New JM?

I was given three new JM

Tamukeyama
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/66409/index.html

Bloodgood
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/55472/index.html

'Crimson Queen'
http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/66161/index.html

The problem I'm having is were to put them! The tag on the Tamukeyama says full sun, PF says part to full shade!

Crimson Queen's tag says full shade, PF says part shade or light shade.

Can anyone give me a better ideal on these? and what about the Bloodgood?

First off...how big and old are these trees...If they are newly grafted and small I'd keep 'em potted up ( or pot them up ) til at least next summer...that will also give you time to move 'em around a bit and see where they site best...and keep them from any undo harm ...I have NOT been very succeesful planting out youngin's personally...too many hazards. Now if they are larger lets say 2-3 years old... The JM mantra for all but the most delicate JM's ( which these are NOT)...is morning sun afternoon shade out of srtong winds in a protected area and NOT too close to any structures unless you like prunning...Now we all don't have these "ideal" siting places available so do the best you can ...all three can take sun but can burn in even part sun if we have another summer like the last one...but to get any color I wouldn't put any in full shade ...so if you have either or and not the ideal combo I would edge towards the sun ...not shade for all three ...david

I have a crimson queen in full sun - but it's in the ground and not in a pot. My Bloodgood is in full bright shade and it tends to go green around the gills from lack of sunshine but my understanding is that Bloodgood does appreciate some afternoon shade. However, Bloodgood is a very large tree under good circumstances and there is only so much shade you can give a 20 foot tree. Bloodgood certainly should be kept away from buildings and given some space. I tend to put trees in places too small for them so I know the grief of trying to keep them pruned and small so I'm speaking from experience.

I second the motion to look out for wind. You will probably only get leaf burn but it's unattractive.

The most important thing (I know I'm a one note Nellie) is that you move the trees slooooooowly from one exposure to another. It's called 'hardening' and I haven't lost a tree (knock on wood) if I've done this carefully.

They all stand about 3ft. Dont know their age. They are in their nursery pots, I was thinking of dropping pot and tree in the ground, so if they need moved I'm not effecting the root system. Once I find a place that they are happy with remove the pot and plant. If I do this, when would be the best time to plant spring or fall?

You are beyond my abilities here! Let's see if someone comes along and helps us!

If they are of that size I'd plant them out ..putting the pot in the ground really does no good but will not hurt them just leave alot holes if you don't like the spot...if it were me i'd leave the pots above ground site them and plant in the next few weeks before it gets hot ...remember they may have been under shade cloth at the nursery so gradually move in sun over a period of days or weeks..or they will burn...but do as you wish just I personally see no real advantage in burying the pots and they are big enough to plant out IMHO...David

Thanks David!

One more question! and I leave everyone alone. Well maybe! watering? After they have their spot and are planted how should i be watering them, and for how long? Example when we planted the Northern Red Oak two years ago in april, we watered it once a week for about 30 mins. until Aug/Sept.

It depends on the weather If you mulch heavily and it rains once a week you may not have to water at all but I'd say during a HOT dry period every 4 days or so would be about right ( if mulched) ....Jm's like to dry out a bit between watering but like a little dampness as well BUT they do not like to sit in water. I would water thoroughly initially when you plant them out and then mulch. David

Ghia_girl - don't stay a stranger to the JM forum. Please!

Thank you again! I'll be around! I'm fairly new at all this gardening stuff , there is so much to read and not a lot of time. I have one other JM(Acer palmatum 'Atropurpureum') http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/72816/index.html , and it is not doing to good. Other day, other topic!

It's been a hard time on JM's with the late freeze this year. I hope that your tree gets better.

It's alive, we got a late freeze in April that lasted 5 days, drop to 17 degrees one night. She had started to leaf out before the freeze, now she is only growing at the bottom 6 inches. nothing else. Husband want to wack the top half. Haven't let him yet.

Ouch! Poor tree. Lots of people lost so many plants in that freeze. We had a freeze last winter that took a some of my frost tender plants and I know that feeling that you really can't do anything about it.

