It's a very skinny but tall specimen, over 6ft tall. I know that for this variety the leaves arent perfect with the green but the red is very bright (the pictures dont do it justice). Do you think it has a chance to grow much bigger and branch out a lot more or is there no hope? The seller said the white on the leaves was from calcium in the hard water rather than mildew.
@Mani, hmmm that's an interesting one. The pot is far too small for the size of tree. There will be so much root movement that will not do this tree any good. The powdery mildew is not a problem as a fungacide spray in Spring will stop this recurring, together with correct watering regime. Will it fill out !!? Possibly and probably, but it will take many years of careful nurturing. If it was me I would probably pass on this one Mani, unless it's a real bargain worth taking a chance and you want to save it. Just my opinion !!!
@Acerholic I felt the same way.......tried getting him to go lower although it's still "relatively" cheap......but the colour on the leaves it did have was something else! Hmm........
If you want a more compact tree, just prune it above a node. For example, these are two Acer morifolium, same seeds sown at the same time in the same mix. This works for all maples.
Take a look at this other Atropurpureum's leaves, in particular the one I have circled. You will see that it is half bright and half dark. Is there any validity in thinking that on some trees bright leaves might be a sign of weakness because it's leaves are less thick than they should be? Just thinking out aloud!
@Mani good morning Mani I hope the wind was not too bad for your trees. Regarding dark and lighter red leaves, this happens on all maples. It is just where some receive more sun than others. It is something that happens all the time and is not a sign of weakness. If the leaves turn very pale and are smaller, then that is another matter all together. That maybe a sign of nutrients not being able to get to branches. Waterlogging , high PH etc.
Thanks @Acerholic not too bad just one fell over but wasnt down for too long! Hope you came out unscathed too!!
Not too bad Mani, about the same as you. Forecast looks OK now for the rest of the Summer and not too hot !!
[QUOTE="The seller said the white on the leaves was from calcium in the hard water rather than mildew.[/QUOTE] How would one go about removing calcium/lime deposits on leaves?
@Mani good afternoon Mani, washing with rain water is what I have done in the past. Although all the rain that is forecast next week will wash them for you. Dreaded hard water areas are always a problem, I only mist with rain water nowadays. ( Water butts ) are a must for us maple growers. Do remember though that these leaves will be gone in a few weeks, so your devoted attention to this maple will not allow this to reocure next season.
@Acerholic Thanks! Actually, it's not this one, it's the green one in the background that you see in the first picture :D I am still considering the Atropurpureum though or it's brother/sister which you can also see in the background of the first pic. According to the seller, the redder Atropurpureum which my initial post was related to, has turned red due to stress; they believe that the brother/sister in the background will turn just as red once it's autumn colours start showing. I'd rather see it first before believing it as there is so much variation from seeds! I actually quite like the calcium - from a distance it makes it look like the tree is shining silver :D but i'm sure it's not healthy for it! I'm curious to see if it has the same "glow" without the calcium - I'll scour the garden for any rainwater that may have collected in pots! p.s. the light here has been quite magical just now - everything has been glowing.
@Mani , a very good idea to wait Mani. Yes agreed the light is quite different atm. Probably a pre curser for Tuesday. !!!! Lol.
