I have some JMs that are pushing a 2nd wave of growth around now. The leaves are tender for the heat and sun that we have, it seems sun would damage some of these new leaves. Some of the new leaves might be distorted or have holes in them. Maybe also due to insects? Seeing browned new leaves isn't so pretty. Also, I noticed the JMs would just stop growing whenever it wants to. i.e. some leaves near the end of the branch would remain a small size and eventually get curled up and burnt due to the lack of thickness on the leaves. Is there a way to protect those new growth during summer or just be happy that it has developed new branches?
PoorOwner, If I were you I would very carefully inspect the plants for pests and would even possible spray them with an insecticide (systemic) just in case. Depending on the size of your plants you could erect / create some form of a shade cloth cover to reduce the level and strength of the sunlight. Don't let the plants dry out to much as this can also seriously effect the development of new growth. If it were a big problem I would even contemplate transplanting the trees to a less sunny spot over the dormant period. It would pay to watch and learn what effects the seasonal changes (the movement of the sun in the sky) have on each part of your garden. Pay close attention to the levels of direct sunlight that each part of the garden receives, noting the length of time those areas are in full sun and at what time of the day. To do this will take a year but when you have done it you will then know which plants will grow better for each part of your garden. I hope to have been some help. You will really have to assess the extent of the problem to work out the best course of action. Good luck
It seems some cultivars are more susceptible to this. Those with smaller or thinner leaves are more delicate and their new growth especially so. Both my Tama hime and Shindeshojo are now experiencing some new first year leaf burn. The leaves on older branches are fine. As long as you know you are watering well and the trees are generally healthy you shouldn't worry too much. Yes it looks not so nice, but this is one of the natural things about raising maples in California where we get desert winds some times. If you read some of Mr. Shep's postings he'll get a third set of growth during summer living and raising maples in the San Joaquin Valley. The second set of leaves that replace the burnt leaves should be better adjusted to the heat and winds than the first pair. Layne
Thanks alot for your suggestions. I have been looking at the sun angle changes at my patio very closely. Most of my plants are in containers and I also have a shade cloth that I can take on or off to control shade. What I think though is some of the new growth is called "water sprouts" which are long and have rather long internodes and the leaves could also seem unusually big; maybe the best action is to prune them off ? I have a sango kaku that is doing this exact thing and maybe this is perhaps due to the large amount of leafs that have received burns from previous sun (over)exposure and it is trying to push out new foilage to compensate? There are a couple of leaves that are unusually big, about twice as big as the normal leaves but looks mildly distorted. I don't mind the maples looking a bit bad as the leaves will be replaced next year but it would be nice to know how to keep it looking better each year.. As some of the mistakes is probably too much burn due to nitrogen, too much sun and wind exposure.
PoorOwner, You say that you have shade cloth that you can put up and down. It would be better for the plants if it is allowed to grow and acclimatise to the position it is in rather than continually manipulate Mother Nature. There is a possibility of causing stress to a plant by continually modifying the conditions in which it lives. If your plants are all in pots it is probably better to find the ideal spot with the right levels of sunlight and wind exposure recommended for the specific cultivar that you have. Anyway, good luck with the next set of leaves.
Ok, here is my advice: Never water the leafs in summer. I did that a few years ago because the leafs looked like they need a refreshment and the problem got worse. Get them out of the pots.Move them around to a position they can tolerate and put them in the ground. The following year you get stronger leafs. regards Wolfgang
I will second Paul's advice. Allow the maples to acclimate to the area you have them in as long as it's within the maples' tolerance. I have a friend who kept moving his maple around to chase the sunlight. I told him to place it in the area that received the most sun and leave it alone! The only thing with regard to moving that I do with some of my maples is to rotate them a 1/4 to a 1/2 turn every week to give them even sunlight on all sides. This prevents lopsided growth on the side receiving the most sunlight. I do this because my balcony faces west. Layne
PoorOwner, It is a very valid point that Layne made about slowly rotating your plants. I am sure we have all seen plants that are growing or have grown awkwardly in their attempts to reach sunlight. Good luck and by the way why the name PoorOwner?
