Acer palmatum 'Shinju'

Discussion in 'Acer palmatum cultivars (photos)' started by maplesandpaws, Aug 22, 2012.

  1. maplesandpaws

    maplesandpaws Active Member

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    Not in my possession just yet, but will be in a few weeks after we're home from holidays. The picture isn't the greatest (taken with my phone at the nursery), but should give a good impression of the tree. About 7ft tall, very well branched at about 2-3ft wide; I think it will make a beautiful landscape tree. And, considering how hot and dry we've had it the past 2-3 months, it looks to be in very good shape (especially compared to some of the other maples at the nursery).

    Unfortunately, the ONLY place I have found any info on this cultivar is Iseli Nursery's website - and it's pretty slim on specifics, except that the name means 'pearl', referring to the slightly irridescent quality of the leaf colour in autumn (supposedly a nice peachy-apricot color). If anyone has any other info on this cultivar, please let me know! :)
     

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  2. maplesandpaws

    maplesandpaws Active Member

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    Have had the tree for a few weeks now; was severely root bound in the 6gal nursery pot, with a lot of circling roots, etc. Combed out the root ball as best I could without being too aggressive (will probably work on the root ball again next spring prior to planting it in the ground) and repotted into a larger 10gal pot. Did some minor pruning when I got it home as there was die-back from heat stress on some branch ends, and a few branches, while not rubbing yet, were going to. Also removed a couple small branches at the bottom of the trunk. Noticed a fair bit of budding and new growth earlier this week when I went out to water - pretty pink buds and flowers, beautiful soft, light green new leaves. Taking this as a good sign the tree is happy in its new home, and I think it will be a very nice tree for the yard.
     

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  3. maplesandpaws

    maplesandpaws Active Member

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    I love, love, love this tree - the most I've ever spent on a maple (thus far, anyway), and I don't regret it one bit. I love the shape of the leaves, the way they're held, the color, the cute pink flowers... Pretty barren right now due to the windy weekend, but it just highlights all the new leaves - a couple of which have started to turn, ever so slightly. If this is what fall color is, it certainly lives up to it's name "Pearl"; can't wait for the rest :)
     

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  4. maplesandpaws

    maplesandpaws Active Member

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    Spring pictures, such a beautiful fresh green and lovely palmate leaf shape. In need of some pruning as there are still many crossing branches...
     

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  5. maplesandpaws

    maplesandpaws Active Member

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    Put 'er in the ground shortly before the temps started climbing, and she's doing wonderfully. It helps immensely that this summer has been very wet thus far (probably 10" since mid-June), and much cooler than the past two - we seem to be averaging mid-80s to low 90s, instead of triple digits every single day.

    Receives direct sun for a few hours late morning/early afternoon, with dappled shade (from the large pin oak) that varies throughout the rest of the day. I have seen no sign of any singed leaves, which makes me very happy. :) (All the pots, and potted Summer Chocolate Mimosa around it are temporary until it establishes a decent root system - and for protection from two very active dogs, lol.)
     

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  6. Geezer840

    Geezer840 Active Member 10 Years

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    Maplesandpaws,

    I bought my Shinju last spring and I'm really happy with it. Here (I hope) is a picture of mine a couple of days ago.
     

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  7. JT1

    JT1 Contributor 10 Years

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    Very nice looking tree! The view is amazing and makes a great backdrop to your garden. Thanks for sharing!
     
  8. maplesandpaws

    maplesandpaws Active Member

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    Beautiful colors, thanks for posting it. Thus far, mine is still green, but we have had a few cold nights in the past week or so, and frost is forecast for tonight too, so I'm hopeful I'll start to see some more change in the days to come.
     
  9. maplesandpaws

    maplesandpaws Active Member

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    Came home from visiting my sister in Dallas for the weekend to find quite the change in my Shinju - and the weather! Woke up to 20F the past two mornings, brrr...
     

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  10. Geezer840

    Geezer840 Active Member 10 Years

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    The color of your Shinju has much more of a 'pearl' color than the red that mine exhibited. It will be interesting to see if the color changes by the time the entire tree is in full show.
     
  11. Geezer840

    Geezer840 Active Member 10 Years

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    Please tell me good news

    I've been very pleased with the Shinju I planted last spring. I'm attaching two pictures, on of the tree last fall and one this spring. I noticed the trunk of the tree is turning black from the base moving upward. The tree is leafing out fine and there are no other signs of problems.
    Is this something serious? Can I do anything?

