more questions on Viridis

9 years ago

Hi all- I wanted to start a new post since the last one got kinda long and I have some new questions; hope that was the right idea but plese let me know if not... Still trying to get the hang of how things are done on here to least annoy those angels of you all that help us so generously!

So I took a few branches off my new Viridis and will post the new picture below. I was scared to take more of them bc when there is an area with lots of branches, I wouldn't want to take the wrong ones. Basically I just took the dead ones and the lower ones (thanks Mike!). Thinking about waiting til winter and posting pics for some more specific advice on that then.

For today, my questions are--

Should I root prune and repot now?
I finally have all the ingredients for Al's 5-1-1 mix and have already repotted most of my indoor plants. I like it : )
My Viridis seems pretty root bound to me but I have read that repotting is best done when the tree is dormant (which I assume just means the leaves have all fallen off for winter?)
And if yes, I watched a youtube video done by a Trish something that recommended cutting all the thicker roots from the base of the tree and then taking off 1/3 of the outside roots. Would that, combined with the 5-1-1 be the best option for my tree?

And lastly, I noticed the underside of my leaves have some sort of white specks-- is this a bad thing and should I do anything about it?

I plan to keep this guy in part shade, in a same-sized container, for at least a year.

Comments (7)

nnmjdklil
Original Author
9 years ago
time already to rootprune and repot?
nnmjdklil
Original Author
9 years ago
underside of leaves, white specks
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CEFreeman
9 years ago
I can't really tell, but those white specks look like some kind of egg. Aphids?

I don't know where you live, but here in MD we're already in the 90s. I have about 9, 6-10 year old trees that need to be repotted badly, but with this heat, I'm afraid it will just plain kill 'em. I'm going to take my chances in the fall, even though in the past my larger trees have had such horrible, knotted & grown together roots, they were impossible to cut out. Horrible.

That said, before the heat, I repotted well over 30 (might be over 40) maples, plus hosta and heuchera I'd planted in their pots with them (do NOT do that) and this year, they've all survived. Last year in the spring? I didn't have such good luck.

All that said, I'd wait.
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
9 years ago
Too late in season to repot now. Unless you are very experienced with these trees, I would recommend you only consider repotting when the tree is fully dormant. And if you are potting up to a larger sized container, there is no need to root prune either. Root pruning is only done periodically to confine the root system to a specific container size. Like bonsai, it will also limit the overall size of the tree as well.

I agree the specks do look a lot like insect eggs, probably aphids which seem to be attracted to new growth on JM's. Suggest you just hose them off with a stream of water - Japanese maples are extremely sensitive to insecticides applied to their foliage.
nnmjdklil
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks ladies! I will take that advice and keep it how it is til it's dormant. And I tried to gently rub/scrape the specks off the underside of the leaves but they don't want to budge. I will spray them w water today anyway and hope for the best. The tree seems healthy otherwise, as far as I can tell. None of the leaves is curling or drying or anything.
japmapleman
9 years ago
Don't worry about those spots on the underneath side of the leave. All my green leave maples have them, and they are perfectly healthy
nnmjdklil
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks mapleman! I gave them that one rinse initially but have since forgotten all about the spots. The tree is fine and it's been months : )