what is a sapling???

most JM are grafted .... some are seed grown .. but you say they were taken off his tree ... are they rootings???

in pots.. trees need very high drainage .... and are hard to winter over ... most trees do not like the high peat of potting soil ... and we cut the media with large chunks of stuff to increase drainage... which i am not sure manure does ...

and in most cases.. trees never need fertilizer ... but for the pot issue... what i am getting at.. is the rotted manure may have been to strong for a tree in a pot.. and it might have gone into winter without hardening off fully .. causing problem this spring ... which is evident with the die back ...

now.. why didnt it get in the ground this spring ... it might be too late to plant a fully leafed out tree ... but it might be necessary to get it going a bit better ...

good luck

ken

Hi Ken,

I know nothing about caring for trees. So I appreciate any information you can give me.

I guess the correct term then would be rootings. They were taken off of another JM, planted, and roots were started.

Do you think that it is safe to plant them in the ground now that we are in early summer? We have clay so something needs to be added for drainage. What would you recommend I add that will be good for these rootings?

I added the dehydrated manure thinking that maybe it would help them along, but obviously that experiment backfired.

How often do JM's need to be watered and how much water do they need? I have been watering them when the soil looks dry.

I will appreciate any advice you can give me so that I can get these JM's healthy and growing again. Thanks!

Ladybug,

As Ken said, your trees are probably suffering from moisture/drainage issues and possibly damage caused by the manure. Now is a bad time to transplant trees and shrubs, and especially already stressed trees and shrubs. But, given the circumstances, I'd probably go ahead and plant them out. They may not make it, but it sounds like you may have nothing to loose by trying, at this point. Below is a link to planting instructions. Be sure to keep a very close eye (actually finger) out for proper soil moisture until the tree becomes established (see section 12 in the linked document).

Here is a link that might be useful: Planting a Tree or Shrub

Oh, I left out two important things...

You should probably plant your tree (mostly) bare root. If the manure you used and/or the potting soil is responsible for the problems, it needs to go. I would remove all of the potting medium I could without damaging the root system. Since the tree is already stressed and is being planted at such a bad time of year, I would be as gentle with the root system as possible.

Also, don't amend your soil when planting. See section 7 in the document for further info about this.

Thanks for the advice Brandon. It's much appreciated.

Japanese maples are notoriously difficult to grow from cuttings -- that yours have survived at all is a testament to something rather remarkable :-) Even experienced JM growers seldom have much success with rooted cuttings of these trees. I'd not worry overly about manure or potting medium (after a year, both of these are a non-issue) but go ahead and get these in the ground. They are still small enough to make the adjustment without worry or excessive transplant shock.

Well-drained, slightly acidic and organic soil and with some shade from the hottest part of the afternoon sun. And pay attention to watering needs - JM's cannot be allowed to dry out but resent excessive moisture. Mulch will help.

That last post left me scratching my head...

"I'd not worry overly about manure or potting medium (after a year, both of these are a non-issue)..."

Not sure what was meant there. The issues actually get worse (particularly drainage) as the potting medium breaks down. That's one of the biggest issues that has to be dealt with when growing long-term in containers.

"They are still small enough to make the adjustment without worry or excessive transplant shock."

I don't understand this statement either. Small cuttings, possibly lacking good root structure, are actually more likely to suffer from transplant shock than larger, well established plants.

"Well-drained, slightly acidic and organic soil..."

That would be great if that's what's there, but don't fill a planting hole with that stuff in the middle of a bunch of whatever the native soil is!