Ok, I really, really want to have a Japanese maple in my garden. I think the ones I have lost were Bloodgood. They all are over 3 ft tall. This winter was mild, never below 15 degrees. I don't have any sign of budding. Please help, what am I doing wrong?

Thanks

It may be early for leafing out in KY since IDK about your weather/Zone. But even I get impatient with my Japanese Maples in Zone 9a. You can test the brittleness of your tree's branches. If they are light gray in color and snap right off, the branch is dead. But if it bends then you can sit back and patiently watch for buds.

What kind of situation are you planting them in?

I am just digging a hole in my back garden. We do have clay based soil. The hole was at least 18 inches across. I planted it to the same dept that it was in the nursery pot.

I love the small weeping J. Maples. Do they do ok in a big container? Not like a bonsai but a large ceramic pot? What do you think?

The small growing JM's do great in pots. The bigger the pot, the bigger the maple you can grow. I have several in pots, some of them are 20+ years old. Do your research - you can find JM's in all shapes, sizes, colors and leaf types.

Locally, I am only finding Bloodgood. What named ones are you growing? I don't mind ordering online.

The tags are long gone and the only names I can remember are 'Peaches and Cream' and Garnet.

For online ordering, MrMaple is probably the best place. I have ordered from Mendicino Maples but, they are on the west coast. Closer to home ordering is always preferable.

I can take photos and post them.

http://www.davidsansjapanesema... This is also a good place to order from or at least talk to him about what might work for you. I've seen him around here and a couple other forums in the past although it's been awhile.

This is Peaches and Cream. The pot is about 7 - 8 gallon heavy Japanese stoneware. The tree is about 25 years old.


Garnet. Probably the same age but, I planted it in my courtyard.

Those are both so beautiful! It makes me want one so badly. I will try contacting the folks listed above. Thanks for helping.

When you get one, come back and post photos please.

DaisyI said:This is Peaches and Cream. The pot is about 7 - 8 gallon heavy Japanese stoneware. The tree is about 25 years old.


Garnet. Probably the same age but, I planted it in my courtyard.

You did a great job, I love the look of the peaches and cream you have. How often do you replace the soil in the pot?

I don't replace but, every few years, I lift the the root ball out of the pot and put more soil under and around it. Do it in late winter when the buds are just starting to swell. JM's don't take kindly to repotting. No, I never fertilize them.

Daisy- Your Peaches & Cream is beautiful! Do you also trim the roots the same time you replace the soil? What type of soil do you use? I have a Full Moon Maple in a pot for ~10 yrs.
Teresa-I had a Bloodgood in my front & backyard & lost them both to verticillium wilt. Supposedly you cannot plant any trees susceptible to this wilt in the same location. I wouldn't think your young Bloodgoods would have succumbed to this disease so quickly as my trees started declining over 3-yr period. Maples are one of my favorite trees so very happy they do well in containers!

No, I don't trim the roots. Its really never been necessary.

Has anyone tried airlayering? I am turning green with envy! Lovely pics! I would be good with a container maple. I like them all.

Hi bluegrassmom, allow me to ask you something that might help you succed next time. Are you planting every new tree in the exact same spot that the others that died? I will be back on that depending on your answer. Other than that here it goes my 2 cents:
1) dig a big hole (3 feet or more) and 2 feet in depth.
2) Mix in as many bags as you can afford of one not too expensive garden soil
3) make a big mound with the result
4) plant your JM in the top of the mound so that at least half of the root ball is above the original soil level. Mulch generously
Your JM should be alright there

When planting trees, adding soil or compost to a planting hole is never a good idea. It hampers the tree's ability to move into the native soil because the tree roots won't be encouraged to leave the comfy bowl of soil you have given them. Also, the "bowl" could become a bathtub if the surrounding native soil doesn't drain well.

Planting any tree a little high is always a good idea as it takes into accoun settling soil and it keeps soil away from the tree trunk.

I garden with clay soil, and have lost a tree before to the 'bowl effect'. Planting trees directly into the native soil has worked (best with mulch added over that soil!), but the flowering cherries I did this with have grown slowly (or so it seems) over the years. (That could be because of Japanese Beetle damage every summer, or higher levels of salt in the soil near the road. An application of Gypsum should help with the latter; I'm trying that this year.) Anymore what I do, is build raised beds out of a desirable mix of 100% bark & mushroom soil (or other compost soil) that is locally available - right on top of cardboard to control weeds from the existing meadow lawn - and plant new things as deeply as I can in the raised beds. This creates a layered effect that mimics the natural layers of mulch in a forest, and keeps the top 8-10" of soil very workable for my purposes as well.

I do wonder, Daisyl: why do you think it is important to keep soil away from the tree trunk? I hear about this regularly, but have never really seen a reason why to do this with young trees being newly planted... unless it is to make sure the grafted cultivar -can't- root into the surrounding soil. (Unless the specific rootstock used is required for a necessary tree attribute, such as a dwarfed habit, why wouldn't you want it to?!) Just wondering.

Anyway, I figure this practice allows the roots to establish in the loose soil that is more prone to stay drained even in a wet spring, then naturally overflow into the clay soil beneath as soon as it's ready. Part of the reason I like to plant things deep (with the exception of various perennials that shouldn't be) is to have the roots down where the soil moisture stays consistent (most of these are planted beyond the sprinkler zone), and the tree has a better chance of getting successfully established. (I would NOT plant them deep in the clay, except in special cases. Only deep in the mulch/soil raised bed.) It also gives any small tree or shrub a better anchor against deer who should find it appealing enough to tug at while it's still so small. Many plants will eventually root out from the buried stem(s), and develop a better-established base because of it. If it works to do so, pruning a non-grafted woody plant low to the ground while dormant, seems to be a good way to protect it from deer predation over its first winter - even as it encourages a better root to top ratio that will push out a stronger set of new growth in the spring (and hopefully be able to better hold its own against critters).

All in all: just a few ideas to play with, if you think they'd work for you.