One of the many comments I get from visitors to my stand when I'm exhibiting at flower shows is 'I cant grow Japanese maples on my soil' and it seems to be a common fallacy that they need an acid soil. The reasoning behind the assumption is they've grown a maple before and it's died and they garden on chalk, lime or clay soils; therefore it's the fault of the soil.
The maple family in general and Japanese maples in particular will tolerate any type of soil and are quite happy with a pH that ranges from 4.5 to 7.5. The lower limit will be when growing in pure peat without any added lime to counteract the acidity, right up to very alkaline soils based on chalk. The common denominator of all so-called problem soils is not the pH but rather their inability to hold moisture during the summer.
The only overriding requirement as far as soil types is concerned is that it is reasonably free-draining. Maples dislike having their roots in waterlogged soils, especially during the winter months when there is no root activity to reduce moisture levels and the root system runs the risk of being suffocated through lack of air movement. The end result of that scenario is the roots will rot and allow infection to spread through the plant.
To combat the problem of specific soil types not holding sufficient moisture in the summer, we come back to the need to mulch. This overcomes the perceived problem of growing Japanese maples in soils that, at first glance, seem inhospitable to their needs.
Waterlogging in winter is often the cause of Japanese maples coming out in leaf in the spring, putting on a good display of foliage and then suddenly dying, often coinciding with strong winds or a slight frost. These events are then blamed for the demise of the plant whereas the real culprit has been waterlogging and moisture stress. The tree still has some reserves of energy left in what remains of the roots and also in the body of the tree, which is why new growth starts out with such promise. Unfortunately, with little or no back-up it can't sustain that growth and the result is sudden death. Mulch to prevent stress in the summer and pick an area in your garden that has reasonable drainage and you remove at a stroke the main reason maples die.
Although frost can cause some damage in early spring just as the leaves are coming out, a healthy plant will continue to put out new growth and damaged leaves will have no long term affect. There is, in fact, an easy way to differentiate between frost damage and root damage. If the tips of the shoots are blackened or burnt but the shoot is still generally firm, it's frost. If the shoots droop and there is no firmness in them at all, then the damage is in the root system and the plant is going to die or is already dead. There are ways to rescue them and Ill cover some methods that could potentially help in a later post, but before your Japanese maple is completely dead!
Need more information? Get it at growing Japanese maples.
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Death by watering Part 2
As promised, here are some photos of Japanese maple seedlings growing in an extremely dry environment. The pictures are quite small so I've put a link to a page on my web site where you can see bigger images; just click on the first picture. The first picture shows a general view of the tunnel that was used to grow understock; you'll notice that all the plants are red maples; the reason being that if the graft fails I still have a atropurpureum seedling to sell as they are always more popular than green forms. Even the experts such as myself(!) are not infallible! These photos were taken in April and the plants have just come into growth. The overhead irrigation lines were dis-connected when the crop, of which these seedlings were part of, was lifted thirty months prior to these pictures being taken.
The second picture shows the seedling in the centre of the tunnel whilst the last picture shows plants near the side of the tunnel. Notice that they are slightly larger due to condensation running down the inside of the film as indicated by the presence of moss next to the film. Also, because they are at the edge of the tunnel, they are the first to get the benefit of any deep moisture that migrates through the soil. The film is buried in a trench fifteen inches deep but moisture will still creep in as nature abhors an imbalance. Shade temperatures in the summer get up to 100 deg.F and the soil in the tunnel would have been bone dry but there would always be a small but constant supply of moisture at about two feet or possibly lower with the tunnel cover acting as a mulch to prevent fluctuations in moisture levels. Even in that environment, if I'd put a sheet of polythene on the ground, the soil would have been damp right up to the surface!
I hope that I've succeeded in showing you that watering a Japanese maple once it's been planted can be a dangerous exercise and that they are better left well alone. As water becomes increasingly scarce and expensive, particularly if your local utility has decided to ration it or impose a hosepipe ban, it is far better to let your maple fend for itself; they're much more intelligent than us when it comes to knowing what it's needs are as they've been doing it for a very long time!
