Japanese maple

rockdrummer4

I have two japanese maple plants, very small. They are not doing well Their not dead but only have 4 or 5 leaves.... they were in containers, now I have planted them in the ground to see if they do better.

Any advice on how to revive them?

I have another one in a pot which is doing quite well !

The ones which aint doin well have red leaves, the one doing well has green leaves, if this helps at all !


Thanks alot

looksee

Are these the ones from Lidl or similar? I can only suggest you leave them and see how they go. I got some of them and have a two thirds success rate, which is not bad considering you have no idea how they were treated in the shop and whether they were left to dry out/ overwatered/ left in the blast of a heating fan etc.

It might help to mist them with a foliar leaf feed, but in the end its down to luck.

Mothman

Usually they're quite sensitive to wind. Have they been in an exposed location?
Also they may not like full sun often thriving better with a bit of shade.

rockdrummer4

Hi lads thanks for the replies

Definitely some of them are from Lidl, Ive had them about 2 years now ! Cant remember which though !

They were never very exposed, where they are planted now one is definitely not exposed, the other a bit...

They are very small, maybe about 10 inches high, when I bought them they were fine, Think alot of the branches at the top are dead, would it be OK to trim them?

HardyEustace

Without meaning to state the obvious, have you checked the height on them?

I saw similar trees in Lidl and thought they were really pretty, however, when I checked the label it said that they grew to 10m. Hard to believe when they look so innocent in the pot. Are you happy with this height (presuming they survive of course!)?

rockdrummer4

10M would be nice, but I dont think they'll make it

HardyEustace

rockdrummer4 wrote: »

10M would be nice, but I dont think they'll make it

well hopefully. They're a gorgeous tree. If you've the space they will be fantastic. I'm trying to find a "miniature" version right now. I don't want anything that will grow over 2m in height.

rockdrummer4

They are lovely, my parent have one about 1.5M high, full off foliage and is lovely

bmaxi

Are you watering them? Maples are very susceptible to drying out and even in open ground would need to be well watered for the first season at least, especially in current conditions. Try to water in a balanced feed as well.

Soil is another factor. The fact that the one in the pot is doing well means it likes the conditions, so maybe it is potted in ericaceous compost. If your soil is not acidic, acers will do poorly.

rockdrummer4

Have started watering propely now, havent up until last wk tho !!

I remember re-potting maple last yr, used lime free or lime soil, cant remember which but seems to be OK, aint growing much, but has alot of leaves !!

looksee

I have a fairly bog standard one - like the lidl ones but much older, its about 3m high and very healthy, in ordinary soil with no special care at all.

rockdrummer4

lucky you Must like the conditions... well as I have planted them in the soil I hope they will do as good as yours !! time will tell

Thanks for the replies everybody.

bmaxi

looksee wrote: »

I have a fairly bog standard one - like the lidl ones but much older, its about 3m high and very healthy, in ordinary soil with no special care at all.

Yes, I could have worded my post a little better. What I meant was, acers will not do well in alkaline soil.

unkel

HardyEustace wrote: »

saw similar trees in Lidl and thought they were really pretty, however, when I checked the label it said that they grew to 10m.

Acer Palmatum? I'd say it would take more than 1000 years for it to grow to 10m

Delicate trees they are. I'd say the chances of winning the lotto are much better than for the Acer to live to 1000 years (or to grow to 10m - double bet)

rockdrummer4

Gonna get some peat moss for the maple, which one do I get, lime free?

bmaxi

rockdrummer4 wrote: »

Gonna get some peat moss for the maple, which one do I get, lime free?

I don't think I've ever heard of anything other than lime free peat moss.

Sonnenblumen

rockdrummer4 wrote: »

Gonna get some peat moss for the maple, which one do I get, lime free?

Moss Peat is of little use to Maples or most plants for that matter. Being practically sterile it's only beneficial use was as a soil improver/conditioner. However use of Peat in gardens should not be encouraged.

