sorry this is a long post-especially for a first time. Hello, I am in my first year of growing japanese maples. I have always had my eye on these trees since I was a child, and this year i have my first trees. I would like to explain my current status and a couple of issues, and hopefully get some feedback on how I am doing. I have a 2yr graft of a shishigashira potted and a 'ghost dancer' graft potted. Both trees are small--about 15 inches tall each.-i dont know much about the ghost dancer-or if it a known cultivar. I got it in portland at portland nursery-grown by landvale gardens (OR). it is a pretty tree though. Both seem to be doing well. I did have a little leaf burn earlier this summer on the ghost, but I changed locations and it is mostly back to normal--some new growth got stunted-leaves warped a little. The Shishigashira is doing well but has some salty crust/crystal on the leaves. almost un-seen, just not sure if it is an issue or not. I also have a red and a green "regular" japanese maples bought from the Hm.Dep.--they are about three feet tall each(not grafted) and share a large pot- an attempt at plant art. The red JM is not doing so well-i trimmed off scortched/dried wilted leaves. I may attempt to use some superthrive to get it in gear.is that okay mid-summer? These to trees have had been re-potted three times this spring/summer as I have learned about growing medium. The green JM is doing well, and growing like crazy-lots of new leaves and fast growing branches. What could be the problem with the red?the roots arent touching-i seem to be watering okay. it is daintier in comparison also. These trees are all potted in a pinebarkmulch/perlite/lavafine/bosaimix. it drains well and isnt soggy at the bottom.--i learned with the two 'regular' maples not to use top soil-or secondly mainly potting soil. I also used pea gravel at the bottom. upon repotting for the third time I noticed mildew in the sopping wet pea gravel I had mud in a pot for a while----now no pea gravel and a well drained, looser mix. i used to live in Portland, and moved to Boise- quite a bit drier here in ID- I lightly water daily, and treat the small grafts almost as bonsai-misting them once a day. every few days I will give them all a good soak if it has been hot/primarily sunny. small grafts are kept primarily in shade, and the larger ones are 1/2sun-1/2shade--with the sun in the afternoon/eve. I belive I am doing pretty good except for the red JM and salty/crust on shishigashira. I'll attach pics if anyone would like to see. thanks for the help if I get some replies.
Hi and welcome, you seem to be doing pretty well so far. Growing Japanese maples is always a learning process, I learn something new nearly every day and I've been growing them for over ten years (still a beginner compared to many!). Regarding the issues you mention, do you use tap water to mist your Shishigashira? If so the buildup on the leaves is probably from salts in the water. Where I live it is not a good idea to mist JM's, I cannot say if the same is true where you live. As for the red palmatum, there could be many possible causes, it could just be the stress of dealing with afternoon sun after being repotted 3 times in one season. Pictures would help. Personally, I don't like the idea of growing two trees in the same pot, I don't know how others feel about it. If the green tree is more vigorous than the red one, and you water every time the green maple needs it, maybe the root zone of the other is staying permanently too wet? Hope that is some help, maf
Thanks for the reply, yeah that makes sense with the salts, should I mist with a bottled water?/spring/distilled? Or is it even needed? am I wasting my time? I figured since it is a hot dry climate here I would be simulating a more natural environment for JM. I am going to give the red some time and see what happens.-it is an experiment.
I am sure the plants appreciate the extra humidity but I doubt misting is needed as such; maybe somebody from a dry place such as LA or Texas has more feedback on this. Fresh rainwater or distilled water is probably best if you want to continue. I remember that I once bought a Shishigashira that had some white buildup/coating on the leaves, I believe from something they had sprayed against aphids at the garden centre, as there were some dead aphids but no live ones. The dense foliage and crinkled leaves of this cultivar must mean that more liquid sits on the leaves and evaporates rather than running off, and any buildup shows quicker than on a 'normal' palmatum.