Of course, all the above pre-supposes that you have a healthy plant waiting to be transplanted. The reality is likely to be somewhat different as most purchased plants exhibit some degree of poor health and may well need a period of convalescence before they're ready to go out into the big, wide world. This is another subject in need of a visit and I shall go into it in some detail in the near future.
Need more information? Get it at growing Japanese maples.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Death by watering
First, my apologies. The illustrations of Japanese maples growing without water will have to be postponed until later in the week. The raw pictures need to be processed before they can be uploaded but over the weekend I took advantage of the break in the weather to make a start on seed collection.
When it comes to watering Japanese maples, particularly during late spring and summer, most people will regularly apply water to the soil without understanding the affect this has on the plant. In hot weather most of the water will evaporate very quickly and what's left will moisten only the very top of the soil. The act of watering will also compact the soil and build up a barrier to air and water.
The fine feeding roots are encouraged to move up to the surface in search of moisture but if the surface is allowed to dry out between watering, very likely in hot weather, they can be killed by lack of moisture and heat build-up. Symptoms of so-called leaf scorching can lead to more water being applied to the extent that the surface becomes waterlogged and the feeding roots die through suffocation.
If no water is applied at all, the roots will gradually move down into the soil, following the moisture over the course of the season and a far healthier plant will ensue. There will be periods however, especially during late summer when soil moisture levels are at their lowest, when some leaf scorching can occur. For the reasons stated above, giving your Japanese maple a 'good soaking' is not going to help at all.
The ideal solution, therefore, is to mulch the plant and the best mulch is going to be a sheet of polythene. This can be held down by gravel, pebbles, wood chip or any material that is going to look more attractive than polythene sheeting! The purpose of this exercise is to trap moisture below the barrier and this will be fairly constant, allowing the plant to get all the moisture it needs without being stressed. Natural rainfall won't have any affect on levels under the barrier but will gradually move across through the soil avoiding any peaks.
To give you an example of this method in practice, lift up a paving stone or any other object that's lying on the soil surface and you will notice that the moisture has been trapped under it. Perversely, the hotter the weather, the more moisture is drawn up through the soil as the moisture is heated and rises, corresponding with an increase in the water requirements of your maple.
With this method, your Japanese maple will have an adequate supply of moisture throughout the growing season without the risk of stressing it due to fluctuations in watering.
Need more information? Get it at growing Japanese maples
When it comes to watering Japanese maples, particularly during late spring and summer, most people will regularly apply water to the soil without understanding the affect this has on the plant. In hot weather most of the water will evaporate very quickly and what's left will moisten only the very top of the soil. The act of watering will also compact the soil and build up a barrier to air and water.
The fine feeding roots are encouraged to move up to the surface in search of moisture but if the surface is allowed to dry out between watering, very likely in hot weather, they can be killed by lack of moisture and heat build-up. Symptoms of so-called leaf scorching can lead to more water being applied to the extent that the surface becomes waterlogged and the feeding roots die through suffocation.
If no water is applied at all, the roots will gradually move down into the soil, following the moisture over the course of the season and a far healthier plant will ensue. There will be periods however, especially during late summer when soil moisture levels are at their lowest, when some leaf scorching can occur. For the reasons stated above, giving your Japanese maple a 'good soaking' is not going to help at all.
The ideal solution, therefore, is to mulch the plant and the best mulch is going to be a sheet of polythene. This can be held down by gravel, pebbles, wood chip or any material that is going to look more attractive than polythene sheeting! The purpose of this exercise is to trap moisture below the barrier and this will be fairly constant, allowing the plant to get all the moisture it needs without being stressed. Natural rainfall won't have any affect on levels under the barrier but will gradually move across through the soil avoiding any peaks.
To give you an example of this method in practice, lift up a paving stone or any other object that's lying on the soil surface and you will notice that the moisture has been trapped under it. Perversely, the hotter the weather, the more moisture is drawn up through the soil as the moisture is heated and rises, corresponding with an increase in the water requirements of your maple.
