Small upright Japanese Maple --- Do I have room?
Kitchenlady (Tennessee, Zone 7a)
8 years ago
Hi everybody!
I really want an upright Japanese Maple in my new part-shade garden (zone 6b) but I'm not sure if I have enough room. Please excuse my awful drawing skills, but this was the best I could do without graph paper. :) The drawing isn't to scale, but the measurements are correct... Could I fit a JM in the center of this garden? It would have 10 ft between the sidewalk and the garage wall. Height wouldn't be an issue, but I'd need to keep the lower branches from blocking the sidewalk. (would be ok if the upper branches extended over the sidewalk).
I'd prefer a standard/upright Japanese Maple with red coloring. I would consider the dwarf varieties if they can be trimmed to look like an upright with just a single trunk.
Thanks in advance!
KL
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Kitchenlady (Tennessee, Zone 7a)
8 years agoRelated Discussions
staking japanese maples--can i do it
Comments (1)What kind of Japanese maple is it? That can make a real difference in its typical growth habit and how you may be able to protect it from deer down the road. Just off the cuff, I don't think what you propose is going to have much value. Without seeing the tree or knowing the variety this is all speculation but the tree sounds like it might be a smaller variety, perhaps even a weeping form. In which case, staking the branches upward is not going to produce the result you intend. Just a word or two on growth habits....... you can stake lower branches to a more upright position but it will greatly affect the beauty of the tree, which is to grow uninhibited in the form nature intended. And they will likely never be really vertical or ever above the reach of a hungry deer. Tree branches never grow higher on the tree than where they emerge initially - it is the trunk that elongates vertically. A better choice might be to remove lower reaching branches but with a 4' tree, that is somewhat of a moot point as well. You are going to be far better served by fencing the tree away from the deer predation or by using a deer repellant on a routine basis...See MoreI need advice on what to do with my Japanese Maple
Comments (4)I appreciate the advise, but think many of the roots have been severed. I am low on funds and made a deal with a young man to move these trees into a containers for an exchange for a pool table. He sounded like he new what he was doing. I now fear that the job was too much and that he and his help did not get enough of the root system. They cut many of the large roots to fit into one of those 58 gallon containers. The top off the container was cut off about 1/4 way down and several holes drilled in the bottom and filled about 1/4 way with pine mulch. The containers were pretty tall but not very wide. I am now afraid that in my haste and knowing that this need to be done ASAP that they may not survive. Checking on their progress I saw that they had cut many large roots that were pretty close to the tree to able to fit the diameter of the container. Both trees took them all day to do and I watered both imediately after being put into the containers. It is now several hours later and the one seems fine so far, but the first one dug appears to be wilting. Is this normal do to the shock or have I made a grave mistake. I was advised not to fertilized them, so that I would not burn them. Is there anything I can do to help with the root system? It seems to me that a lot of the root system was cut and only a small ball transported with these 3ft trees that have been in the groung for approximately 10 years. I would appreciate any advice. I will feel horrible if these trees die, when I could have left them on the existing property. I just really wanted these trees for my future home....See Moreupright japanese red maple unhealthy
Comments (2)Japanese maples are prone to several diseases, often related to weather and/or poor drainage or excess soil moisture. It's difficult to speculate on what may be affecting yours without seeing the trees in person or evaluating their growing conditions, but it is possible that they may be diseased. It never hurts to remove deadwood at any time of year - it should be noticeable as having a grey, dead look to it and no viable buds as compared the coloring of other, healthy branches. If you have a good garden center with plant problem diagnosis capabilities close by, you may want to take in a portion of the affected branches, preferrably with foliage intact, to see if they can identify the problem for you and recommend controls, if any. Be sure to sterilize pruners after making any cuts to prevent spreading any possible disease pathogens to healthy tissue. Excess water could certainly be a factor. Japanese maples prefer a very well draining soil and if the soil remains overly wet or soggy for any length of time, it would pose problems eventually....See More2nd time I have tried to post. What is wrong with japanese maple
Comments (6)Sorry...I am in zone 9... about 2 miles north of San Francisco. I am worried it suffered when we transplanted it from a pot into the ground. It is getting a little less sun than it was getting in the pot. It was doing so well, new, green leaves...then crash! I watered it deeply every few days after it was transplanted and the root ball was not dry when I dug it up. Our lowest temp was around 45 F. Thank you so much for trying to help. I really appreciate it....See MoreKitchenlady (Tennessee, Zone 7a)
8 years ago
magpiepix 5b/6a
8 years agoKitchenlady (Tennessee, Zone 7a)
8 years ago
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