Aureum JM buds won't leaf

Discussion in 'Maples' started by rajbakhale, Sep 26, 2009.

  1. rajbakhale

    rajbakhale Member

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    Location:
    ashburn, VA, USA
    I bought online this little Aureum JM about 2 months ago. On its arrival it had a lot of buds and about 7 leaves. I replanted it into a small pot with good potting mix (good drainage) and placed it on my deck where it gets little sun and good shadow. I thought after some time the buds will leaf but it did not happen. On the other hand all but 2 leaves dried and fell off. The bark and stem looks healthy green.
    Is there something wrong with the tree?
    Is it a timing issue? buds dont leaf after Aug?
    Do I have to do something different?
    Other JM I bought (Fjellheim and Emerald Leaf) at the same time and leafing/thriving.

    Experts please help !!

    thank you all in advance, Rajneesh
     

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  2. jwsandal

    jwsandal Active Member

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    Location:
    Auburn, AL- USA
    From the pictures, your little tree looks fine. All maples go through stress when you change their environment. A common sign of stress for these trees is to lose their leaves and for smaller plants, it is not unusual for them to lose all their leaves. I am not sure where ashburn is, but it may still leaf out before the plant goes dormant for the winter or it may not come out until next spring. Continue to water the tree thoroughly every 2-3 days and make sure it gets water occasionally through winter and I think you will have a pretty tree again in the spring. I might also suggest you go ahead and take the grafting strap off the bottom- most of the time they come off harmlessly, but I have had some trees girdled by straps that were more 'tenacious' than others.

    oh yeah- I am no expert- lets see what they come up with...

    justin
     
    Last edited: Sep 26, 2009
  3. paxi

    paxi Active Member

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    Location:
    St. Louis
    I tend to agree (although I am not an expert either). The healthy green bark is a good sign. Just treat normally (keep moist but not waterlogged) and you should be in for a nice treat come spring.

    ps - this recent thread gives good examples of the hardiness of JMs in warmer climates:

    http://www.botanicalgarden.ubc.ca/forums/showthread.php?t=56592
     
  4. kaspian

    kaspian Active Member 10 Years

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    Location:
    Maine coast, USA, zone 5
    A.s. 'Aureum' is a notoriously slow and finicky plant. This one seems to be healthy, so it'll probably do all right next year.

    Your guess about the time of year is probably right. These plants normally leaf out in spring, with maybe a second flush of growth later in the summer. This one has probably just gotten kind of discombobulated from being transferred to new growing conditions. It might not have been getting optimal care in the nursery before you bought it.

    Speaking personally, I would plant it in the ground to overwinter, in a sheltered spot where it would get (at most) a little morning sunlight. This would have a couple of advantages over keeping it in the pot. One is that the soil temperature would be moderated, so the plant wouldn't be subject to temperature swings up and down, which might cause it to form new buds at the wrong time of year. Another is that it would stabilize the supply of moisture to the roots. (They will hardly need any moisture when the plant becomes dormant, but on the other hand you don't want the plant ever to dry up completely.)

    Sometimes the best thing to do for a plant in stress is to leave it mostly alone. I would guess that next spring it will put out healthy new growth -- perhaps not a lot of it, since it hasn't been able to store up much energy from the leaves this year. But be prepared for this plant to grow very slowly, especially in the first year or two.

    Your patience should be worth the trouble -- this plant is the best-loved of all Japanese maples in an ongoing thread in the Maples forum.
     
  5. putitintheole

    putitintheole Member

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    Location:
    Whitefish Bay, WI Zone 5
    Your Aureum looks fine (at least to my non-expert eye). I too had a similar situation last year. I mail ordered one from California last year and received it in April fully leafed out. I live in Wisconsin and it didn't appreciate our weather. I repotted it and spent many days taking it inside at night. I planted it in the ground in May and watched the leaves fall all summer. I also had it full sun (I know big mistake), but it was the perfect spot. I moved it mid August to a sheltered morning sun spot and it held its own. This year it came back wonderful. After reading all about how temperamental Aureum's can be, I thought it would be done for. You are going to be so happy next year when you see the colors of those leaves. Enjoy!
     

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