Hello all! Loving being part of the forum :) I have a few questions about my Japanese Maple - Palmatum Atropurpureum I bought last weekend to go in this lovely whisky barrel I was given by my mother in law. It's had lots of new growth already, some looks healthy, however some of it doesn't look so great. Hopefully you can see from the photos, any thoughts on this? I wondered whether it's getting too much sun, it's in a south facing garden in a very well lit spot. When planted it will have more shade - see photo with the barrel - just placed it in there for now. Going away for 5 days on Monday so wanted to wait until I got back to plant it (I've got someone coming to water the plants!) Also, the majority of new growth is on the side branches, any thoughts on this? It's starting to become a slightly odd shape! Thanks very much :) Claire
@clorgan, good evening Claire, so glad you are enjoying the forum. Looking at your Atropurpureum, I think it is being eaten. You need to check for caterpillars. Atropurpureum's can take full sun, so positioning is not so important as the more delicate varieties. There will be some settling in over the coming few weeks as your garden environment will be different to the nursery it came from. It is a good idea to leave it in a sheltered position whilst you are away and IMO not plant it up until September if the roots are going to be disturbed in anyway. Or if you slip pot it you can do it at anytime. Do not worry if it grows out of shape over the next couple of years, I do not consider shaping until a maple of mine is at least 5 years old. Let it and the roots establish first. Hope this is of help Claire.
Great help, thank you! I did wonder about something eating it, but since none of my other plants had this and I haven't seen any critters I was unsure, will be on the lookout! Was planning on slip potting, but also happy to wait until September
@clorgan, your welcome. Sometimes a plant is brought home with some unwanted guests that you do not see initially see. Hence why your other plants have not had the same problem. Like the whisky barrel btw. A lovely gift.
Will have a good look at it tomorrow, had a quick look just now but it's too dark to see. Thank you! I do love the barrel, it smells great too!
@clorgan it looks to me if it is being eaten like @Acerholic mention. I have quite a few that look like this feom being eaten by earwigs. I hate them!
I think you're both right! Had a good look at the leaves and looks to be the case. Annoyingly I'm away next week, I've seen people spray with washing up liquid/water, would that be a good idea to do before I go?
@clorgan, good morning Claire, the spray with liquid soap solution is fine. But mixed with Neem oil it will do the trick. It would not hurt to try the diluted soap though IMO. For caterpillars, the organic thing to do is pick them off, so before you go away, check under the leaves thoroughly and remove anything you see including eggs. Spray the night before you go and all should be OK.
Whether you intend to keep it in a pot or plant it in your garden, I would prune the two "arms" stretching sideways. and let the head, the leader, the top branch, grow freely. (When I prune maples, I always apply bordeaux mix or the likes on the cuts to prevent fungal diseases)
So sorry, only just seen this! Thanks for the tips, think the 'arms' definitely need a prune - they have grown A LOT! I don't have any bordeaux mix, I do have lime sulphur - would that do the job? I'm guessing if I can use it, it'd have to be very diluted?
@clorgan, good afternoon C, just read your post, hope you don't mind me chipping in. I never treat any of my maples after pruning, I allow them to heal naturally. My reasons are to not seal in any diseases. I know Alain does coat his with a Bordeaux mix and the success he has with his Bonsai is very hard to argue against. We all have our ways and means etc etc. Tidying up your maple is absolutely fine at this time of year, but consider the extreme heat we are going to have this weekend coming. Any stress we cause to our trees and pruning does cause stress, will be amplified in 30°C plus heat. Regarding lime sulphur, I would only ever use this on a dormant tree for fungal or pest problems. Yes dormancy is approaching fast, but lime sulphur will still burn your leaves IMO. Hope that's of some help.
Thanks so much, great help! Will wait until the heat has settled down a little, and avoid the lime sulphur !
It's debated also in the bonsai community. The Japanese use wound sealant, some Europeans don't. For larger cuts, I only apply it so as to form a ring that prents the exposed part of the cambium from drying too quickly.