Hi all, Is there a general age range at which most maples bloom? I’m sure it varies by species, but any insight would be appreciated. -kyle
Hi Kyle, on average around 4 years, but tbh I would expect nearer 8. So in a general time scale anywhere between that time range.
Thanks so much. I feel as though the blooms are under appreciated on maples in general. I believe Alain or Emery had a thread on maple blooms a few years ago. It was quite lovely.
I am far from a seasoned maple collector, this is just my third Spring in their company, and I'm seeing them blooming now for the first time. I have to say, my A. Palmatum "Eddisbury" isn't among my biggest ones, less than 50cm tall I think, but has a lot of flowers. I bought him last Summer, and it was a two years old graft (according to the nursery)
@LorenzoDec good morning Lorenzo, now that's a variation where you live. As I said to Kyle, there is no hard and fast rule and location can play a part also. I'm rather a fan of Edisbury btw, less die back than Sangu Kaku and in general a smaller tree, so ideal for a pot on a patio to show off those lovely coral red branches.
Good morning to you D, I think it goes without saying that giving them a good soil also helps. I choose an Eddisbury over a classic Sango Kaku exactly for those reasons. Can still be a showoff without taking too much space
Hey guys. There is no good answer to Kyle's question. Maples from seed can take many years to bloom, and much really depends on local conditions. We have A. palmatum seedlings in ground for over 10 years, some have never bloomed, others have. Certainly some other maples, A. rubrum can bloom quite early, but its Japanese cousin A. pycnanthum seems to take many years. So it's really variable. Grafted maples can sometimes bloom quite quickly if the scion used was from older wood. This seems to be a technique often employed now to get a larger plant sooner, although I think older scions are harder to get to take. On the subject of 'Eddisbury', it is a fine maple. It leafs out darker than 'Sango kaku' though, and so makes less of an impression in spring for me. However it is less prone to pseudomonas infection and seems rather hardier than SK in my experience. It is by no means a dwarf though and can certainly get as big as SK! One other difference is that 'Eddisbury' the new growth is green, but it is red on SK. The former the wood only turns red in the winter, and on some individuals the whole bark may get quite green when the sap is flowing.
I know many species of woody plants tend to bloom heavy/produce lots of seed in response to stress. I wonder if a potted palmatum could be manipulated, maybe intentionally stressed in some way to induce blooming. No idea. Food for thought
Just saw this one before turning in for the night. Tbh Kyle on that question, I am so paranoid about my maples getting stressed, I would definatly not do this. If anybody else actually does carry this out, they are a lot braver than me,Lol.
Lol, I understand and agree. Wouldn’t want to do it with one of my prized ones. A rootstock might be a good candidate
