Trees: Growing Japanese Maples

My red Japanese Maple has only come back on one side this year.
It has two nice stems coming out of ground but we had a very dry Fall and now only one side has gotton leaves and it's not very many.
Help!
It's only about 4' tall, three years old.

It is probably a goner! I lost two of those before I finally decided to not let the poor things dry out in the least. I have a beautiful one now that is about 12 years old and I water it faithfully in addition to keeping mulch all around the area. Don't mound it up around the base of it or any tree for that matter. Maintain the natural planting height at the base.

Oh noooo......
thanks....

I was told just this past weekend that japanese maples
need to be protected from hot afternoon sun and from northwest winds in the wintertime. The first three years are the hardest after planting, and that some leaf and branch dieoff is natural until the tree is established.

There are some really nice looking and large weeping japanese maples in Gatlinburg, TN in planters...right out in the sun, all day long. There are on concrete too...which would make it even hotter in the summer. I don't know how much they water them, but they look great. I have all of mine in full sun as well...but my soil stays moist or is only dry for a little while between rainfall. Mine are doing very well. I have thick clay soil. I do know they "prefer" shade if you can give it to them. I really doubt they like being dry though...I think that will be the death of them if you let them get really dry.

This message was edited Monday, May 13th 8:29 AM

our bloodgood has been in afternoon baking sun for 15 years. it's really pretty. we have thick clay and it can get pretty dry here in the summer.

Naples, Me - I have two Japanese Maples, one of which is a weeping one which I spotted at end of season sale at Home Depot. I had been told by Nursery folks that no way could I have these J. Maples as far north a Naples. Will the "regular" 3 trunk is now about 10 yrs, and the weeping I've had for 5 years. I mulched them heavily, not mounding at the trunks and water religiously. Last spring I lost a limb from the weeping and there was a lot of winter kill, it faces North and only has Burning Bushes for protection. I bit the bullet, took off the broken limb and pruned not only the winter kill but all the crossing limbs. Then I looked at it for a week, and pruned a bit more for by then could see where it needed it's graceful main limbs to flourish. Right now it is in full leaf, healty and as happy as I am. Any tree you put in should be watered, and not allowed to dry out, especially the 1st and 2nd year. These trees proved the theory of different zones in my yard. I just couldn't be without these maples. Sorry this is so long winded!!

Dear Ravenbuck, I hope that you didn't cut down your tree. How is it? In pruning if one side of a tree is less robust, you prune it more - weird huh? Don't cut off anything this fall. Let it get it's feet and you may find new sprouts on that side of the tree. Is the wind coming from that side?

If it's a laceleaf and you want a red tree, there are several to choose from that are hardier than the finely cut trees. Take a look at Mountain Maples website. They have a tree chooser system there and you might get some ideas. I have a lot of Japanese Maples and I have been able to grow even laceleafs in the sun - but they have to be hardened (see below) before you plant them. I actually find that the Sango Kaku (ones with red trunks) and pale green leaves do very well in sun. Even hot afternoon sun against a wall. I'm partial to the two in my garden. They turn orange in the fall.


I'd check for crown rot. If your tree was planted too low or got too much water on it's trunk - that is a possibility. If it has rather large splits running vertically in it's trunk that's a sign. Then dig down a little around the base of the tree trunk. If there are fine white roots there that are sort of brittle or if the soil smells like mold - you've got crown rot and there is no way to save the tree. If you plant one again: take the topsoil off around the trunk, remove it and spray with a fungicide - a natural one is fine. Then put in new topsoil and mix in. Trash or burn the tree. Don't recycle.

Find a cultivar that is fairly hardy - especially if you have wind. "Harden it up" or ask the nusery to do it. Most japanese maples have been under shade for a long time. hardening consists of gradually putting the tree in more sun for more time until it can take the sun. Don't let the sprinklers hit the tree trunk, and for the first three years (everyone's right) The rules are always "water well until established" which is the most misunderstood phrase in the gardening world!

I'm very interested in how it's doing. Keep us up on it.

Hi again. I was looking at maples at mountainmaples.com and discovered that they have something that they highly recommend to treat crown rot. It's worth a try anyway.

Looked again at the products for feeding the maples. You can get them for a lot less other places - look at google.

DOES ANYONE KNOW IF A CUTTING WILL WORK ON JAP. MAPLE? I REALIZE THEY ARE PROPAGATED BY SEEDS BUT.................WHAT ABOUT A CUTTINGS.

Can anybody tell me how to grow a Japanese maple in a container and how big a container I should really have? I have Inabe Shidare which is lace-leaf and weeping, and I want to keep it on my deck. I just want to make it stay small enough to keep in a container. If I can't use that one, what one could I get to use in a container? My deck has no shade. I've kept the Inabe Shidare in full sun for a year now in a small container but it will have to graduate to a bigger container soon.

I already have a 15 year-old Crimson Queen that is 4 x 8 x 12 and gorgeous and then two 2-year old viridis seedlings that really don't have names that I got from Japanese-Maples.com.

every winter for the last 5 years i've tried about 5 cuttings of japanese maple...some looked like they were almost going to make it but they never did. i've decided to just scout for seeds and stop wasting my time!