Do I need to straighten this Japanese maple?
HU-499938047
3 years ago
I bought this little Japanese maple that's growing out to one side. Should I use a stake to straighten it up or will it be okay on its own?
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cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)
3 years agoHU-499938047 thanked cearbhaill (zone 6b Eastern Kentucky)Related Discussions
Japanese Maples in containers - I have no idea what I'm doing...
Comments (4)They have as much potential as you have patience. For example, next spring, you could simply sacrifice the top of the maple in the last picture by chopping off the top just above that little branch that comes off the main a few inches above the soil and just start over. The wound will heal completely in a year or two if you chop it correctly - something I can help with when the time comes. You could also layer off the top if you wanted to ..... lots of options. All the trees could stand a good shortening, but let them grow wild until after leaves fall & then do your pruning. Your tree has the same potential - all that's lacking is a little time & experience, which fortunately often seem to arrive coincidentally: ;-) Al...See MoreI need advice on my Japanese Maples
Comments (2)The root balls on JMs are not very big. I have known people dig and move them 100s of miles while they are in full leaf. If you get 2 of the 24 inch, plastic plant "saucers", that stand about 18" tall, you should be able to dig the JMs (dig at least as wide as the drip line, and then make adjustmments as the root ball is made evident) and put them in the pots with no problems. If you need to trim a few roots to make them fit properly, it should still not be a problem. Keep them in part shade (at the least, afternoon shade) and water them well, waiting for the top couple of inches of soil to dry before watering again, and they should be fine. Don't feed them. If you can't find the wide planters, then any LARGE pot should do. Ask at your local nursery or at a landscaper for a 7 or 15 gallon nursery pot - you may have to pay for them, or they may give them to you. If you use a 15 gal., then put a large garbage bag of styrofoam peanuts in the bottom to take up space - the more dirt there is, that the roots don't/won't fill up, the greater chance of rot setting in. Adjust the amount of "fill" according to the tree's root ball size/depth....See MoreI need some help with my Japanese Maple!
Comments (12)A seed grown JM will NOT be the same as the parent plant but that does not mean the seeds are sterile :-) Named forms (cultivars) of Japanese maples are only propagated asexually, usually by grafting; infrequently from cuttings. Seed grown JM's will always just be generic species Acer palmatum regardless of their parentage. They may closely resemble the parent tree(s) or they may look nothing like it. So no, seeds from your named forms will not necessarily look anything like the tree they came from (and even if they do look exactly the same, they are not and cannot be called by that cultivar name). But you are free to collect and grow JM seeds from any source you can. You never know quite what you'll get and most will grow into charming small trees....See MoreJapanese Maple Seedlings ~ Do they need any Fertilizer/Nutrition !!
Comments (1)Once they have developed their second set of true leaves and can be potted up, they can receive some dilute liquid fertilizer. But they won't need nor should receive much. 1/3 or half strength after potting and then once or twice more through the growing season....See More
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
3 years agoHU-499938047
3 years agoHU-499938047
3 years agoI used a short piece of bamboo and some twine to keep the graft more secure, I didn't tie it too tight, just enough that it won't blow around in the wind. Other than that I'll just let it do its thing!
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
3 years ago
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