Follow along with me as I walk you through how and when I prune and fertilize my young Japanese maple trees. I also provide an update on the maple cuttings and seedlings from the past video.
Thank you so much for sharing your videos with us. We planted four 3 ft. Japanese maples in 2007. From their seedlings, we added ten more maples to our garden. We are in the process of growing more seedlings and having fun! Thanks again from Oregon!
Hi Jon, Last summer I cared for 17 Japanese Maples that I grew from seed from one of my own Bloodgood's. (We have 2, roughly 20 years old each). The seeds were gathered in October of the earlier year and had germinated in my fridge by spring. I potted them up and they grew very well throughout the summer. By fall, each of them were healthy, 8-10 inches tall, and showing beautiful variation in color and leaf shape. I was beyond excited! Having no idea how to "over winter" them, I potted them up to a larger pot size, and placed them under my mature Japanese Maple, protecting them from harsh winds in a large wooden box without a top. I initially had hope that they would indeed produce new leaves this spring, but each one had become merely a sad stick in their respective pots. I was completely heartbroken to find that not a single tree survived the winter. This week I carefully dug them from their pots, and found that all of their roots were completely black. Sorry to go on so long, but the investment of time, care and excitement has left me massively disappointed. I did find a handful of new seedlings under my Bloodgood this spring, and really need some advice as to how to keep them alive through the winter. I'm in zone 6. Thanks for any help you can provide, Jon, I'm just not ready to give up!
If it makes you feel any better, last year I had at least 40 beautiful red maples in trays grown from seed. All looking very hale and hearty. I actually left them in the trays as apparently you don't need to pot on too early. Anyway I went away for a weekend and came back to find that a squirrel had taken all three trays, thrown them over the garden, eaten them all and there was only one survivor. One! So I understand the massive disappointment believe me. However the one survivor is turning into a lovely plant but oh....that could have been 40!
@@acechadwick I'm so sorry to hear that. I completely understand your disappointment and frustration. It makes me think of what we experience in the US with the Super Bowl. Your team has a great season, makes it to the playoffs, the excitement mounts and you start to think "we really have a shot at making it to the Show". You win the Division, then lose the last playoff game that ends the run. Season Over, just like that! All the hard work, all the wins, all the anticipation... Over! What's left to say? You're back to square one... "there's always next year". Goofy analogy, I know, but I come from a football family... in Buffalo, NY! We know disappointment, hahaha! All the best for your surviving tree! Hope she grows big and strong and beautiful! GO BILLS!
good video I have a little red Japanese maple and then I have one that is tall and thin no leaves yet just coming out of dormancy I was told-just got it in today from a nursery through mail.
Why do the leaves not fall off in the winter? It's Feb 11, 2024 and the leaves are still securely on the branches but are dead. I manually and gently took them off by running my fingers down each branch. It's a young tree maybe 1 years old planted in the ground. Thanks!!
I very much like your interest in seedling Jap maple. I have seedlings, Emperor 1s, and Coral Bark maples (Sango Kaku). The grafted trees are very weak growing compared to the seedlings. After seeing the weak growth of grafted trees, I have become a fan of seedlings. My home has about a 25" to 30' tall green leaf, Japanese Maple. I don't know the cultivar name. Almost every house in my 20 year old subdivision has a Japanese maple near the front door. I much prefer the large japanese maple trees.
Just came across your maple videos today and they are very interesting! My friend gave me a Japanese maple seedling that is about 2 years old. It currently has green leaves with a hint of red on the edge. Do you know if the green leaves type will turn red in the fall? Although it's fall now and it's still showing green leaves... 🤔
Great video! I'd love to hear you talk more about the grafting and what selection considerations you make when choosing! if i have a couple 1 year old seedlings that have cool bend in the early stem thats starting to harden, is that good, bad?
Great info thank you...I am wondering if you alternate your cuttings container? It looks like those at the back and therefore maybe in darker light have done better than those in front which might have got more light/hotter.
I have a year old maple tree that was damage by late cold frost that I did not expect and the tre almost died. We trimmed it trying to save it. It shooted again, but then the new shoot..died again. Now there is only the trunk, it looks dead, but I still would like to know how to save it. I hope it might be saved. Thanks
Nitrogen is the main nutrient that you want to keep somewhat low as not to overly stimulate growth. High Nitrogen can lead to "leggy" trees that are not only not as attractive, but they can be less resistant to disease etc. in the future.
