Japanese Maples on Gulf Coast

nip

Do these guys have a chance of surviving the sweltering heat of South Mississippi? Is there a certain cultivar that could take the heat? I'm thinking of getting one, but I dont want to waiste the cash if its hopeless. thanks

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Dav4

I've seen them planted in New Orleans. Guy Guidry in LA. grows them and lives in the same general region as you. I suspect you'll need alot of shade from the summer sun, but you should be able to do it.


Dave

noah

i live in a hot climate where temps in summer average 32-36 degress celsuis with high humidity. I have one japanese maple which im trying and so far it has survived the summer but it has been kept under moderate shade cloth to prevent leaf burn. not sure what sort of colour ill get in the fall and if it will go fully dormant but so far so good. I think its worth trying but proberly worth not spending too much money on one

BONSAI_OUTLAW

I Live over in Beaumont, Texas about 15 miles from the beach and I bought two of every JPN Maple that Brent @ www.evergreengardenworks.com sells last march. I mainly did it as an experiment when told that I could not have them here by all the "experts." They are very inexpensive there and I was very happy with my purchase. So far they are all doing very well. During the hottest months of summer I let let get a few hours of morning sun and that was about it. They are just starting to show buds for spring.

I guess time will tell if they will make it or not.

Graydon

'Kiyohime' seems to do well in Florida zome 9A or so. I don't have one but a club member has one and some other japanese maple, all do well. Need morning sun and shade for the rest of the day. I think they grow under 50% shade cloth.

Leaf scortch would be the issue as far as I can tell. The shade (either natural from tree canopy or cloth) would be a help. Not sure about the humidity.

Here is a link to the cultivar.

Best of luck!

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TimZ8

I'm in north Louisiana and I have a few. I've found that a little deeper pot helps. If I put one in a shallow pot it's only for a year. Closer to the coast it cools faster at night and that helps some. We can be 98 at 10pm so I have to watch the type of fert I use. I don't need any help with leaf burn
Give them a try...maples are cool.

BONSAI_OUTLAW

I got to thinking about it and I remembered something someone told me once....

It is not the heat that does the most damage here, but the lack of cold winters. We have had a colder than normal one here this year and I am sure that has helped.

Victrinia_Ensor

David DeGroot once told me that dormancy can be achieved by as little as a tree being able to get down to around 50 degrees for about 200 hours in winter. And believe me... that man knows deep south bonsai as well as any of them. The discussion was regarding a potential move south I was considering at the time. There were a few species I have which he told me absolutely could not take the heat... but those were sub-alpine species.... and my JWP was a maybe.

Vigor in shallow dormancy is the sticky wicket. Honestly all you can do is try. I would take Jase's advice and pick up a couple inexpensive ones. Even if you fail to greater or lesser degrees, the knowledge from the effort will be worth the small price. Of course... as a general rule the bigger the tree the more it can take, as there is a greater dispersment of whatever stress the tree may experiance. Best bet would be to get one from a local bonsai nursery, as it would be acclimated. Be sure to ask about it's origins and how long they have had it. And what over-wintering they have provided it. Those will tell you best what to expect from the tree.

Kind Regards,

Victrinia

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Ms. Vic

Le belle cose prendono tempo...

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rockm

If you go to mountainmaples.com and do a tree search using Zone 9, you will come up with about a dozen options. Japanese maples in hot climates generally burn to a crisp in containers. Hot roots and potent sun are the primary problems. Shaded locations in the afternoon and deeper containers can help a bit.