I have an Acer plamatum 'Atrolineare' and a 'Moonfire' that have had their primary leaders inadvertently pruned. Both are 2-3 year potted trees and I was wondering if anyone had a suggestion about stimulating growth at the terminal buds on these trees, and if so, when during the season to implement any particular strategy. Both have exhibited somewhat slowed growth since the pruning incident and being such young trees I would like them to achieve a nice upright form. I have no reason to belive the pruning has affected their overall health, but they might be do for a repotting. I have been monitoring the leader for a season now with no sign of growth in that area. I have though of pruning some of the lateral branches, but due to their overall slowed growth, I have been hesitant to do this. From my experience, it seems that at some point growth will occur at the pruned site, I was just hoping to influence it in the most positive way---which to very well might be wait and leave it alone, LOL. Help is appreciated, and of course, I am much more thoughtful about what I prune after this incident:)
Hi Michael: Just a quick note: Can you sometime show some pictures of these Maples? For Atrolineare I would not be concerned as that tree in most cases will not keep its central leader but will tend to grow more like an upright shrub. I would not even try to force this one to be an upright tree. I did that with a Koto Ito Komachi and for about 12 years I was pleased about it, then I regretted doing it when I started to lose some of the growth in the head of the tree. It was rather tough to replace the old growth with new growth is what I ran into. I ended up having start over from scratch. Moonfire is more of an upright grower than Atrolineare, yet is more of a round shaped tree. Your tree is still quite young and you may in a few years get a new leader or you might not. I would prune this one to the shape that you like but with its age I would just leave it alone unless you get a wild lateral branch growing outwards too far to suit you. In some Maples pruning the central leader when they are young trees helps them later develop a nicer shaped head. I know it was true for me with my Iijima sunago. My only concern right now is that you give these young trees plenty of room for their roots to develop. There is an auxin that can be applied to an area to promote new vegetative growth but I am not sure you need to go that far. Even then I would wait until the trees are about 6-7 years old providing they have not shown that they want to fill out but I suspect they will for you. Jim
Thanks Jim: I never though of the Atrolineare as a shrub, but I suppose I based that only on one specimen. There is one about 10ft tall with beautiful lateral branching at the entrance to Forest Farms Nursey here in Williams, Oregon. It stands in the shade of tall evergreens that have likely influenced its shape a bit. It is not particularly outstanding in any one way, but perfect in its location and seems to shine in the filtered light...I hope that just one of the trees I plant can achieve this harmony. I appreciate the response and I think I wll be able to get the Atrolineare in the ground this fall. As for the Moonfire, it is in no shape to post pictures of...further providing evidence that it could use a new pot/mix/location. It has not held up well and is looking pretty dry. I am a bit dissappointed as it should have held up better in the heat..maybe a culture issue, not a cultivar issue. I will post pictures of the tress in the gallery and keep them updated as the trees grow. I have many other things to tend to, so I will let these little trees be and focus my attentions elsewhere. Best regards, Michael
Pictures Jim: Pictures as requested. I can't believe how easy it is to post pics here. Its nice to have a technologically up-to-date forum--I'm having fun. The tree faces west and gets afternoon sun filtered by an overhead cover. It has been potted in that condition for about a year. Michael
Hi Michael: We've learned a few things about growing Moonfire in a warm climate. One of them is that this Maple would rather not be subjected to hot afternoon winds and a Western exposure right into plain view of the hot afternoon sun. Fireglow for us always burns up grown in full sun when the temps first get hot and then we will get a flush of new growth soon after the Maple drops most of its leaves. Even on my Fireglow right now the new growth seems to tolerate the heat far better but can still be harmed by a missed watering or two. Fireglow has amazed us with its newest Summer growth being much more tolerant of the winds and hot sun than the earlier Spring growth was. Moonfire is a different "animal". Even where you are in Medford you will see scorch on Moonfire that people may not see as readily or in some cases see none at all in Eugene or as far north as Boring. For us here we have to protect Moonfire from the winds and mid to late afternoon sun or it will burn to a crisp on us. Another area of concern for us is if this Maple burns real bad late in the season without time to set buds to over winter, we stand a very good chance of losing the plant the next Spring. It is not unusual for Maples to do that to us as so few buds have been set to over winter for leafing out in the Spring that the plant shuts down during the Winter and just does not leaf out in the Spring at all due to not having any leaf buds to leaf out. Moonfire for us here is notorious for doing that so we've learned to adapt and place the Maple where it gets afternoon protection but gets plenty of morning sun instead. Atrolineare to me is an upright shrub. It is to a few other people as well but based on the growth habit and ultimate shape of the "tree". It is a willowy grower with a lot of side branching and does not make a 12' X 12' round headed tree but it is more angular (tall and narrow) and compact when mature. When young where you are, you will see lots of irregular growth where the tree acts like it is caught in an "I do not know how I am supposed to grow" transition". We can get strong growth with lateral side branching but there seems to be little symmetry, no real shape unless we prune the Maple to shape it. Then when we see a nice Atrolineare in Eugene or somewhere else and see how compact those plants generally are, then we wonder why yours and ours will not grow the same way. You are located in a unique spot for Oregon. I've always considered Grants Pass to be the crossroads for weather in Oregon. I can drive through Medford and see lots of sun with warm temps. A half hour later drive through Grants Pass and I will see some clouds in the sky with a noticeable slight cooling in the temperature. Then an hour later be in Roseburg and it is overcast and threatening to rain. Drive another hour to Eugene and it is raining and has been raining for a while. After all of that and then later see and hear on the evening or the late news that Medford did not have a cloud in the sky all day! I’ll look at the pictures you posted a little later as I need to be in a different location than where I currently am to really look them over. Jim
Hi Michael, I just gotta ask: What is that cute little cultivar in the third overhead pic? I'm partial to dwarf cultivars and other cultivars with smaller leaves. Layne
-Layne- In the first pic you can see the A.j. 'Aconitifolium' in the background. Picture 2, in the blue pot and 3rd back (the second tree, A.p. 'Kamagata' is obscured) is the A.p. 'Corallinum'. The 3rd pic shows the Kamagata that was blocked before. Hope that helps. -Jim- Wow! Thanks for taking the time. I was just emailing with my friend Mike in GA, about the Fireglow I acquired this year. (pictures posted in the gallery) It was grafted and grown as a shrub, but I do have one lonely leader staked up. It has the deepest purple color..and I have kept it in the shade. I was telling Mike that I want to give it a go in the sun next year, as it was too late in the year this July to take it from the nursery shade cloth environment and put it in the sun. As for the Moonfire, I will have to agree and you are right on about the weather...a cool 100+ here to day, and to think I took the 5 day cooling trend to repot a couple of trees last week. I really want to say more, but the time is late, so I will check in later. I have a multi-stop nursery journey planned to Eugene tommorrow, but unfortunately, your friends weren't available--I'll catch them next time. Michael
