skip to main content

help and advice about protecting a young maple

16 years ago

We've got unusually cold temps and possible snow forecast for this weekend.

My husband and I have a new little japanese maple - we just planted it this last fall - that's just started unfurling its leaves and we're not sure what to do, if anything. Should we cover it for a few nights? Will it be perfectly fine with a little mid to low thirties weather?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
16 years ago
though i reallly really hate maples.. i will help .. lol ...

where are you .. what zone .... nor how big it is ...etc.. more facts would really help ....

it made it through the winter.. presumably without its leaves .... the tree itself wont really care .... unless it is some god forsaken deep freeze ...

you are correct that the new leaves are tender.. and not really suited to freeze .... nor frost.. depending how hard of a frost ....

the soil is retaining day time heat.. by simply covering it with a bed sheet... you will make a little hothouse of just that retained heat .... which will usually be just enough to save the leaves ..... it has to be a near complete dome... weighed down with some rocks to avoid it blowing around and doing more damage than good ...

it has to be removed in the morning ... once the threat of frost is gone.. but before the sun hits it and zooms the temps too high ...

the lowest temps.. are usually just before dawn .. and just because the sun comes up.. doesnt mean it is warm enough to not frost .... if you are home all day ... you can just watch the thermometer.. but if you have to leave for work ... you may have some problems... but it has to be removed ...

most leaf damage is caused by the actual freezing of the tissue which causes the cell structure to explode.. and the leaf withers ... the sheet ... besides retaining a bit of heat ... also keep the actual ice off the leaf... so the sheet has two functions ...

a well established healthy tree... can actually handle 1 or 2 complete losses of the leaves ... so do your best .. and dont worry about it ... the delay in re-leafing will actually get you that much closer to your last frost date ... which i dont know when that is.. cuz you didnt tell us you zone ....

i quit growing JM's in my zone 5.. because they did not live through all these problems .... yet i have friends across town in z5.. where they live.. it is all a function of the micro climate of your garden ... good luck ...

ken
lou_spicewood_tx
16 years ago
Ken - it's called Korean maples. It's also called shantung maples. Try them out...
Related Discussions
Need help relocating a young maple tree
Q
Comments (6)
Ask the Tree forum. They'll know. (The maple forum is not as active; you'll get more responses on the Tree forum.) If it's a Freeman, it's a seedling, so not identical to its hybrid parent, so there's no guarantee exactly what you'll get. But you definitely don't want it if it's more like the silver maple ancestor (aggressive ground level roots; constantly shedding small branches; not much in the way of fall color; I still have three around the house). I'd worry about whether the multiple trunks would be more likely to split. Was it cut off at the ground, then developed the multiple trunks? I don't really know, though -- but do ask someone. I know how tempting it is to keep a seedling that comes up in a likely place; I had a leaning black locust cut down last year on the edge of the creek. I was thinking about what to plant to replace it, but there's a 6' volunteer maple (Carolina red maple?) 10-15' to one side and an 18" white pine about 10-15' to the other side. So I'm encouraging them; we'll see.... Are there maples in the area that you admire? Does anyone have a good-sized, fall-red Japanese maple? You can always collect samaras this spring and grow one in the ideal location.
...See More
Protecting Young Seedling Trees from Rabbits and the winter
Q
Comments (6)
I agree with Ken. Snow cover is more protective to young trees than no snow. Since voles and deer mice are active in the winter, I would have the lower section of chicken wire be of a fine-enough mesh that they can't crawl through and chew on the bark or buds - their tunnels are mostly along the ground, so it doesn't have to be too high. That height of the chicken wire will protect the tree from both rabbits and deer. Just be sure to remove it before the new growth of the branches grows through the holes in the chicken-wire, which will probably be a few years down the road. Once the tree gets to be over 3', you can probably assume the rabbits will leave it alone, depending on your snow-cover - if they can run along the top of the snow and reach branches and buds in winter or early spring, they might still try to graze on it. More problematic at that point might be the deer, both for browsing on branches, and for rubbing on trunks - chicken wire cages, the dimensions adjusted as needed, can keep both problems away. As Ken said, trees have been growing unaided for thousands of years, but THIS tree is your daughter's tree. More likely than not, nothing will happen to it, but planning for the worst can frequently stave it off.
...See More
young clems damaged by a dog - how to protect them?
Q
Comments (17)
Thank you very much for all the suggestions! I checked on the clematises today and they all seem to have recovered - one only to be eaten by snails ;-) The dog did break off last year's stems but - luckily - new stems emerged from the ground for each plant. I thought of a simple device today, in fact only modified my original idea. I installed a small bamboo trellis at an angle of 45 degrees for each plant and attached it to the fence. I did not put the trellises between the plants and the fence the plants are supposed to grow onto, but in front of them, so that the base of each plant is "hidden" behind the trellis and only the upper part grows through it at the height of ca. 7 inches from the ground. I will increase that height in a couple of weeks when the plants get bigger. Also, I kept my fence around the beds - I noticed the dog does not force himself through it unless I stop paying attention and let the fence lean a bit so that the clotheslines loosen around the sticks and begin to hang down invitingly. When the soil goes dry, one or two sticks fall and voila! he enters. Perhaps I will buy thin metal poles to replace the sticks - they are very cheap at the hardware store, and stand up much better. I did not use bonemeal, and did use cow manure for those clems but I buried it deep in the soil. Who knows - maybe he can smell it. I think he mostly goes there to check out any new stuff (last time he entered when I left a pair of work gloves there!) and mark his territory. Now when he scratches at least it will be in front of the clems and not right through them. The trellises are new so I hope he can see them clearly, if not, I will try bigger and stronger ones. Thanks again for your suggestions. A motion sensor sprinkler might be fun to watch :-) but I decided to try the cheapest possible solution once more.. I'll report on how well it worked.
...See More
New Project..Moving a young maple ,need advice
Q
Comments (7)
I'm no expert, but with the sun moving into winter mode, and the maple about to lose its leaves in the next month or so anyway, I would think that either putting some sort of guard over the trunk for the first 6 months or so, or else painting the trunk with a cheap white paint, to protect it from the sun for the first little while should do the job. I am assuming, actually, that you will wait to move the tree until it has gone dormant? With copious watering and mulching, I would think that it should be fine. My brother had a rather large maple moved when he added on to his house - it was at least 10 years old, 15-20' tall and about 6-8 in. in diameter. He had a tree company move it, with a proper 90" digger, but this was in early summer, when the tree had leafed out, and during the height of the drought. It had been in part shade, and went to full sun. With copious watering, and mulching, it is now, 4 years later, about double in size. I think the cost then was $300, against a replacement cost of $1,500 for a comparable sized tree, new. Just be sure you get a big root ball, water it well both before and after you dig, (as if you didn't already know these things) and you should be fine. Oh yeah, help in moving it will save your back - the root ball has always been bigger than I thought it would be when I have moved trees or large shrubs. Having a tarp handy to slide it along the ground with, if you can slide it to its new site, also will save on backs all 'round. A piece of plywood, with rope from holes on one side, makes a good slide as well, and would save the root ball from some of the jarring, which might break it up.
...See More
rosegrrl
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks Ken, I appreciate your help, especially since you have such antipathy for maples!
I'm in Sunset zone 6 (Portland OR). We should be well out of freezing weather by now but the forecast is for snow and sleet tonight and through the weekend. The weathermen have been getting very excited in that way only they can about the fact that this'll be the latest frost in 40 years.
Yay.
:/
I will do as you suggest and tent the maple over. I work from home so am lucky enough to be around to keep an eye on things.
Thanks for your advice.

