I had two Japanese Maples at my entry and I lost one. I can't find either the same one or a similar variety @ local suppliers. The trees were planted 17 yrs ago and grew to a height of 6'. The leaves are green with no red and the trunk is greenish gray. The leaves have five points and a slight serration. I have taken leaf samples and pictures to all the local suppliers but no one can help. Appreciate any information to ID these or similar varieties and where I can purchase.
Hi, I think it might be A.palmatum Osakzuki, which has good Autumn colour.I would have thought this cultivar is readily available at your local garden centre. Ashizuru........
I thought of 'Osakazuki' as well. Does it absolutely blaze in autumn? That is the distinctive feature of that one. Otherwise, there are hundreds of cultivars of Japanese maples, some closely similar to one another. Unnamed seedlings are also sold. Was yours grafted?
Thanks for both responses. Unfortunately my tree does not show any color in the fall. The leaves turn from green to a dull yellow and then turn brown before drying up and falling off. I have checked the trunk and cannot identify any grafts but the age of the tree and my untrained eyes could very well mean that I am overlooking an area that would indicate a graft had been made.
Osakasuki came to my mind as well Would it be possible that your climatic conditions in Texas would greatly hinder autumn colouration? These trees seem to need the colder weather of autumn and winter to show of their best. This strikes me as possible because you say the leaves just wither turn brown and fall off. That to me would indicate lack of water and too much sun/heat
Fall color aside, the brown sections on the still-green and fresh leaves might indicate a problem with a mineral in the soil/irrigation water. Japanese maples are heat tolerant, planted in semiarid areas because they will grow there if kept shaded and watered. However, they do not like the mineral salts of dry climate irrigation water and soils. Occasional heavy watering, to flush these through may be required to prevent leaves from scorching.
From the pictures it does not look like Osakazuki to me. In addition Fall color quoted as yellow. My choices would be: 'Golden Pond', 'Ichigyoji', 'Samidare', ... or is it just an unnamed seedling?, are there any graft traces? Gomero
Thanks for the continuing suggestions. Although I haven't intentionally given the tree a heavy watering, I have a faucet located just behind the tree and when doing extended watering of my shrubs the leakage from my hose provides some infrequent but fairly heavy soaking around the tree. Also I have checked for signs of grafting on the trunk of the tree but to my untrained eye I have not been able to identify any areas that would indicate a graft. It was suggested that this tree may be from an unidentified seed and that may very well be the case. If so I then would hope to identify a variety of tree that would closely match the shape, size and color of my existing tree so that I can balance the existing tree with something close in appearance.
Did you know Jim that that is exactly what Japanese maples do NOT like? They require a consistancy in moisture content I still think that water may be your biggest problem
I would doubt that it is 'Osakazuki' for a couple of reasons besides fall color. First 'Osakazuki' would have been much larger in 17 years. Second in 1990 'Osakazuki' would not have been readily available in the garden center in Texas. My bet would be on a seedling although the leaf size is much larger than most JM seedlings we see planted around that time. Was the second tree very similar to this one and did you plant the trees?
That would probably be true if you were able to provide a different water supply that didn't have the mineral salts in the first place Ron To soak with the same water that holds the mineral salts would appear to me to be a futile exercise Mapleman ... I was thinking the same thing about some of the other suggestions, but surely Osakasuki would have been a readily available tree for many many years? It certainly has been such over here. You obviously have a more local knowledge than I have I put down the suggestion of a yellowing of leaves to be not so much an autumn colouring as simply the beginning of withering? Maybe not.
'Osakazuki' would have been available as a specialty item in high end nurseries, available from back yard growers or through mail order at that time but not in general retail. At that time it was considered that most JM did not do well in the hotter Southern U.S. climates, in some cases they were right, and the few garden centers that did handle them mostly focussed on red varieties. I am not so sure that salts are the problem causing the damage to the leaves. We see this a lot in hot climates where drainage is poor. I think it could be a combination of high root zone tempature and poor drainage possibly from heavy clay soils causing a root fungus problem. This may also explain the demise of the other tree. I do agree that the yellowing leaves could be a result of the hot Texas summer instead of the beginning of fall color.
Thanks for the continuining responses and suggestions. The spotting that is seen on the leaves typically occurs later in the summer when the temperature gets quite hot and when I checked with a local nursery several years ago I was told that it was a result of the sprinkler system getting some drops of water on the leaves and the sun light burning the leaves where the drops of water had accumulated. This opinion was given to me with the knowledge that the trees are located in an area of filtered sunlight and that I run my sprinkler system at 7 AM; before the sunlight and heat become intense. However the spotting has not been a problem and as I mentioned has only occurred late in the summer. The pictures that are posted were taken in late August or early September of this year and we are in the midst of a particularly hot and dry period that has now lasted for two years. I did plant both trees and they were purchased at a Calloways, a local nursery chain and they were approximately 3' tall when planted. At the time I was told that the trees were approximately 5 years old and that they would grow to 6 to 7 feet in height. Up until this summer when I lost the one tree, both trees had done well and seemed to be hardy and disease free and I think I lost the tree because of a malfuntion in the station of the sprinkler system that provided the coverage to the tree that died. Altough my trees did not show any color in the fall, I have seen other japanese maples in the area that do turn color in this climate. If I can't identify the variety of the remaining tree, my hope would be to identify a variety that would closely match the shape and appearance of the existing tree.
The idea is that you flush the layer of deposited salts down with a large volume. It doesn't matter that it is the same water, you are moving on salts that have concentrated. That's the idea, anyway. I don't live where this is something I have had a need to try myself. For more on watering and scorching of leaves: http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~Linda Chalker-Scott/Horticultural Myths_files/Myths/Leaf scorch.pdf
A lot of sense in that article Ron, although I have also read conflicting opinions. There is a lot of sense in those too, as even Dr Chalker sdmits. It just goes to show how 'experts' disagree nowadays confusing the poor gardener who simply wants to enjoy gardening, not study for a University Degree Jim .... your trees may not be best suited to your climate, Glowing Embers is reputed to be more suitable than most, and has a good fall colour Have a look at http://georgiafaces.caes.uga.edu/getstory.cfm?storyid=2460
While 'Glowing Embers' is a great choice for hot climates it will get way to big for the area you have next to your house, growing to 20 feet in ten years with a fifteen foot spread. I think 'Hogoyoku' would be a better choice. It will have good fall color and the leaf will be similar to what you already have. It should grow slightly faster than the tree you have which will help it catch up. Those of us in the south and southeastern U.S. have learned to except some leaf scorch and leaf tip burn to be a part of growing Maples in hotter climates. Just make sure to fix the leak on your hose and provide good drainage for the tree when planting.
A P 'Hoghyoku' is very difficult to get here in Northern Ireland. Would it be a strong grower in hot arid climates?
It does quite well for me even in nursery containers in Georgia. It has very few leaf problems and seems to have good fall color although not the solid orange that I see in Oregon or the north east U.S. It usually is orange mixed with yellow. I would reccomend that 'Hogoyoku' be placed in partial shade in Dallas. As far as availability in Dallas I am not sure. It is available where I live. I grow it, but I run a specialty nursery. I have even seen it at Home Depot on occasion.
