Acer palmatum 'Arakawa'

A very unusual palmatum not for it's foliage but for it's rough bark. This cultivar is also known as the "rough bark maple". Hints of the rough bark can show as early as
3-4 years or so. The photo is from a tree 8 years old. It is a vigourous grower and can reach 15' or more. The fall color is gold to red.

 

here some pict of my arakawa, with his magnificent rough bark.

spring and fall colors !

 

Hi Jcblue13,

How old is your tree?

Gomero

 

The picture you see is of a plant that is about 12 years. I have another that is about 20 - 25 years.

 

I have more photos of ara kawa on my computer

 

When does the bark usually roughen? About how many years?

 

Can someone share the difference between this cultivar vs. Nishiki Gawa (also has rough bark)?. Which one should we add to our collection?.

 

According to Vertrees & Gregory:

(the rough bark) begins to develop in about 3 years. it is much more pronouced in 'Nishiki gawa' than in 'Arakawa'.

.. the only vigorous pine-bark cultivar

Up to 6 metres (20ft)

... lends itself well to frequent pruning and shaping.

 

You may also want to consider Ibo nishiki.

 

I have a japanese maple purchased without a nametag. I think it is grafted and it is showing marks on the bark like a rough or pine (?)barked maple might. Either that or it has a disease of some kind, but it has been thriving and growing quite well. Looking at the leaves, they fit with the ones for "Arakawa" or "Ibo Nishiki", as far as I can tell. Can't think that this would be grafted for any outstanding leaf characteristic thus far, so I thought it might be the bark. Branches are slightly weeping. Saw this thread and thought that maybe someone following might know what it is.

 

This tree has areas that show damage from extreme cold that lead to a bacterial outbreak that has healed and the dead tissue has flaked away (in the 4th photo). The second area in photo 2 is an area further behind in the recovery process where the grey dead bark is flaking away as the wound wood is filling in underneath.

(As a result of decay, longitudinal cracks also form, because as the heart wood expands with age the bark can't grow with it *dead bark can't grow or flex*. Resulting in a bark that appears to be tightening, but rather it is dead and not growing with the tree resulting in the cracks. I believe this is where the phenomenon of "tight bark" comes from)

The wound wood in photo 4 is usually associated with extreme cold like what we had in the winter of (I believe it was) 2012-2013.

I am absolutely positive these are areas of bacterial outbreak pseudomonas. I speculate that this was from the extreme cold from my own experiences due to the roughness of the area shown in photo 4.

The important thing to remember is that your tree is in "remission" and this tree is a always going to be a liability to future outbreaks. My advice is do not use chemical or synthetic fertilizer on this tree. Synthetic fertilizers fuel bacterial outbreaks. Always sanitize your pruners when pruning this tree to avoid contamination to other areas of this tree or other trees in your collection. Try to minimize stress by providing adequate moisture during times of drought in summer heat. Make sure this tree has perfect drainage during wet late Winters and early spring. Don't do any dormant pruning. Do only non invasive pruning during the growing season, try to avoid heavy pruning or branch removal that causes larger wounds that can invite another outbreak. Heavy pruning is a stress that will cause another outbreak in a tree with a known history of pseudomonas. Transplant stress is another event that can cause another outbreak.

Giving the tree a fertilizer like phc roots with mycorrhizae and beneficial organisms (or a dedicated mycorrhizae) will make nutrients available to the tree on a "as needed" basis which allows the tree to "choose to" use energy between defenses and growth. Synthetic fertilizers force the tree to grow when it should be using energy towards defenses and energy reserves. The nitrogen fueled growth is a magnet for pests and disease which is the last thing this tree needs (more stress). The mycorrhizae acts as an extension of the roots making them more efficient to take in moisture and nutrients. This allows the tree to establish quicker and stand up to seasonal extremes better.

I see a past infection just above the graft in photo 1. A word of caution, an infection that occurs in the graft is the most serious terminal infection. When this occurs it almost always results in sudden collapse. If the tree does not collapse it will drastically effect it's ability to grow and it's not a matter of "will it die" but rather "how much longer" can the tree survive.

 

I haven't previously used any fertilizer on the tree. I think it has been in my ground for 2 years this fall. This spring I did sprinkle some "timed release" Miracle Gro New Formula that I got from Costco. According to the label it is supposed to "contain natural ingredients to feed microbes in the soil" and has kelp, earthworm castings, feather meal and bone meal. That was a few weeks ago. Guess I should be prepared to lose it, but we will see how it does. It seems to be growing and I still am not sure what tree it is. The shape is nice, but I did prune some of it last fall after the leaves fell. There are two other maples nearby that don't have any problems but they are older.