Related Stories

REMODELING GUIDES How to Protect (Even Enhance!) Your Relationship While Renovating

By creative jewish mom.com

No home improvement project is worth a broken heart. Keep your togetherness during a remodel with this wise advice

LIFE Get the Family to Pitch In: A Mom’s Advice on Chores

By Alison Hodgson

Foster teamwork and a sense of ownership about housekeeping to lighten your load and even boost togetherness

GARDENING FOR BIRDS What to Know About Birds Nesting in Your Yard

By Mitchell Parker

Learn how to observe, record data and help ornithologists with NestWatch’s citizen science project understand bird trends

TREES How to Protect Your Trees When You’re Remodeling or Building

By Falon Mihalic

Will your home be undergoing construction this year? Be sure to safeguard your landscape’s valuable trees

KITCHEN STORAGE Knife Shopping and Storage: Advice From a Kitchen Pro

By Tiffany Carboni

Get your kitchen holiday ready by choosing the right knives and storing them safely and efficiently

REMODELING GUIDES 5 Ways to Protect Yourself When Buying a Fixer-Upper

By Christine Tusher

Hidden hazards can derail your dream of scoring a great deal. Before you plunk down any cash, sit down with this

HEALTHY HOME How to Childproof Your Home: Expert Advice

By Becky Dietrich, Interior Designer

Safety strategies, Part 1: Get the lowdown from the pros on which areas of the home need locks, lids, gates and more

DECORATING GUIDES 10 Design Tips Learned From the Worst Advice Ever

By Mitchell Parker

If these Houzzers’ tales don’t bolster the courage of your design convictions, nothing will

WORKING WITH PROS 5 Steps to Help You Hire the Right Contractor

By Dylan Chappell Architects

Don't take chances on this all-important team member. Find the best general contractor for your remodel or new build by heeding this advice

LIFE 12 House-Hunting Tips to Help You Make the Right Choice

By Laura Gaskill

Stay organized and focused on your quest for a new home, to make the search easier and avoid surprises later

Sponsored

More Discussions

Juniper virginians problem

6

how do I know if my maple tree is dead

7

I think I have Wooly Oak Gall, Callirhytis furva?

2

Hmm, what might this silver leaved beauty be?

9

Bigtooth Maple Acer grandidenatum JFS-NuMex 3 Mesa Glow cuttings

0