a mongrel Japanese maple

This was a 'butterfly' maple that I planted last year in a spot too exposed to winter winds. It died back during the winter, but is now sprouting vigorously from the bottom of the trunk. The mixture of pink, green and variegated leaves is pretty interesting.

 

Aren't Japanese maples amazing in their delicacy and yet resilience? I have a red seedling (my very first maple) that I almost killed by underwatering it. The leaves fell off and it has remained a leafless stick for over a year. I was going to toss it during a recent move, but a maple friend convinced me to keep it. The live buds are now just starting to open up with leaves and in the place of some dead buds two new buds are sprouting up on either side.

Layne

 

And here it is a year later. Once given up for dead, now becoming a nice little tree.

 

Hi Jetoney,

Does the tree still exhibit variegation? I noticed a little Butterflylike variegation in your previous post. Look at the pics of Butterfly posted by Mr. Shep in the gallery. Does your's have some similar looking leaves? I'm asking and curious because I'm seeing more atypical leaves. I'm thinking the graft may have died back and what we are seeing is the understock growing. Still it's quite amazing that the understock has grown so much in the last year. Credit goes to your care. :-)

Regards,

Layne

 

Yes, indeed the variegation is mostly gone - just a touch of it remains on some of the red leaves, oddly enough. Your analysis that it is the root stock that is growing certainly makes sense, although it is interesting that there are two distinct types of growth.

-Jim

 

Hi Jetoney,

Look for the graft scar and if the growth is coming out from below this point it is the understock. If you do have some growth above the graft scar you'll want to cut back or totally eliminate the growth from the understock. The reason is the understock will favor the growth coming from it and direct nutrients and such to it at the expense of the grafted part. Also, as it possibly the case in your situation, the understock's growth starts taking over.

Layne

 

Variegated portions may be only part that remains of scion, green parts being from stock or maybe reversion of scion resulting from hardship. Perhaps also possible scion and stock have formed chimaera where they meet.