I am guessing he spent a lot of money (and continues to do so) on Japanese maples and is now poor...like me. :-) Layne
Layne, You previously stated that you have a balcony are you in an appartment? Where do you keep all your plants? How many maples do you have and what are the cultivars? Which cultivar is your favorite or don't you have one? In my collection I have the following:- 1 x A.P 'Dissectum Filigree' 1 x A.P 'Dissectum Bronze' 1 x A.P 'Dissectum Sekimori' 1 x A.P 'Dissectum Palmatifidum' 1 x A.P 'Dissectum Crimson Queen' (Arrived on the 24th of June) 1 x A.P 'Dissectum Red Filigree Lace' (Arrived on the 24th of June) 1 x A.P 'Dissectum Seiryu', 2 x A.P 'Dissectum unknowns' (Red Leaf) 1 x A.P 'Dissectum unknown' (Green Leaf) 12 x A.P 'Polymorphum'(hope that is the name for a standard Green Acer Palmatum!) 3 x A.P 'Atropurpureum' 1 x A.P 'Red Pigmy' 1 x A.P 'Villa-Taranto' (Arrived on the 24th of June) As yet I can not choose a favorite because I love them all!
Layne, I had a look at your post dated 04 FEB 05 and man that was one small balcony! I hope your new place is better for you. Your favourite maple looks very nice, good coloration. Have you thought of pruning it in-order-to creates a little more branching and hence a bushier plant with more leaves? I suppose a benefit of being on a balcony there is less likely to be slugs and other distractive little creatures that you find an average garden. The critters that could be responsible for the damage to Mr PoorOwners pride and joys! PoorOwner, Sorry for crashing your post! I do hope the advice given has helped identify the cause of the problem or given you insight as to how to avoid the problem in the future. By the way I have also had similar leaf distortion and I put it down to slugs feasting on them in the night. I have many slugs around my place. They hide in the mondo grass where it is damp and dark and mount an assault on all things soft and new at night. I will need to put out some baits just prior to spring which is only a few short months away for me now here in the Land Down-Under (Australia).
Hi Keeb, no problem.. thanks for the response.. maybe it is baby slugs but that is a good climb for them (1-2 feet) to reach the top most growth. I have a few baby maples just moved into 1 gallon and those are the ones I am giving more shade. Since their roots were distrubed recently in fairly hot weather they are not holding up to the sun very well. They have a very limited number of leaves and I am giving them some protection from burning up. For these I want the roots to grow.. The location I am at is more inland gets very little clouds. I used to live closer to the east bay area and it would be cloudy until 10-11 am. Now here in Livermore the sun is already on the plants at around 7am, yet it is only 30 miles away where I used to live.. It's good to grow stuff like fruit trees and roses here actually as they get more hours sun. Some of my small maples are showing signs of tip burning as they got direct sun until around 1:30, I have set up a 50% shade cloth so that it will receive 50% intensity around 11:30am. I would say they are doing rather well as I barerooted all of them a few weeks ago while moving into 1 gallon pots. BTW I am a poor owner as a new home owner and JMs making me even poorer :) , but it is worth it :)
PoorOwner, Mate, I have seen slugs climbing up and down my 6 ft fence! A 1 -2 ft climb for some fresh tasty new developing leaves is hardly a challenge. They may move slowly but they will go all night! Use a diluted seaweed based fertiliser to help stimulate healthy root growth. Remember less more often is far better than more less often. More than the recommended dose may cause more harm than good. 50% shade cloth for young plants suffering stress from transplanting with the levels of sunlight you describe is a must. I hope everything goes well and they grow strong and healthy for you.
It was a small balcony! I had only one little spot to stand and water or admire my maples! I don't want to prune right now as there isn't much to prune, but this year the tree is putting out a lot of new branches. It is a bit twiggy in habit, but I like the openess of the branching. Regarding pests: apartment dwellers are not immune! I have little creatures sucking on my tomato plant (Japanese triple black), aphids sucking on the new stems of my once comatose-but-just-now-leafing-out red seedling! Luckily for me the bright green aphids are easy to spot against the dark red stems. And...something's been feasting on my Bloodgood leaves. All the teeth marks start at the edges so I don't think it's Japanese beetle. I tried using an organic spray, but I think the oil base has "cooked" the leaves. Yeah, it's repelling the leaf eating insect from eating the leaves alright...buy drying up the leaves and causing them to fall off the tree! Aphids on my kitty grass (a ladybug took care of them), mealy bugs on my Aeonium, little white insects on the top of the new azelea leaves that I'm trying to ID.... Layne
