most trees need full sun .. how much sun is it getting?

ken

It gets morning sun, a good half day.

I have found that japanese maples,the red leaved palmatum varieties at least,are very slow growing and don't like full sun(new leaves get burnt) or cold wind. I have one in the ground that was originally for bonsai that just hasn't moved-i need to get it some shade.

So neither one of you think it might be getting to much water? It's on the east side of my house, gets morning sun, and has winter protection from a fence on the north. It also has a little shade from a nearby redbud. I stuck a probe in the soil and it was almost mucky.

How much growth these guys will put on depends entirely on the specific cultivar of the tree in question and where it has been grafted - some low graft weeping dissectums will never achieve much height and other, rather dwarf forms grow very slowly.

How much sun these can take also depends on cultivar and location. Some red leafed cultivars will bronze or green out in full sun, but provided they receive adequate irrigation, they tolerate these conditions well. In fact red leaved forms are more often suggested for full sun locations than many others. In a PNW zone 8 climate (pretty far north so rather weak summer sun), pretty much any Japanese maple can be grown in full sun.

The amount of growth a tree puts on is only tangentially related to water. Obviously if consistently deprived of water, many trees will remain stunted - Japanese maples are far more delicate and picky about these things and water deprivation for them will just lead to death. Too much water is just as bad - it can lead to some pretty serious root rots to which J maples are prone. Ideally, these trees want an organically rich, freely draining yet moisture retentive soil that is slightly to moderately acidic. Not too terrifically difficult to achieve, ehh??? :-))

So tell us what kind of Japanese maple you have and we can let you know how large it may be expected to get and with what speed.

This particular one is Bloodgood . I had one before and a huge limb fell on it in an ice storm and totaled it out. I also have a green lace one same exposure and it grows well.

Flowergirl,it does sound like your soil might be too wet,and wet heavy soil can be a killer as it starves the roots of oxygen and may cause rot. It depends how long its been in that spot really-if its been there a while then its probably ticking over,not dying but not thriving either,but if it was recently moved to that spot then stops growing that would be an alarm bell for me. I've not had a great deal of experience with these maples so I can't say whats best really. There is of course a Maples forum on here-the link is at the top of the page.

I think I would move it - for whatever reason, it isn't thriving, so it might well do better somewhere else. Different trees - even the same species/cultivar - do seem to do differently under what seems to the human eye to be the same conditions.

That said, I think I would search out a plant to replace it that can take occasional flooding and doesn't mind wet soil. There are any number of plants - including trees and shrubs - that LOVE wet conditions. I would start with a list of plants that grow in river bottoms and along streams/in seasonal wetlands.

That said, I think I would search out a plant to replace it that can take occasional flooding and doesn't mind wet soil. There are any number of plants - including trees and shrubs - that LOVE wet conditions.

Birches, Willows and Alders spring to mind for that setting.

Most Jap. Maples are pretty slow growing, but the moisture may not be a big help. Is the soil very wet in the bed?

Well, I think the soil is wet. We had a 3.5 inch rain recently. Also we have been drouthy all summer, so I may have watered it too much. There is a hydrangea in the same bed that thrives and you all know how much water they take. I'm thinking I will probably move it when it goes dormant. After 3 years I feel I should have some growth. The other ones I have do well, and the only difference I can see is that downspout.