Acer seedling care; pseudosieboldianum seed source

I don't know that sieboldianum is as cold hardy as pseudosieboldianum. It is most common on Kyushu, in a warmer climate. We've never had a problem with either species here, though that's not saying much.

The variegation on 'Kumoi nishiki' really doesn't look chlorotic at all. It is a "splashed" or "speckled" variegation, so it never looks unhealthy. Certainly a very beautiful maple. It's quite a robust grower, but seems more tender than the species. Here, ours suffered heavy stem damage in the 2021 late frost, which was quite deep. You wouldn't know it to look at the top this year, but the bark died over 180 degrees, and several inches.

 

Yes! I also have my eye on a pseudosieboldianum. The nursery near me has a Northwind pseudo that I'm thinking about pulling the trigger on but its quite $$ (275.00) and I have some concerns that I need some advice on which I'll post in another thread :)

Btw I would also be tempted to check but terrified to disturb them at the same time. I'm sure someone on the forum will have some great advice :)

Best of luck!

 

Oh--that's good to know! I've had my heart set on one for a year and a half now but maybe I should wait and keep researching. We do have late frosts up here, sadly. What zone are you in @emery ? Oh I just noticed you're in France! A late frost? WOW. I lived in the Netherlands for many years and the last 8 years or so that I lived there, the canals wouldn't even freeze anymore as it had become so mild in winter. We do get late frosts here as well, though they're not usually an extreme change in temp; things tend to warm up slowly and very late. I would think in western europe your warming starts much earlier so a late frost would really be an extreme shock with everything probably well into the leafing out stage! clearly, I need to keep researching!

 

Yes, that's exactly right: when such frosts happen, the maples have usually been leafed out for at least several weeks, so the results are devastating. Sadly they are practically an annual event now, to a greater or lesser extent they've occurred over the last 5 years. I was looking at some pictures form 2017, when we had 3 nights of -8C on April 20th, which denuded almost every maple in the garden. 2022 wasn't nearly that bad, but 2021 was pretty rough. Once the sap is running, tender bark is particularly vulnerable. It's always been the case that we're not truly frost free until after the "Ice Saints", May 13. The problem now is that the late winter is so warm, many maples are coming in during March.

I think it was last winter the canals froze over and there was some skating on the Dutch canals, but it hadn't happened for several years. Our winters are much milder here in Normandie, we are in zone 9 now, I suppose.

It's the annual drought that's the worst though. We've only had 1.4mm of rain in July...

 

Yes, so much for the "climate change deniers" : more and more often, there is a very mild period in February, then, when the trees have leafed out, or are beginning to bud out, a cold spell that kills all the new leaves. Maybe the trees will adapt, but I'm skeptical, it usually takes generations for trees to adapt to a new environment. That is the problem, seasons going beserk...

Today : 33.2°C here, it's becoming the standard temperature here between June and... July ? That doesn't mean we won't have -10 or -15 next winter ^_^

... and we're not "out of the woods" yet : no rain, and a very hot, dry weather :

 

Just an update for anyone interested: the pseudosieboldianum / x pseudosieboldianum cuttings that I took on June 29th from that lovely local specimen have rooted! I was very shocked and surprised. Also, I could be imagining things, but some of the buds look slightly swollen.


My question now is what do I do over winter. We are entering Autumn here and I have a cool area I can keep these guys at around 5C. Do I let these new cuttings enter dormancy normally?

I repotted them into separate pots (maybe a mistake this late in the season but too late now!) so I want to give them a chance to grow a bit. Do I push them a little longer before stimulating dormancy? I had them under lights up until now, but could take them outside to start chilling them down.

As always, thanks for the help! I plan on asking if I can get some seed from that tree too just in case these guys fail.

 

Good going, brilliant to see. If they are anything like Acer palmatum/amoenum cuttings the first winter is the major killer because the roots are not hardened/aged enough. If you have the space under lights and are willing to pay the power bill then keep them there as long as possible and then maybe let them go into a mini dormancy February/March time before introducing them to the real world next spring.

 

I keep my new first year seedling in my unheated garage. I try avoid freezing the first year.