Crimson Queen Japanese Maple

scribewicz

Greetings, all.

First time poster, so bear with me if this doesn't turn out too pretty.

I have this nice laceleaf japanese maple

The first image shows what it looked like when I brought it home from the then-local nursery as a clearance item - not bad fo $10.

The second image shows it a year later after initial pruning/styling - going for a bunjin-like/umbrella style.

The third image is from last year, after 2 root prunings/repottings. Last year I thought the tree was healthy enough to really dig for the roots and ... low and behold it's a graft. A kind of ugly graft at that - I guess that I sholdn't have been surprised.

The branches and leaves are coming along nicely - not looking for any extra thickness to the trunk, I like the total height (about 18 inches) etc. But if you look at the last picture it seems that "air root" is really from above the graft - not from the understock. I've heard that laceleaf Japanese maples don't have a good root system usually. With that said, how foolish would I be if I tried to air layer just above the graft this year? Or bury the graft again and hope for some surreptiously roots coming from the top tree?

Thanks in advance,
Steve

Attached Images

	3 1999.jpg (30.3 KB, 62 views)
	3 2001.jpg (35.3 KB, 105 views)
	3 graft.jpg (33.3 KB, 78 views)

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Alasdair

I like it in the second pic. Am i right in assuming you want more roots from where that rogue root is in the third picture? if so, i would suggest damaging a part of the bark where you want roots by cutting into it and removing a piece, then treating it with a root hormone and planting it deep again. Don't all of the bark at once as you may kill it, leave a strip down to the understock so the leaves still recieve water.That way, it will take about 2-3 years to develop roots where you want them and you can work on the canopy in that time.

I'm sorry if i have misinterpreted what you ask.

Alasdair

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Carl_Bergstrom

Alasdair:

Is this based on first-hand experience, and if so with what cultivar of Acer palmatum?

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Steve,

This seems like a perfectly reasonable idea to me. Last year I tried taking a layer on this same cultivar, Acer palmatum `Crimson Queen', for the first time. I layed from a relatively large garden tree. This was something of an experiment. Because of the large foliage and internode length of this cultivar, It'll work best for a large bonsai - and so the plan is to airlayer a major limb from this garden tree on down the road. But first I wanted to make sure that a layer would take.

The pictures below document my experience layering a branch about 1" in diameter.



In the first picture, we see the preparations for the layer. I ringed the bark completely as you see below.

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2004_05_layer_closeup_small.jpg (29.8 KB, 35 views)

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Carl_Bergstrom

After four months (using pure NZ sphagnum moss as a medium) I had a nice set of roots emerging.

(On the down side, these roots were not evenly distributed around the limb. Roughly 120 degrees of the circumference lacked roots entirely.)

Attached Images

2004_09_layer_roots_small.jpg (44.4 KB, 52 views)

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Carl_Bergstrom

And here is the newly layered tree.

I suppose I'm not completely out of the woods yet. Something could go wrong this spring. But the buds are swelling and tree seems to be doing well. From what I've seen, one can indeed layer crimson queen with relatively little problem.

With my best regards,
Carl

Attached Images

2004_09_layer_replanted_small.jpg (58.8 KB, 75 views)

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Alasdair

I have tried this on Acer Psuedoplatanus, i didn't want to risk loosing the tree as it was my first attempt at any from of layering. So, i layered the tree in two attempts, removing half of the bark and then the second after a few roots had developed. It has given me a decent set of nebari and seemed to fatten out the trunk above the layer, increasing the taper on it.

I got the idea when my boystrous cat snapped a branch on a Bay tree in my back garden half way through the branch and roots formed where this branch was touching the floor with the exposed tissue.

Alasdair

__________________
I can feel another "I wish that was my tree" moment coming on...
Currently studying BSc Plant Biology at the Universty of Wales, Aberystwyth

scribewicz

... for the advice.

Being the chicken that I am, I like the idea of doing the layer in piecemeal as suggested.

This guy will get a deeper pot this spring and I'll try to get roots to form on the other side of ther "rogue root."

peace, Steve

Carl_Bergstrom

Alasdair,

The question, as I understood it, dealt with Acer palmatum `Crimson Queen'. The laceleaf cultivars of Japanese maple are notoriously difficult to start from cuttings and notoriously slow to put out roots. Generalizing rooting techniques from the robust, aggressively growing Acer pseudoplatanus (sycamore maple) to a laceleaf maple is like generalizing candle-pruning techniques from Japanese black pine to Japanese white pine.

Steve,
My own experience with half-hearted layering approaches - particularly on trees with weak root systems - is that one gets little more than a hefty scar for one's troubles. But perhaps you'll have better fortune. Please keep us posted, and I wish you luck.

Best regards,
Carl

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Alasdair

I didn't realise they were so different. well, now i do so thankyou for informing me.

Al

__________________
I can feel another "I wish that was my tree" moment coming on...
Currently studying BSc Plant Biology at the Universty of Wales, Aberystwyth