to the new soil that you’ll be putting the tree in- And I would be more aggressive if the tree was dormant. The tree will most likely grow better and be healthier when you are ready to actually do a serious re-pot and root work.