Preen...the active ingredient is...or used to be Treflan. You apply it every 6 to 8 weeks and water it in...or rake it in. You will have problems eventually with the rock over the Typar. Small debris will build up in the rocks and the Typar will keep it from becoming part of the soil below and you will have weed growth in the rock on top of the Typar. Shredded bark or wood is always a better choice. I would wonder about the dogs sleeping in the mulch that's treated with preemergence before it's well watered i though...I would keep them out for several days aftere applying. Linda C

I've grown shantung maples from seeds and I can tell you that leaf shape and growth habit varies quite a bit. Hortster is correct that they tend want to stay bushy so the lower branches will have to be pruned every year or two. The branches can get pretty thick after 2-3 years so I've learned not to wait too long before pruning. I have 'Fire Dragon' that produce consistent deep red fall color (Sooner Plant Farm sells it online now) and it produced decent numbers of seeds 2 years ago so I tried them out. The seedlings do seem to be more reddish in the fall rather than typical yellow. I'm repeating it again this year to see if that's the case again. It's pretty easy to spot a true Shantung maple by simply looking at their unique corky trunk when they are 2-3 years old. I would have thought that Carl Munn's nursery in Oregon would have Fire Dragon since he's friends with the owner of Metro Maples who discovered 'Fire Dragon' Shantung maple and also was the first one to get Munn's 'Moonrise' maple.

He's right, all you can do is wait and see at this point. Unfortunately if it survives, it might be so severly stunted that the other may grow significantly larger in the next couple of years. Only time will tell. Just be careful not to overwater or underwater as this will make matters worse...sometimes less care is best for maples.

Totally extravagant bit of floof, that! Snowpea in Montreal