This was a project that I thought would one day happen. I didn't think it would be this soon but my shovel just can't lay there doing nothing. So, I set out in June to begin creating a circular seating area and a 160ft path that leads into that spot. The hardscape still needs to be added and the beds need to be continued and mulched but that's not the important stuff. We all know all those things are just filler in between JMs. For this project I've used 27 maples total and 18 of those for the path and circle. We have really bad soil in the open area of our property so I'm a big proponent of berms.I dig very large areas out for the trees to be planted. As an example for a 5gal plant I would dig out a 5'x5' planting area. I dig the area lose and then till the native soil, being careful not to compact the soil beneath. I also soak the root ball of all of my plants in a kelp solution for about 10-15 minutes to help the plant get established and loosen the roots. Plants goes in whole and the soil is mounded to create the berm. Since I decided to do this project at the absolute hottest time of year mulch can not be underestimated. I'm mulching very heavily for the remainder of the summer to combat the 90+ days we're having. Once those subside I'll bring some of the mulch away to prevent and kind of moisture problems through the winter and early spring. I'm including pics below and as I said the area covers over a half acre and extends down to a creak at the back of our property. Trees used Tobiosho Arakawa Hogyoku Chiba Fireglow Bloodgood x3 Sango Kaku Moonfire Korean Maple Ukigumo Inabe Shidare Seiryu Oregon Sunset x2 Beni Otake ShiShigashira
Steve, You certainly know how to make a guy jealous! Wonderful project! What are you going to use for hardscaping on the path and seating area? I'm a big fan of stone (#1 choice) and concrete pavers. I'm sure you'll be filling in and around the maples with perennials, etc. Any plans for evergreens? They really set off the JMs in the spring and keep things form getting too boring in the winter time. I'm starting to experiment with some of the dwarf varieties - they don't engulf your entire property in 10 years. Keep us posted! It looks very exciting!
K4 that's one of the main issues I still have. I like to get my trees in place first to provide structure,but I'm not a huge fan of conifers so I'm still searching for what companion plants to pair with the maples. On the hardscape front yes stone is the answer. I just got done moving some stones from our creek to place in between some trees. Liking the look of that so far. The sitting area in the circle will have some stone slabs. Eventually I'll use stones for the path but considering the cost of JMs and finished stones, the stones will wait.
Looks like you have this planting going along nicely. I'll leave personal comments out of the discussion in regards to accent and companion plants, other than to say for a while I would not consider them. Once these trees settle in and have been in the ground for three years or so then you may want to place more thought into companion plants but for now the main objective is to closely monitor and wait for these Maples to adapt to their new location. Planting Maples during the warmer times of the year is not such a big deal any more as long as we provide them with ample water and they have not been grown in high shade before being placed out in the sun. Areas where leaf desiccation is the more severe is when the plants cannot pump water throughout the tree fast enough to prevent sun, heat and wind scorch. I've had Maples show new signs of leaf scorch even while I was deep watering them - waited a tad too long to provide water to them and got caught. What I'd like to know is how do you plan to water these trees? I do not follow all of the threads in this Maple forum, I may very well have missed something that was stated in another thread elsewhere in this forum. I am pleased to see that you got these trees in the ground at a good time in the plants development. Maples not too small in size and not too large in size either for a open, in ground planting. Jim
It's an ongoing debate Jim, as I'm sure you know, whether I'm going with drip line watering or overhead oscillating sprinklers. I have both available and I'm still contemplating which to choose. I recently spoke to a horticulturalist who felt drip lines did not properly soak the entire root zone of a tree. I know other feel that foliar watering opens the plant up to fungal issues and the water doesn't penetrate the soil deeply enough. I'd be curious to hear your opinions on irrigation options. For the moment I'm going with the old fashion one tree at a time watering method.
I"ve leaned toward overhead sprinklers for the west coast, the past few years. And feel that overhead watering excels over drip systems. If times right, with decent soil, I believe that overhead watering is superior for conservation + effective watering combined. For my own yard, a few omitters could be used "here and there" but in general, I'd prefer even distribution from the top.
We can supplement drip emitters to coincide with overhead sprinklers but drip emitters for Maples in the landscape in warm areas are not going to supply enough water to all areas of the root system. We need a four pronged approach if we want to use "drippers" - one placed East, West, North and South and pray we get good coverage and adequate depth when the weather turns warm. The other thing to consider is that a mulch will absorb some to a lot of the water you want to go towards your Maple. Foliar fungal diseases are generally lessened with a wet leaf. I know you are in an area that can get some leaf spot diseases from neighboring trees that harbor the organism but it is when you see them attack a Maple is when it may not matter if you use overhead sprinklers of not. For Tar spot it will not matter if you are using sprinklers as you will get it anyway. Spot anthracnose usually hits in the Summer months and herein overhead sprinklers can help. You have Botrytis issues where you are of which the overhead sprinklers can prevent the fungus from attaching itself to a leaf. Downey mildew if you ever see it there can be problem in shaded areas but Powdery mildew with plants in the open sun will be suppressed with the overhead sprinklers. I don't worry too much about airborne fungal diseases in a warm climate. The fungal agents already in the trees system from propagation concern me a whole lot more. Hose watering is just fine for now and even later but as you will find out like I have, this method is not one that you want to be married to. Time management becomes a major headache. When do I water, how often can I water and when can I do it are a few of the variables. The problem you have is that you have to provide water for these trees for a long while, you cannot plant the Maple and let natural rainfall be your irrigation practice unlike some other areas can get away with. In warm climates you cannot dryland farm palmatum type Maples! Ask around some in Tennessee, as an example: ask how the guys are watering their Dogwoods and get an idea how they are doing things. Jim
Steve, I think you're getting a lot of good comments about the watering. Let me throw in my 2 cents... I'm overhead watering here, just a few miles down the road from you. My observations are that overhead watering is no different than a rain shower as far as the plant is concerned. The reason we water in Tennessee is to get plants established and get us through the inevitable summer drought. The rest of the year the plants will get drenched often enough, and at any time of the day or night Mother Nature decides to let the raindrops fall. So how is overhead watering going to be detrimental? The people who squawk about diseases that may be "promoted" by this practice are ignoring the fact that the conditions that promote them occur here naturally 85% of the year! SO, I've been watering with sprinklers and so far have NO problems with fungal diseases. I had a few leaf spots on plants that had been in the landscape for a while, but not on my little hoarde of sprinkled trees. To me this just reinforces the observations above. The other thing to consider is the research that shows drip irrigation encourages root competition from neighboring trees and plants. By concentrating water in a small area, you essentially set up an 'oasis' in the landscape that other plants will eventually discover and then agressively expolit. Large trees, such as we have here, can send out exploratory roots many yards from their main trunks to find water, and when a big Oak or Poplar finds that drip zone, it will take over with agressive roots that will compete with your JMs. A mature Oak tree can soak up 350 gallons of water PER DAY. We're talking serious water consumption here! Now, the flip side of the coin is overhead sprinklers, which don't create the "oasis effect". They water a wide area and therefore the competition from other tree roots remains unfocused. In our area, I think sprinkers make a lot more sense. Best Regards
My preference has been overhead irrigation. I still haven't found a cost effective (cheap) solution that I'm thrilled about its spread. I tend to be a nut about water waste and have been looking for a irrigation system that can cover an area with a little more accuracy. I've yet to find the "Goldie Locks"solution for the just right spread.
I have a well, so I don't have the water cost issue. Have you considered a well just for irrigation? I'll bet you have a pretty high water table where you are.