    Sorry about the landscape photo presentation. I'm trying to learn how I can rotate them.
     

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  12. maplesandpaws

    maplesandpaws Active Member

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    I'm no expert, but that doesn't look very good... Perhaps others can chime in? A possibility is frost damage; did you have it quite cold for a spell, with or without wind? How exposed a location is it in? If it is frost damage, it may only be surface, but if you say the blackening is moving upwards, that's typically not a good sign.

    My Shinju seems to be about the same stage yours is at (I know the bamboo fence makes things a bit more difficult to see), can't wait for it to open further!
     

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  13. maf

    maf Generous Contributor Maple Society 10 Years

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    Geezer, I have to agree it does not look promising for your 'Shinju'. The cambium layer just below the bark is most likely dead or dying where it is black, causing an interruption to the plant's vascular syatem, and, if so, the tree will die once the plant has used up whatever stored energy is left in the roots and stems. It may leaf out fully because nutrients can still be sent up to the canopy from the roots, but if the cambium layer is fatally compromised nothing can be sent back the other way with inevitable consequences.

    This looks like the problem originated in the roots or the base of the trunk. The mulch looks a little high against the trunk in the autumn picture which may have been a contributing factor but the most common underlying cause for these types of deaths is usually related to ground that stays too wet in winter.
     
  14. JT1

    JT1 Contributor 10 Years

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    Please don't be offended by what I am going to say below, I'm only trying to help with my prognosis and I may even be wrong, because something else may have caused the decline of your tree. Its sad for me to see a tree in decline and I sympathize with you.

    When I compare the fall picture and the most recent picture, it becomes very apparent that the graft was covered in mulch and dirt. In the most recent picture, the graft is now above the soil line, so there was an attempt to correct the issue, but it was too late. I think the tree was planted too deeply, with no evidence of a root flare. When the additional dirt or mulch was added, covering up the graft, it opened the tree up to trouble. The moisture over winter caused the graft to fail or allowed too much moisture to compromise the health of the bark. The dark area is dead tissue as a result of the tree planted too deeply and mainly the graft being exposed to soil and moisture.

    I recommend with the replacement, that you remove the surface soil away from the trunk, even pruning some little roots that may have formed above the root flare. Remove the soil until you expose the root flare and all the additional soil to make the top of the root mass level. Make sure this new soil line is a couple inches above the soil line of the earth at the planting site. If container grown, use a root rake to round out the harsh ledge that is a result of the surface soil meeting the pot wall, so that the root flare is at the top of the newly formed crown. Back fill the hole and mound the surrounding soil up to the new soil line of the rootball. Use 2" of mulch and mulch lightly around the trunk, so that soil and mulch is not burying the trunk.

    You can give the current tree a little time to see if it recovers, but the damage that was done will remain a huge liability for the life of the tree and it limits its strength and ability to overcome stress.

    Good luck
     
    Last edited: Apr 16, 2014
  15. Geezer840

    Geezer840 Active Member 10 Years

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    Thanks to all for your responses.
    JT1 and faf, you are both possibly correct in your assessment regarding the mulch around the root flare. The actual hight of the root flare is probably a good 6 inches above the surrounding original ground at the actual location of the trunk. The ground slopes considerably in the location where it was planted and I wanted to be sure there would be ample drainage (located in the Pacific Northwest with lots of winter rain). I didn't appreciate how sensitive the tree may be to having mulch right up to the root flare and there could even be a small amount of dirt as well. I am learning that mistakes can be expensive but I love what I've seen so far with my maples and don't plan on giving up.
    maplesandpaws I hope your assessment proves to be correct but I'm probably just wishful thinking. We did not have an exceptional winter and I've got about 40 other maples, including two planted last fall, that survived.
    Thanks again
     
  16. maplesandpaws

    maplesandpaws Active Member

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    The first of my maples to start turning - though I expect others won't be far behind with the couple of cool weekends we've had recently.

    So far, it does appear to be living up to its description; peachy-apricot colors and a subtle iridescence in the leaves. Can't wait to see the whole tree like this!
     

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  17. maplesandpaws

    maplesandpaws Active Member

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    More lovely changes on this beautiful tree - still only small handfuls of leaves here and there turning. Hopefully the whole tree will turn before the leaves brown and fall off.
     

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