Hello, I have had this japanese maple for over a year, and this is the second Summer its been in... it has been very hot in the area I live in, up to 90 degrees. I did not water it for about 5 days to a week because I forgot to water it, and then it started to wilt. The leaves got all crispy, and all shriveled up. Eventually, they all died, but did not drop. I started to notice the branches were turning black, and that was when I started to get worried. It has been about 1.5 weeks since I have noticed the branches. I have pruned away the branches that are black, and also the branches that are yellow with black spots forming not them. The blackness has spread from the top, and is slowly moving downwards towards the trunk. As you can see in the pictures, the top trunk is slightly darker than the bottom half of the trunk. I just did a scratch test today, and it wasn’t perfectly green, but it wasn’t pure brown either. When I pruned the branches off the top, the inside of the branches were still green. I think I have Verticillium Wilt, but I really hope not. Just in case, what should I do? I have been keeping it inside facing the window to keep it cool.


Thank you!

Why are you shouting?

90 degrees is enough to cook any plant. So I will assume thisis the reason. I do not however know of any place that that gets this hot. I think there is a mistake here.

This plant is dead/dying. I see no routes back to life once a maple starts to do this.

Do not keep maples indoors. They die there.

A case where you would need URGENT HELP with a bonsai is when the place where you keep it is on fire.
There are no quick solutions for sick plants.

Auk wrote: A case where you would need URGENT HELP with a bonsai is when the place where you keep it is on fire.
There are no quick solutions for sick plants.

That explains the 90 degrees...

(Sorry.. couldn’t resist.. )

Thank you everyone for your help.

Yeah, sorry for the confusion, but it's 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit outside, so I have been bringing my bonsais inside, even the outdoor ones such as the maple and conifer. I am still confused on what I should do next time. Is this verticillium wilt caused by the heat, or is it just because it is so hot outside? Also, should I keep my outdoor bonsais inside if it is 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit outside?

Thank you very much for the info!

Verticillium is caused by fungi, not by weather, but constant humidity helps it’s development.
Put them in an area which shaded at noon and early afternoon if this hot outside

Opitimusprm wrote: but it's 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit outside, so I have been bringing my bonsais inside

It's colder indoors as you have A/C? Bad idea. You changed their climate. Even if you don't have A/C, they should not be indoors.
Keep 'm outside, in the shade if necessary and make sure they get enough water.

Sorry for keeping this topic going.

These are the questions I have:

- did my maple have verticillium wilt or did it just have dieback? Are both always fatal?

- what are the very early symptoms of verticillium wilt? It may have travelled from my cherry blossoms I recently got to my maple though the aphids they had on them.

- my plants will be fine if I leave them out even if it is way past their temperature ranges?

- my yard is not very shady, so would it be alright if I put them on my porch where it is pure shade?

- I have been keeping my trees inside for a while because of all the heat advisories going on. Should I put them back outside again and leave them there?


Thank you!

you did not water for five days. You cannot do that and expect them to survive. they are quite able to cope with high temperatures if they are watered. Stop moving them them about it is not helping.

I don't know where you got the idea that it's verticillium.
You cooked the tree. It's (hair) roots are dead. That is the problem.