I just got one of these amazing plants; my husband and I just fell in love with the whole look of it. We planted it outdoors in a planter that gets brilliant sun until around noon. It doesn't seem to like it much, with some leaves developing blackened edges and a newer leaf or two going limp. Maybe I'm being overly paranoid, since we JUST finished landscaping our backyard (it's only been planted for a week!). Should I move it to total shade, or do you think it just needs a little time to acclimate to its new environment? It's in awesome (expensive!!!) soil that promotes excellent drainage, and we've given it a good bucketful of Vitamin B for shock. Do we water every day? Once a week? Am I being an over-protective new Mom?? Thank you, all! Cindy

Unless I am missing something, I don't see a second leader.....unless you mean that low branch off to the right. I wouldn't consider that a "leader" and at any rate, Japanese maples do not really have distinct leaders unless specifically trained to, as some weeping forms are. Once they start maturing and branching well, they seldom develop a 'leader' other than whatever trunk structure they may have. Removing anything that may be a considered a leader at this young age is unnecessary unless it has developed an uncomfortably tight crotch angle. If it is that lower branch you are referring to, removal is up to you. Personally I'd let it go for awhile to see how it develops - depending on your specific aesthetic, low branching on JM's is often considered a desirable trait. As to the ID, that leaf is very heavily dissected yet good sized. I'd guess Acer japonicum 'Aconitifolium' or the fernleaf fullmoon maple, an extremely desirable selection :-) What does the fall color look like? If Aconitifolium, it will be on the smallish end of the scale, growing slowly to about 15', give or take. And Japanese maples do not develop invasive root systems - your retaining wall should be fine.

How is it doing now? Although I love it. I haven't grown Japanese Aralia for years so don't feel qualified to comment on it, but I see it growing in shady commercial situations and doing well. It makes a great front porch plant because it's evergreen and doesn't mind a freeze here in San Antonio. Here is a link that might be useful: Japanese Aralia ...

This winter, I had great luck stratifying hand-picked Japanese Maple seeds and by March I had 64 germinated seeds after having started the process in November. Fast forward 10 weeks and all 64 have come along nicely under my grow lights for 18 hrs a day. Now that the seedlings are well-established (5-8 leaf pairs per plant), I am wondering if anyone has recommendations for next steps. Given the qty, I have plenty of room to experiment with them and would like to force 50% into multi-trunk growth and let the remainder follow whatever course they happen to. Is now an appropriate time to prune the tops? Or should I wait till fall? Or next spring before leaves have opened? Where on the trees should I make the cut? On the crown? Above the first leaf pair? Somewhere in between? Aside from grooming timing/technique, I am also curious about how I might accelerate growth over the few first years. For example, by pulling the trees inside mid winter and starting the growing season earlier under artificial light, or maybe even going so far as to try to fit in two growth seasons per year by including an artificial winter (ie 2 x 4-month grow seasons separated by 2 x 2-month winters). Anyone have experience on any of these topics? Just looking to experiment, learn, have fun, and care for plants! Thanks Phil