With this method, your Japanese maple will have an adequate supply of moisture throughout the growing season without the risk of stressing it due to fluctuations in watering.
Need more information? Get it at growing Japanese maples
Friday, October 26, 2007
Some thoughts on planting Part 3
So, did you see anybody in the woods wandering about with a watering can? Probably not! The reason why is nature provides the watering and plants growing naturally adapt to what they get from the existing rainfall or they die.
In the garden environment the exact opposite happens and a plant that's conditioned by nature to behave in a certain way in the presence of moisture gets confused. The result is stress which in turn will often lead to visible signs such as burnt or scorched leaves, die back and in extreme cases, death (more common than you think and the underlying cause of most examples of Japanese maples dying) . The temptation to increase moisture levels in response to perceived signs of dryness at the roots (the leaves are curling up, I'd better give it more water) just exacerbates the problem; stress levels in the plant increase and a vicious circle is created that's difficult to break out of.
In the wild, Japanese maples receive most of their irrigation during the summer months and during June, July and August rainfall levels of seven inches or more per month are the norm. This amount of water is far in excess of their needs but because they are growing on a free-draining volcanic soil most of the water will pass through but sufficient will be available in the soil for their needs. This level of moisture is what a Japanese maple is conditioned to need for optimum growth.. On the surface (no pun intended!) this doesn't really give us any clues as to what the optimum watering regime for a Japanese maple in your garden might be but the answer lies in the combination of high rainfall levels and free-draining soil. If you were able to check the ground you would find a soil with a specific moisture level that didn't vary throughout the summer months.
Translated into the garden environment, it immediately becomes apparent that the main, indeed the most critical, requirement is the need for a constant moisture level. The actual amount of moisture in the soil is not important and providing it's not waterlogged (and if you've got such a site there is a guaranteed method of growing Japanese maples that I'll cover in a future post), maples can tolerate levels down to almost bone dry. In fact, if I can work out how to upload pictures to this blog over the week-end I'll sort out a few of some plants that have not been watered either by myself or from rainfall for two and a half years and have still thrived! There's no trickery involved and I didn't secretly water them in the night; it happened and they lived.
The point I'm trying to get over here is a very basic concept and more than anything else is the one factor, all other things being equal, that will decide if your Japanese maple is going to thrive or die because only moisture stress will kill.
On Monday I'll go into the mechanics of providing the ideal environment and why watering your maple can eventually kill it.
In the garden environment the exact opposite happens and a plant that's conditioned by nature to behave in a certain way in the presence of moisture gets confused. The result is stress which in turn will often lead to visible signs such as burnt or scorched leaves, die back and in extreme cases, death (more common than you think and the underlying cause of most examples of Japanese maples dying) . The temptation to increase moisture levels in response to perceived signs of dryness at the roots (the leaves are curling up, I'd better give it more water) just exacerbates the problem; stress levels in the plant increase and a vicious circle is created that's difficult to break out of.
In the wild, Japanese maples receive most of their irrigation during the summer months and during June, July and August rainfall levels of seven inches or more per month are the norm. This amount of water is far in excess of their needs but because they are growing on a free-draining volcanic soil most of the water will pass through but sufficient will be available in the soil for their needs. This level of moisture is what a Japanese maple is conditioned to need for optimum growth.. On the surface (no pun intended!) this doesn't really give us any clues as to what the optimum watering regime for a Japanese maple in your garden might be but the answer lies in the combination of high rainfall levels and free-draining soil. If you were able to check the ground you would find a soil with a specific moisture level that didn't vary throughout the summer months.
Translated into the garden environment, it immediately becomes apparent that the main, indeed the most critical, requirement is the need for a constant moisture level. The actual amount of moisture in the soil is not important and providing it's not waterlogged (and if you've got such a site there is a guaranteed method of growing Japanese maples that I'll cover in a future post), maples can tolerate levels down to almost bone dry. In fact, if I can work out how to upload pictures to this blog over the week-end I'll sort out a few of some plants that have not been watered either by myself or from rainfall for two and a half years and have still thrived! There's no trickery involved and I didn't secretly water them in the night; it happened and they lived.