I have had a large Beni schichihenge that had a large outbreak of I would guess to be pseudomonas that has cracked and shed bark and died partially back and has been growing and recovering for 3 or more years. I guess it is the price of learning what it takes in the high desert climate that we have here in Boise, Idaho. The summers are brutally hot and the winters can hold some surprises as well.

Thanks for your advice about what to do to mange it--we have several garden centers nearby that have mycorrhizae and I have added it when I have planted trees, but don't have any right now. When you say "dedicated mycorrhizae" do you mean specially dedicated for japanese maples?

I am attaching some photos of the Beni schichihenge this spring

 

What I meant to say is a product that is only mycorrhizae (dedicated) or a organic fertilizer that has mycorrhizae or beneficial microbes in it, such as PHC Roots 7-7-7.

Be careful as some products have ingredients that "feed beneficial microbes" but don't actually contain any actual mycorrhizae or beneficial microbes.

Keeping your trees healthy and away from synthetic nitrogen and chemical lawn fertilizers is key. Your trees can live a long time despite the past outbreaks if they remain healthy.

 

Thanks for the information JT. I appreciate it and will look for phc roots fertilizer.

 

Hi, has anyone experienced with Nishiki Gawa that is growing from seed?. How many years for the rough bark to begin develop?.
Thanks,

 

A lot of people think about buying this cultivar not realising that the nobly bark takes several years to form, so I thought I would add a photo of just how lovely the leaves are on this tree.
So if you are the patient type on a budget, then this is what you can look at in your garden in the meantime.( Not too bad is it!!)
Mine is young, only 4 years old. It gets evening sun and is quite a happy tree, with no problems getting through the Winter in southern England. Zone 8b.

 

Yeah... I have a potted one that barely shows this "cork bark" after almost ten years. It badly needs repotting though, I'm sure it would be more spectacular if I planted it in the ground... nearly ten years ago ! :-(

Yet, when I got it (2011, not 2010, the clock was wrong), it had a dark spot on the bark that I didn't really pay attention to, but it developped further in following year, probably pseudomonas but at that time I didn't know much about maple diseases.

In july 2012, I removed the sick trunk, kept a healthy shoot, and applied Bordeaux mix. It recovered.

I've just posted the photos there : Acer / Acer palmatum / Acer palmatum 'Arakawa' | Arbres, arbustes, bonsaï et plantes

 

Quite a sought after Maple in the Bonsai world, due to the aged bark I believe Alain ?

 

Yes, and that's why I bought it in the first place.

But it's difficult to make it a decent bonsai. When the cork bark begins to show, the branches are brittle and very straight.

The only "top-shelf" bonsai I saw were Japanese, maybe one or two European ones, and I wonder if the Japanese bonsai I saw were 'Arakawa' : there are a few other "cork-bark" cultivars that display this feature much earlier (can't remember which ones) so they're probably easier to wire, trim, etc. than 'Arakawa'.

 

One of my Arakawas that I hope one day become a great bonsai. It started its life as a cutting a good bit ago.

 

@LoverOfMaples, good afternoon D, just got back from our walk to see this. So pleased I did. Amazing bark and from a cutting, you have done well. Impressed here !!!

 

Thanks D. It has been a journey but its getting there.

 

@LoverOfMaples, good afternoon D. You have hit on exactly how I feel about my maples. It's the 'JOURNEY '. Makes the whole concept of our chosen hobby so rewarding.

Brilliant !!!

 

From a cutting ? I'm impressed, that must have been years ago. Was it a winter cutting or a summer cutting ?

It's developping well, is well-balanced and promissing.

"Good" Arakawa bonsai are very rare. I don't think they backbud easily on old wood, that's probably one of the reasons why on most I've seen, they often have branches growing at odd angles. I saw a few spectacular ones from Japan though, but I wonder if some were not another cork-bark cultivar like 'Ibo Nishiki' or 'Nishiki Gawa'...

 

Thanks Alain. Yes from a cutting about 13 years ago. I took about 15 cuttings doing late winter and only 3 rooted. You are also right, they don't back bud well on old wood. You pretty much have to work with what you get after a while.

I also have a 'Nishiki gawa' I'm starting to work with. It's about years old now. It's grafted, so I will be airlayering it soon.