should I move the containerized JMs for more color?

15 years ago

I have six Japanese maples in containers on wheeled container caddies that are easy to move around on our cement patio. The patio is build at the northeast corner of our house and it has a more or less clear (it's old and somewhat moss covered) corrugated plastic roof over it, so the trees and plants there get mostly nothing but very filtered sun except in the morning when they also get the slanting eastern sun coming directly through the chain-link fence that surrounds the patio.

All of the JMs are doing well, but only the Ukigumo and Shaina are as colorful as I'd like. The Baldsmith's color is beautiful in a subtle way, but as for the others (Koto Ito Komachi, Red Dragon, and Orangeola) - they don't show the bright fall colors that I was hoping to see. In fact, the Red Dragon has pretty much turned green!

I can move any of these maples (by moving their container - not by transplanting!) simply by pushing them to the other side of the chain link fence, where they could not be shaded by the plastic roof. But they would then be in full sun all day long, and when I got the Orangeola, it was in the "distressed" section of the nursery due to sunburn.

So - to get better fall color:

* should I move any of these six JMs to the sunny concrete area outside of the patio roof?

* if I should indeed move any of them, when should I do it? At the beginning of the growing season? Or only in late summer?

Thank you.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

schmoo
15 years ago
Most information(summer/fall color) provided pertaining to cultivars of Acer pal. (jap. etc) are based on how they perform/act in "soil", not "fake" soil. There are so many things we wish we could replicate (sp?) in containers, compared to soil grown (nutrition,temp.,biology,etc.), I have yet to see someone who has if figured it out (in my personal exp.).
If you find a "trick" that works for a certain cultivar, provides "you" with what "you" want or makes the plant perform how "you" wish/hope it would...try it on the other forms to see if it creates the same results.Even results from someone in another part of the country/world may not work for you....finding what works for you, in your enviroment,for your plants/cultivars takes time..... you wont easily find it in a book.........
deep___roots
15 years ago
Red Dragons do turn green. And it is kinda early for any significant Fall coloring, no?
Anyways, from mostly shade to full sun all day long might be a shock. Is there any way to maybe buy a lattice panel and prop it off that plastic roof over the full sun space to provide some relief from the full sun for part of the day, like the afternoon hours? Then, see how you like that.
And maples turn brilliant colors in Fall even if they have been in very shady spots. That is one of their greatest values in my opinion. And Fall coloring is better in some years than others...don't know why.
Related Professionals
Beavercreek Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Ilchester Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Harvey Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Brentwood Landscape Contractors · Gaithersburg Landscape Contractors · Richmond Landscape Contractors · Secaucus Landscape Contractors · Soddy Daisy Landscape Contractors · Vancouver Landscape Contractors · Channahon Fence Contractors · Fort Lauderdale Fence Contractors · Hopkins Fence Contractors · Oro Valley Fence Contractors · Silver Spring Fence Contractors · West Hollywood Fence Contractors
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
15 years ago
Except for the heavily variegated types like Ukigumo, Orido Nishiki, Butterfly, etc. or the very chartreuse-yellow foliage types (A. shirasawanum 'Aureum'), pretty much any Asian maple variety/cultivar can tolerate full sun in the PNW-west of the Cascades region. Our summers are just not very hot and we are so far north that sunlight intensity is generally not a problem. All of my maples are in pretty much full sun all day, even the heavily reticulated forms like 'Ghost Dancer'.

I'd agree that some sort of transition period from the more shady area to the sunnier is a good idea - abrupt changes in the amount and timing of sunlight can cause problems unnecesarily. But once acclimated and settled in the new position, you shouldn't have any trouble and the coloring of your maples should be greatly enhanced.