The point I'm trying to get over here is a very basic concept and more than anything else is the one factor, all other things being equal, that will decide if your Japanese maple is going to thrive or die because only moisture stress will kill.
On Monday I'll go into the mechanics of providing the ideal environment and why watering your maple can eventually kill it.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Some thoughts on planting Part 2
Following on from yesterday, the plant will need watering! If the ground is particularly dry, the planting hole can be filled once or twice and allowed to drain prior to planting. Once planted, a further dose can be given but no further than the spread of the tree; watering any more of the ground is a waste of resources as it will be a long time before the roots reach out that far.
Once that's been accomplished, the surface needs to be mulched and that's it: you never water again! Yes, you read that correctly; if you want your plant to lead a long and happy life don't ever water it once it's in the ground. I'll explain the reason behind this rule shortly.
More nonsense has probably been written about how to water Japanese maples than any other aspect of their care. Correction, endless reams of nonsense have been written about all aspects of how to look after Japanese maples but get the watering regime wrong and it's the quickest route to a dead plant! If you're looking for other ways to kill your maple, I can cover those in later posts if you like.
I have very strong opinions about how to grow Japanese maples and I tend to disagree with most 'experts' and practically everybody else who's held a view on them. If you make a habit of reading my posts over any length of time and have come across information on a particular method elsewhere that contradicts what I say, you'll probably come to the same conclusion that I'm opinionated! Fortunately, I've had thirty years experience of growing them and now know how to keep them alive.
The reasons and explanations of why you're never going to water your Japanese maple again once it's been planted are quite long but cover some very important lessons applicable to most plants, so I'll give you the definitive advice tomorrow. In the meantime, if you're planning to go for a walk in the woods, see if you can spot anybody carrying a watering can!
Once that's been accomplished, the surface needs to be mulched and that's it: you never water again! Yes, you read that correctly; if you want your plant to lead a long and happy life don't ever water it once it's in the ground. I'll explain the reason behind this rule shortly.
More nonsense has probably been written about how to water Japanese maples than any other aspect of their care. Correction, endless reams of nonsense have been written about all aspects of how to look after Japanese maples but get the watering regime wrong and it's the quickest route to a dead plant! If you're looking for other ways to kill your maple, I can cover those in later posts if you like.
I have very strong opinions about how to grow Japanese maples and I tend to disagree with most 'experts' and practically everybody else who's held a view on them. If you make a habit of reading my posts over any length of time and have come across information on a particular method elsewhere that contradicts what I say, you'll probably come to the same conclusion that I'm opinionated! Fortunately, I've had thirty years experience of growing them and now know how to keep them alive.
The reasons and explanations of why you're never going to water your Japanese maple again once it's been planted are quite long but cover some very important lessons applicable to most plants, so I'll give you the definitive advice tomorrow. In the meantime, if you're planning to go for a walk in the woods, see if you can spot anybody carrying a watering can!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Some thoughts on planting Japanese maples
Last week I put in a planting scheme for a customer that I'd dealt with before , about nine years ago. In fact, if you want to see some of the maples I put in originally have a look at this picture, taken a couple of years ago. The main plant in the foreground is Katsura, now about thirteen feet across.
Link
The correct method will be to dig a hole that is only fractionally larger than the rootball and with tapered sides that allows proper firming of the backfill. The less interference with the surrounding soil the better as the microflora that's essential to the well-being of your plant will be damaged when the ground is disturbed.
Making the sides of the hole tapered allows the loose soil to be compacted easily once it's put back which means that the plant is firmly anchored; staking to ahieve the same result should be avoided as it doesn't allow the trunk to flex and therefore build up thickness and strength.
