My dwarf japanese maple is starting to turn green. Someone said it could be the lack of acid in the soil. Any suggestions on what to do? I have moved it two times in the last year. thanks, katy
A lot of red maples start out red in the spring, turn green over the summer, and end up red again in the fall. A certain amount of sunshine also helps the red - so if it's in the shade that could also contribute to the greening.
could be in too much shade. in general red compounds are placed into the leaves as a sunscreen. they are antioxidants and usually a flavonoid or an anthocyanin. I have seen here in the nursery if we have dense foliage that overlaps growth then the leaves that are the most shaded will turn green. its trying to maximise the surface area of the chloroplasts so that it will be able to photosynthesize.
What is the plant? Not all red varieties will stay red with the addition of adequate sunlight. It can help, but it is not characteristic of all red plants to stay red. Seedling selecions have a greater propensity to turn green. Excess nitrogen can cause greening also. Do you have any more info? It might be necessary to monitor the plant over a couple of seasons to see how it performs. Another thing to keep in mind that continually moving a plant will not get you color changes. If the plant is in too much shade and goes green moving it into the sun will not necessarily give you a change back to red. The amount of sun a plant gets early in the year will effects its colors all year as does the amount of sun the plant gets in a given season or multiple of seasons effect is subsequent coloring in the following years. Additionally, sun light does not denote intensity of the light and an adequate intensity of sunlight is necessary for the best coloration on certain maples.
