Summer Watering for Japanese Maples

15 years ago

Greetings!! When I first started reading this forum about 5 months ago, I was warned about the addiction. I can now report a full addiction with no intent of getting help [smile].

i have accumulated 6 Japanese Maples and I live in Fort Collins, Colorado. A challenging environment to be sure. I have:

-- a Bloodgood

-- a Sango Kaku

-- an Inaba Shidare

-- a Butterfly

-- an Emperor I

-- a Seiryu

I'm having way too much fun. We've had a stretch of about 10 days over 90 degrees (F) and a few of those have been over 100. I'm finding myself watering these trees at minimum, every other day, and sometimes every day. We've got clay soil so I don't want to drown them, but I push a finger down into the soil about 6-8 inches (close enough to determine soil moisture, but not too close to the roots) and if it's dry, I water -- only in the evening or morning.

Does this seem like excessive watering to anyone? I realize that many of you are in climates with more humidity. The trouble here is when the dry winds combine with the heat....

Anyway, please let me know if you have any suggestions. By the way, everything is looking good except for the Bloodgood, which got windburn in the spring about a week after I planted it. The Inaba Shidare has a very slight browning of the tips, but seems overall to be okay...

Thanks for any suggestions or your opinion...

Tom

Comments (5)

Embothrium
15 years ago
Most roots will be near the surface so I wouldn't let the top 6-8in get dried out between waterings. Keep it moist, but not sodden. Are these trees mulched? Japanese maple is a woodland tree, probably not too wild about the sun heating up the root zone. Hot + wet = rot.
tjchermack
Original Author
15 years ago
Yes, they are mulched heavily, and get sun until about noon. After that, they are protected in the shade. I should restate the above -- I never let them get dry, I just try to keep this soil as you say, moist, but not sodden.
deep___roots
15 years ago
You can only go by what you see. If they look healthy, you must be doing something right for your conditions.
My maples in the ground that are large & established, well, I water them very infrequently in Summer (and we get no Summer rain here in Cali).
The majority of my maples are in wooden planter boxes. Those, my recently planted-out smaller maples and my maples in one-gallons get watered but good every week. Watered, flushed and watered again.
6 ain't much of an addiction. I'm up near 30. Or 32 (I now recall buying a couple of dwarfs this year). But only 2 this year, I swear.
tjchermack
Original Author
15 years ago
Well, my wife and neighbors think I have a problem....

I agree, though -- I'd like to have more...
Anyway, thanks for your advice. I'll just keep them moist but not sodden as instructed....
Tom
dongenesis
15 years ago
I live in a zone 10 (Florida).I know I can Grow a red japanese maple here! BUT! How can I make sure my maple goes into DORMANT mode!lol. Here it begins to get hot around November and it doesnt last to long! If anyone can give me a hand with this question it will be appreciet it!Im new with maples so I need as much help as possible! thanks!