A couple of other tasks that need to be done when planting a Japanese maple will be covered tomorrow and then all that is required is to stand back and admire your handiwork!
Link
The correct method will be to dig a hole that is only fractionally larger than the rootball and with tapered sides that allows proper firming of the backfill. The less interference with the surrounding soil the better as the microflora that's essential to the well-being of your plant will be damaged when the ground is disturbed.
Making the sides of the hole tapered allows the loose soil to be compacted easily once it's put back which means that the plant is firmly anchored; staking to ahieve the same result should be avoided as it doesn't allow the trunk to flex and therefore build up thickness and strength.
A couple of other tasks that need to be done when planting a Japanese maple will be covered tomorrow and then all that is required is to stand back and admire your handiwork!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Cutting through the confusion of caring for Japanese maples
Cutting through the confusion surrounding how to care for Japanese maples is the main theme of this site but I'll also be posting information on related topics as, in my experience, maple enthusiasts are also well-rounded and discerning gardeners (nod your head wisely here!). Examples off the top of my head are mycorrhiza and rock dust but many other subjects can be shared across the whole spectrum of gardening.
It's been a passion of mine for almost 30 years and I've managed to get the hang of keeping them alive to the extent that I've probably got a few tips that can help you if you enjoy maples as much as me.
During all the years I've been growing them, it's struck me that there's almost as many ways to care for them as there are cultivars, most of the instructions being inaccurate to say the least. I wonder if any of the writers have ever actually stuck one in the ground!
For a group of plants that are surrounded by so much mystique, it probably comes as a bit of a surprise to be told that they grow like weeds and that maples planted in gardens 150 years ago are still alive and indeed, are thriving.
As a professional nurseryman, I shall probably be boring you with all the mundane things I do in the nursery, but littered amongst the dross wil be pearls of wisdom (!) on how to care for your maples, how and when to prune them (tip: don't do it yet, you've still got six weeks to go!) soil types they like (a clue here; yours), what they love and what they hate; in fact, the cumulative sum of the knowledge I've picked up at the school of hard knocks. If you've been upset at losing one plant, imagine the trauma I've suffered at losing thousands over the last three decades!
But the lessons I've learnt over that time have given me a unique insight into growing Japanese maples the easy way and hopefully I can pass on my knowledge to you, whether you're an experienced gardener or just starting out.
Thats all for today but I'll be back soon; there's a lot to get done this winter!
It's been a passion of mine for almost 30 years and I've managed to get the hang of keeping them alive to the extent that I've probably got a few tips that can help you if you enjoy maples as much as me.
During all the years I've been growing them, it's struck me that there's almost as many ways to care for them as there are cultivars, most of the instructions being inaccurate to say the least. I wonder if any of the writers have ever actually stuck one in the ground!
For a group of plants that are surrounded by so much mystique, it probably comes as a bit of a surprise to be told that they grow like weeds and that maples planted in gardens 150 years ago are still alive and indeed, are thriving.
As a professional nurseryman, I shall probably be boring you with all the mundane things I do in the nursery, but littered amongst the dross wil be pearls of wisdom (!) on how to care for your maples, how and when to prune them (tip: don't do it yet, you've still got six weeks to go!) soil types they like (a clue here; yours), what they love and what they hate; in fact, the cumulative sum of the knowledge I've picked up at the school of hard knocks. If you've been upset at losing one plant, imagine the trauma I've suffered at losing thousands over the last three decades!
But the lessons I've learnt over that time have given me a unique insight into growing Japanese maples the easy way and hopefully I can pass on my knowledge to you, whether you're an experienced gardener or just starting out.
Thats all for today but I'll be back soon; there's a lot to get done this winter!
Monday, October 22, 2007
All about Japanese maples
All about Japanese maples does just that; advice, inspiration and tips on growing and caring for them. A one stop resource for the gardener who wants to know how to prune, where to plant, what's wrong with your Japanese maple and the hundred and one other things they never tell you on the label. Make the next Japanese maple you buy a wanted one and not because the previous one died!
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