What you require is an ericaceous compost or a lime-free soil conditioner. Maples prefer acidic soil conditions ie no lime. They are reasonably tolerant, doing well in sun and/or shade. Most prefer slightly moist conditions but there are literally '000s of varieties ranging from dwarf Bushes to large Trees and a graet range of foilage type and colours. Maples do not like windy/exposed conditions which along with drought are the main reasons for failure.

If you must plant Maples in lime conditions, apply an acid feed (Sequestrean of Iron or similar) on a regular basis to reduce the alkaline conditions. Growing Maples in Planters/Containers/Raised Beds, you really should plant in lime free soil.

Do not (as with other plants) confuse Dwarf with Slow growing. Plant labels can be sometimes confusing, eg, quoting a height after 5 or 10 years but growth continues thereafter, which is why you see so many oversized conifers in many gardens etc. So read the lable carefully and doublecheck that there is space available for what you are considering purchasing.

Finally, with the correct space it should be possible to avoid that other garden crime of cutting/pruning Maples like shrubs!

tampopo

what he said, sonnenblum, that is.

ericaceous soil, no wind, keep moist.

bmaxi

I'm not convinced by the generality of the wind argument, I think wind damage is dependent on variety and wind direction. I have a purple dissectum in my front garden which is fully exposed to south and west gales, yet never suffers leaf burn or curl. I also have a standard purple palmatum in my back garden which occasionally does.
I'm more inclined to think that it's exposure to east and north winds that does the damage, probably because, where I live anyway, they are dry winds.
It is hard to generalise with plants. For instance, my next door neighbour's cordyline was cut to the ground by frost last winter, along with several more in the neighbourhood, yet I am currently looking at one in full flower not fifty feet away. Go figure

Sonnenblumen

bmaxi wrote: »

I'm not convinced by the generality of the wind argument, I think wind damage is dependent on variety and wind direction. I have a purple dissectum in my front garden which is fully exposed to south and west gales, yet never suffers leaf burn or curl. I also have a standard purple palmatum in my back garden which occasionally does.
I'm more inclined to think that it's exposure to east and north winds that does the damage, probably because, where I live anyway, they are dry winds.
It is hard to generalise with plants. For instance, my next door neighbour's cordyline was cut to the ground by frost last winter, along with several more in the neighbourhood, yet I am currently looking at one in full flower not fifty feet away. Go figure

Wind damage is really only a factor when trees are in leaf. During spring and in particular summer months, there are significant differences in cause and effect. Winds originating from Easterly or Northerly directions will because they are colder by nature will inflict more damage than warmer winds coming from Southerly direction.

Although warm winds can cause dehydration they are generally benign. Cold winds are different, causing wind burn, wind scorching of foliage etc which inflict the typical damages we all associate with wind damage. Naturally if vunerable plants like Maples etc are in sheltered places then of course wind damage is less likely to be a problem. It is not unusual to have 'micro-climate' zones in gardens, where despite prevailing poor weather conditions, plants can defy nature and thrive.

Cordylines cut to ground level will rarely die, but are more likely to regenerate as multi-stem trees, that's why it is essential to remove the root in order to remove the tree.

bmaxi

Sonnenblumen wrote: »

Wind damage is really only a factor when trees are in leaf. During spring and in particular summer months, there are significant differences in cause and effect. Winds originating from Easterly or Northerly directions will because they are colder by nature will inflict more damage than warmer winds coming from Southerly direction.

Although warm winds can cause dehydration they are generally benign. Cold winds are different, causing wind burn, wind scorching of foliage etc which inflict the typical damages we all associate with wind damage. Naturally if vunerable plants like Maples etc are in sheltered places then of course wind damage is less likely to be a problem. It is not unusual to have 'micro-climate' zones in gardens, where despite prevailing poor weather conditions, plants can defy nature and thrive.

Cordylines cut to ground level will rarely die, but are more likely to regenerate as multi-stem trees, that's why it is essential to remove the root in order to remove the tree.

Same theory, different words.