You might want to ask David or someone else but if it's growing from the very bottom that may be growth from the rootstock rather than the grafted part of the tree. If allowed to grow it just might take over - that is if it was a grafted tree in the first place. But DON"T do anything until a couple more people have checked in.

This message was edited May 16, 2007 3:22 PM

You should be able to tell by now whats dead and whats not...although some stuff thaty looks alive and has some leaves may still die ..what to look for is white and black areas on stems and trunk that go all the way around ..some branches may just have it on one side and be green or red on the other they may live or same on trunk...but anything that is encircled is DEAD past that point do the scratch test and you'll see NO green . I think now you can trim that garbage off I have ... some may be coming up from only at or below the graft ..thats junk if eveything above is as stated above... pull up and torch it... it's toast /...all the prayers in the world won't bring it back and it is worthless unless you want a generic root stock tree for kicks. If the tree is toast except leaves just above the graft chop the top and dig it up and bonzai it or leave it and make it into a purdy bush/tree it may look really neat in a few years. It now should be obvious with most of your trees which ones can be trimmed and what parts and which ones can be torched..You can wait but I don't think it will do much good ...especially looking at that pituiful stuff each day ;>00000 david

This message was edited May 16, 2007 6:24 PM

Also how old was the Atro and how big?? ...they are EXTREEMLY hardy so your statement surprises me!! All of mine leafed back out within a week and it got down to 18-19 not far off what you had.. but they are older... so I assume yours was not too old and hadn't been in the ground long??. ..Thus my montra that planting older well established JM's in borderline JM areas is costly but the SMART thing to do... save youse money and buy older established trees if you live in questionable areas...although you may never and hopefully won't experience that debacle again !! David

This is the bottom of the Atro. Growing very well. It was about 4 1/2 feet. We got it last fall and planted it around Sept.

This is the point at which it changes color. About a foot of the ground. The main trunck is smooth red, the limbs are black, and just below the foot area it is gray texture. How do I know if it is grafted? We got it at Sooner Tree Farm i guess i could call them?

Is it toast?

Here is another picture of the leaves.

Picture of the whole tree.

It looks like, from the last closeup pic, that you have at least one sprig growing above the graft ...that is the large bulbous area at the bottom of your tree..Anything at or bolow that should be offed,,keep anything above and yes your hubby is right the top can now go it looks as dead as a door nail...you will have a baby tree. Yes the tree being planted last fall makes sense... most of my fall or late summer planted JM's, all older like yours, had severe problems less so with the spring plabnted ones that had the siummer to establish..I don't think they were properly established and may also have not hardened off well before we got hit with that early freeze last Oct..that weakened them and then they Kaputted from the freeze and early leafing already thoroughly stressed. Fall is suppose to be a great time to plant all trees including JM's but I am rethinking the JM part..if I buy a fall ttree I may keep it in cold storage myself and plant in late spring... Even before the freeze several had a great deal of winter dieback whereas all my spring planted ones were fine .David

Sorry about this tree. Hope that there is enough growth above the graft that it will establish a new leader and grow into a nice plant. Being gardeners we just know that we can't save them all.

I called the nursery that I brought it at. They are saying it is a seedling? They are in the Gardern Watchdog Top 30 and have 50 reviews. Dont know what to thinnk now. I googled what a graft looks like so when I get home I'll be checking it out.

If it's a seedling it's all good it would not be grafted...whatever that "bump" is is irrelevant.. it would be the same above or below whatever that "thing" is and all could be kept is so desired... and it may just be the root flare it's hard to tell from those shots ...a better and more shots of it would help ... if it is a graft my statement before would be correct. And my statement on the top of tree above the leafing area stays also D.E.A.D. David

It also could have been a v shaped base and one half dies leaving that veering /listing "look" as i said hard to tell with what you have poste ..David

Finally got a picture of the three trees

One of those is a Crimson Queen? I'm surprised that they have it staked so high. The foliage is beautiful on all of them though.