Japanese Maple -- close call with freezes

19 years ago

I thought I was being paranoid by wrapping my 6 ft Japanese maple (for the third time in 2 weeks!) to protect from frost the very developed stems/leaves which were up to 18" long and nearly fully developed. When I unwrapped my baby this afternoon there were a fair bit of dead leaves at the tips and partway down the new stems! Anything that was touching the sheet was dead. Only a small percentage of leaves died, maybe less than 5%, but it was sure a close call. I would have a dead tree now if I hadn't wrapped it. And since it is growing 2 feet a year, what will I do in the future?

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Comments (13)

newgars
19 years ago
Replace your tree with an Emperor I or Robinson's Red - both of which are supposed to leaf out more slowly in spring, thereby escaping late season frosts.
tom_mn
Original Author
19 years ago
It is an Emperor I, and it had fully leaved out before May 1.
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Susan, I agree with Randy that moving it now is iffy at best, but you should go ahead and move it if you feel that gives it the best chance of survival. A lot depends on how large it is, though, and also on how well it has leafed out--both last summer and recently. One thing you have to understand about trees in general is that they often can survive for a year or more on stored energy. Often, when something occurs which might kill a tree and, then, the tree inexplicably survives, it is easy to think the tree is OK and will make it. However, the tree often will decline and die a year or more later when it runs out of that stored energy. The larger and more mature the tree is now, the greater the risk in moving it. However, you may feel you have no choice. If it is a very large and very mature JM, I'd get an estimate from a professional tree mover and see if that is one route you could take. Their equipment probably could move a much larger rootball and more feeder roots than a home gardener could dig if we're talking about a larger and more mature tree. On the other hand, they may not be affordable. It sounds like Moni has had great results in moving JMs so that is encouraging too. There's a cold front coming in the next day or two. If I had a small tree (of any type) that I needed to move at the "wrong" time of the year, I'd try to move it just prior to (within 12 hours) the arrival of the cold front. That way, it will have a couple of days of milder weather in which to begin its recovery. To give it the best chance of survival after it is transplanted, you need to keep the root zone evenly moist (but not sopping wet) and never let it dry out completely this summer. If you let it get too dry, the tree might not survive. One problem with transplant shock is that by the time the leaves wilt/drop, the transplanted tree is often already too dry to revive. Also, and I haven't used one of these in many years but assume they are still available, there are anti-transpirant sprays available that can somewhat help mitigate transplant shock. Two that I remember from many years ago are "Wilt-Pruf" and "Cloud Cover", although I haven't seen "Cloud Cover" in stores in many years. You spray them on the transplanted plant at the time it is moved. I'll try to find one and link it below to show you what I'm talking about. Your best chance of finding one is a full-line nursery. Finally, I'd be careful about feeding the tree. Sometimes fertilizing a recently transplanted tree actually stresses it, so I'd be very careful. You don't want to push the tree to produce a lot of foliage that the roots and vascular system cannot support at the present time. I'd probably water it in well after moving it and then give it a gentle feeding with an organic Liquid Seaweed product or with homemade alfalfa tea, and I'd avoid chemical-based fertilizers that would give it more nitrogen than it needs after being moved. Good luck. I hope the tree makes it. Dawn Here is a link that might be useful: Wilt-Pruf
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Greenthumb
19 years ago
And I have a Robinson's Red and it is in full-leaf already, too.
Mike
newgars
19 years ago
Very interesting. After all these years I finally have a reason to be thankful for the cold spring breezes off lake Michigan each night. None of my Emperor I's have broken bud and my Robinson Reds are just beginning to unfurl their first leaves as are shirasawanum and triflorum! Mandshuricum and tegmentosum the farthest along. Truncatum's buds are pretty tight and Girard's Hybrid paperbark are still really tight.
basic
19 years ago
NEWgars,

Where did you buy your Acer mandschuricum?
tom_mn
Original Author
19 years ago
Mike: What kind of covering did you do? Did you have any damage?

I also lost a lot of bulbs this winter and last, the kind like red emperor tulips and carlton daffodils that I thought were rock-solid hardy. also lost a small yew.
newgars
19 years ago
Basic - I believe Mandshuricum came from ForestFarm- 1 gal. for $15.
Greenthumb
19 years ago
Tom,
I just put a cylinder of 4' chicken wire, covered with burlap, around the tree in the fall. I don't put anything inside the cylinder. My tree does just fine and it's in THE most exposed spot in my back yard.

I planted the tree in the summer of 2003 and I think the tree may be well enough established now to go through the winter without the chicken wire and burlap. (I am a little chicken to try it, however).
Mike
tom_mn
Original Author
19 years ago
Mike:

I meant what kind of covering did you provide for the late spring frosts, assuming that you took off the winter covering long ago.

My tree was also planted in 2003 at 4' tall. I bought it in Green Bay where they have a larger selection of jap maples at better prices. The first year I covered it for 2 days in january when it was -24F with a blanket, but this year it was equally cold but too big to cover so I didn't and it did just fine with no damage at all. Until May that is!
Greenthumb
19 years ago
Tom,
OK, stupid me! I just put the chicken wire and burlap around the tree again and put more burlap over the top of the tree. During the day I removed the burlap from the top of the tree, but left the cylinder in place, just in case...this spring started out so good and has just gone down hill from there! (:o) I hope we are now out-of-the-woods so-to-speak.
Mike
feelingminnesota
15 years ago
I just bought a Bloodgood today, Japanese Maple. I am putting it in a large container on my deck which faces the east (morning sun, partial shade). I live in Moorhead Minnesota which is on the western border of MN next to Fargo ND and it gets to about 30 below in the Winter. Anyway, they told me to put it in the garage for the winter. Does it need light in the garage? Should I wrap it up in the garage? It is about six feet high I think. I really am not sure how you do that chicken wire thing. DO they make chicken wire that tall? Also I am not sure how tall this tree gets, but if it gets real tall it sounds like it will be hard to move. Can it live outside if it is planted in the ground?
ginkgonut
15 years ago
It doesn't need light while it is in the garage. If the garage doesn't get too cold, it shouldn't need to be wrapped. How cold it too cold? I am not sure.

If planted outside, likely it will be severely damaged or outright killed eventually in your area without some good winter protection.
mycalicogirls
15 years ago
I've just planted a young Inaba Shidare maple tree. I bought it from Sooner Plant Nusery and they listed as cold hardy in zone 4. Has anyone had experience with this variety in zone 4? Molly

Japanese Maple -- close call with freezes

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Japanese Maple -- close call with freezes

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