Jap maples in pot- should I remove nursery stake?
subersibo1973
6 years ago
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Should I stake a central leader on Red Dragon?
Comments (8)I realize the form on this tree is less-than-optimal. That's why I was able to get it for $8. Actually, it was better than the other available choices. (You can tell it didn't get sun either by the green coloration.) I bought a #2 Tamukeyama that is almost perfect form, but I picked this guy up while I was at it b/c I've always like Red Dragon. Be that as it may, I am not one to give up so easily on a baby tree. A lot of things can happen as a plant matures. I also prefer the more umbrella-shaped trees and I expect that at some point the leader will bend over and weep. My question is: Should I stake one of the two branches this tree has or should I wait to see what becomes of the new growth I circled?...See Morewinterizing my jap. maples
Comments (5)Pam always offers such good advice, but I want to muse a little, & maybe expand a little, too. Blanketing pots with insulative wrappings is productive when you're capturing heat within the insulation that is generated by an extraneous source - often the earth. It can be effective to insulate your pot if it is resting on the ground or garage floor, or it's partially buried, but it's not very effective if your pot is on a deck or railing ..... because there is no extraneous heat to trap. If you were trying to keep a marginally hardy plant on a balcony, I would tell you to build a box around the plant, but leave one side open and that side goes against the building. Then insulate the other sides. This traps and holds heat conducting/radiating through and from the wall. The same box a foot removed from the wall & insulated all around would probably be useless - no extraneous heat source. The industry standard for the lower limit of A palmatum's resistance to cold is a root/soil temperature of 14 or 15* F. IOW, your plant is more likely to die if it sees actual root temperatures below this threshold low than it is to survive, and many cultivars will not tolerate these low temperatures. It's very unusual for 6" soil temperatures, even in zone 4, to ever drop below 25* F, even in bare ag fields. We know that roots of varying ages and stages of lignification do not all have the same degree of cold-hardiness. The finest and more herbaceous roots, the actual workhorses, are the first to succumb to freezing temperatures. This can happen (in the finest roots) at temperatures as high as 25-28*, so even though there is no visible damage to the plant, we are still experiencing some minor degree of cold-injury while temperatures remain in the upper 20s. As actual root/soil temperatures continue to fall, progressively larger roots succumb to freezing of bound water (water inside of cells, which is the true determining factor in whether cells/tissue succumb(s) to freeze injury or remains viable). In some cases, plants exposed to cold extremes (for the species) lose most of their rootage and begin spring with the same approximate energy levels and reactions to their environment as a large cutting, having to regenerate their lost rootage from stored energy reserves before they can supply the water needed to keep the canopy hydrated. This regeneration of lost rootage is an expensive energy outlay, because the energy that went into roots would have gone to branch extension and foliage production had it not been used to regenerate roots. From this, we can see that unnecessarily exposing your tree's roots to temperatures even in the low 20s, will have an affect on energy management, even if you don't actually see/recognize it. In the end, chill injury of any kind to roots, or even above-ground parts, slows development and growth. Where plants are concerned, once growth potential has been lost, it can never be regained. Plants can't grow faster or better than they are genetically programmed to grow, no matter what lengths we might go to, so they can't play catch-up. Ideally, for all deciduous trees, the safe bet for ensuring maximum vitality for the spring push is to try your best to keep root temperatures between the upper 20s to no warmer than 42* for the winter. This ensures maximum root survival and the highest energy levels possible, within the influence exerted by other cultural conditions. There are lots of over-wintering strategies, including unheated garages or out-buildings, burying the containers, mulching against a building, pits, etc. Most of these take advantage of geothermal heat. Just putting a pot on the ground or garage floor, as opposed to leaving it on a deck or bench, can moderate root temperatures by more than 20* when it's REALLY cold, so keep that free source of heat in mind when you plan your strategy; and remember, the more roots you save, the better it will be for your plant. Al...See MoreJap Maple- Must I prune or can I leave it alone
Comments (24)I see that censorship is alive and well on the Gardenweb. I've seen a lot of Japanese maples in my life and I've seen many with multiple branches low on the trunk but never one that has several trunks coming out of the ground like in the photos that Dave posted. It truly does look like a shrub. That look is not my cup of tea for a Japanese maple. If I want something that looks like a lilic then I'll go buy the lilac. IMHO, the Burgandy Lace was not pruned properly when it was younger although that it strictly from a viewpoint of aesthetics and not structural abnormalities. Looking at it's branching structure, I don't see any branches that resemble the acute angle on the maple in this thread. I still maintain that the latter needs a pruning job to correct for a structural defect. A tree that gets this large is going to act like a sail. Consequently, the wind is going to get leverage on any tall trunks that branch low on the tree. I am not saying that a Japanese maple needs to be pruned to look like an oak tree or any other really large tree. What I am saying is that sound pruning practices are applicable for any plants above a certain size. It is irresponsible and amateurish to suggest otherwise. It is also hypocritical to suggest this for some trees but not others not to mention confusing for anyone new to the Gardenweb. I must respond to one of the deleted posts. Basically, it was stated that this tree will not recover and fill out from pruning off the second leader. K4 hit the nail on the head in his response which was that the tree will throw out a lot of new growth next year after this leader is pruned off. This new growth will provide plenty of opportunity to shape the tree into a far better look than it has now. Without question, the tree will quickly fill out and I question the practical experience of anyone who states otherwise....See Morehow to remove stump of V. wilt victim jap. maple
Comments (11)Thanks, you all! These are really great suggestions and will help us a lot. First, re the clerodendrum: I read somewhere that it was vw resistant, so I planted it in another part of the yard where another jap. maple had died (smaller, we pulled the stump out ourselves), and it's *thrived* there, so much that we have to scramble to keep the babies under control. But we have one baby that has grown up pretty nicely and I'm thinking of transferring him over to this place, because he's certainly not been affected thus far. oilpainter, I wish I'd gotten it cut down further when the treecutting guy was here. I only have an ax, and swinging it sideways when it's already that low...I just don't have a good feeling about that. I may have to just drill holes where it is now and do either the nitrogen method or the burn method. I really appreciate your thoughts and advice on this process. Another thing re the clerodendrum: I'm actually in no rush to plant again, since the light has been most welcome today. We've lived kind of in a northern-exposure cave with the tree overhanging the window since we moved here -- it's wonderful to see the sun back behind our house...my DH wants the tree but I almost think I'd be content with a bush or something that would be able to handle the vw without blocking the light. As a transplant from NC to OR, I *MISS* the sun! Thanks again....See More
subersibo1973
6 years agolast modified: 6 years ago
cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agosubersibo1973 thanked cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years agolast modified: 6 years agosubersibo1973 thanked ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5subersibo1973
6 years agosubersibo1973
6 years agosubersibo1973
6 years agosubersibo1973
6 years agoMore upright now than yesterday. Should I plant in ground? Kinda scared that the leaves would burn. There were some burnt leaves already when it was delivered to me, nothing too bad though.
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Sara Malone (Zone 9b)