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