每日吃瓜

Hello Everyone!
I need help. I have a Japanese Maple for 3 years (it is around 8-9 years old). It was doing fine until recently.
Everything started when I put a fine, solid fertilizer on top of the pot, that turned into a moist layer. I discovered larvae in soil, probably caused by this fertilizer. I scratched off the fertilizer and some layer of soil from top, removed larvae and put on top new soil (mixture of organic soil, Akadama, lava and pumice). I waited 2-3 weeks, the tree started to release some buds even, but they all stopped growing or started to dry out. Even few days ago I noticed some new, red buds that don't develop any further.
Today I noticed some discolorations on bark, I scratched it and it's brown and mushy underneath (although in the other place it is still green after scratching a bit of bark). There are no leaves at all, all dried and fell. I might have overwater it, so I suspect roots rotting. I attach some pictures where you can see the tree, the discoloration with a place I scratched and also roots (I just lifted the tree from the pot gently, soil was quite wet). Some branches also seem like they slowly die , turning dark brown/black.
Roots are brown, but not really mushy as they describe in the Internet. I don't know what to do now, is it too late to help it?
I think to repot it, remove partially roots that don't look good and use only inorganic soil for better drainage.
The question is now, if it was indeed overwatered, should I water it after repotting? And how much then, how to recognise when to water? Should I use some root activator, to promote root growth? Or are there any other fertilizer-like supplements to support a sick tree after repotting?
Thank you very much in advance, I really love this tree and would like to save it.
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If you are in summer then you have a problem.DO NOT repot. I think that this plant has been dry at some point, it has not been overwatered, it is very difficult to overwater in summer. The fertiliser did not cause the problem, and probably not the maggots you say were there, I hope it has been outside, as it must be. I would let it dry out a bit as it looks quite wet, and the only other thing you can do is hope, keep it watered and wait, it may recover it may not.

The tree is outside all the time and was never dry. It is not summer yet and the problem started already in April/May.
How much should I dry it? How to recognise I should water it again?
And how to recognise if it's a fungal infection or bacterial or neither?
Should I remove the mushy bark?

Ok, so if you are in the southern hemisphere then the plant should be going dormant and watering is only to prevent it drying out completely. You could re pot, as you are in autumn or winter, but you should leave it until early spring. Leave the bark alone, you could remove the dead leaves.

I live in northern hemisphere (Germany), I just meant that it was spring when the problem started, summer just begins in few days and only last 2-3 weeks were warm.

Ok, well in that case it looks dead. It should be in leaf now, I still think it has got very dry at some point, and that is the main problem, forget fungus or root rot, all you can do is wait and see if it recovers later in the year it may or may not. You could try cutting a bit off the top to see if it is dead, if it is then a bit more until you find live wood. It is not going to grow from dead so it will not make any difference to it.

Ok, but how to recognise if it's dead? As I said , a layer under bark in another spot was green. Is there any other indicator? It was releasing new branches and buds this year already, just stopped at some point and led to this state. Why would it die in spring?

Right now it is as good as dead. As I said cut a piece off the top to see if it still green, if it is brown, cut a bit more until it is green then it is time to do as I said before, and pray and wait. The trunk is too long anyway, and needs to be cut to the next set of buds if they are alive.

I find how the definition of summer varies in the world very amusing. Up here in western Sweden summer arrives mid may and ends late october. And south of us in Germanyit is just a few weeks

Dead or not, this tree is already not possible to save. Good luck with your next try.

Tropfrog wrote:

I find how the definition of summer varies in the world very amusing. Up here in western Sweden summer arrives mid may and ends late october. And south of us in Germanyit is just a few weeks

Dead or not, this tree is already not possible to save. Good luck with your next try.

Winter is the time of year when walking outside you walk across the street to get into the sun where it is warmer. Summer is when you cross the street to get into the shade. Fall and spring are the times when you don't pay much attention.

Here in Alabama summer is April to October. It used to be May to September.