I live in west central Arkansas near the AR/OK border. We have hot HOT summers with more than 30 triple digit days last summer that are usually very dry. I think the average June/July/August precip is less than 10" but can be as low as a couple of inches or if a stray thunderstorm comes my way, much higher than the surrounding area. We have clay loam soil with decent drainage that has been pasture land for at least 5 decades. I also live in a small valley and the microclimate around the house makes me prone to late freezes even if a mile away never frosts. Lastly, most of the area around the house if full sun nearly all day. Now the fun part! I would really like a coral bark or two at my house. I would prefer to plant them in the ground but am open to container planting on the front porch with a southern exposure that gets shaded by an awning most of the day. I saw some Sango Kaku leafing out at a local nursery very early in the season yesterday and they were incredible! They were protected in a sort of greenhouse and the other cultivars of japanese maples had barely swollen buds if any at all. I think this alone would make them suffer at my house due to the late freezes we get. I would like some suggestions for coral bark cultivars that would do well in my location (if any exist). Thanks! John
Won't work if site very hot and dry for significant periods in summer. Water cannot be too hard either. Wild Japanese maple woodland tree from monsoonal southeast Asia, humid summer with buckets of rain what it is adapted to - and will often be growing in shade of larger trees in nature. Even here in the dullest part of the US Japanese maple cultivars fade and burn in summer if position not cool and humid enough during hottest weather.
Well there are specimens that have done pretty well around my area. A neighbor about a mile down the road has a huge Emperor I or similar on the north side of his house that is probably around 9+ hrs sun per day in the middle of summer. I have not seen any coral barks with size however. Thanks Ron
Yes, you can grow Sango kaku, Senkaki, Waka momiji Red stem and Beni kawa where you are located but there are a few obstacles that you will have to overcome before these plants can better adapt to your location. As always in a location similar to ours there are risks that we have to face up to and do something about before we can be successful growing these Maples in an environ contrary to where they would prefer to grow in. You will have to give these trees a steady supply of water, through auxiliary irrigation such as sprinkler watering such as overhead sprinklers or ground based sprinklers if you are not wanting to garden hose water your Maples just to sustain them. Drip irrigation, depending on how many emitters, amount of water applied by each emitter and the type of emitter on a drip line may not be ample enough as a a standalone to allow adequate water penetration down far enough to the roots and root zone to be of much help. Otherwise, you might have to give your in ground trees a hose "drink" or two even every day during the hot Summer months just to better ensure water percolation for these trees until they better adapt. Once the trees adapt you can water less frequently but until then the amount of water applied and how often you water will better determine how successful you will be, whether the trees are in ground or grown in containers. Go back in time and look at some of the trees we have in the ground in olden day threads in this forum that reside in a location that annually gets less than 10 inches of precipitation a year that is every bit as hot as you are there. You will even see a red leafed Maple growing right in harms way directly into the warmest portion of the yard, facing due West right into the hot winds and hottest sun of the day. Clay soils are not so much of an issue with good to decent drainage. What will be a larger concern is salt accumulation in the soil as well as salts in the water to be applied to the plant. If your water is neutral with or without minerals, even Lime content in the water, then you should be okay. The pH of the soil becomes very important for you there. If your soil is alkaline, whereby the soil pH is 8.5 or above then you might have a dogfight to get these trees to settle in, look good and grow well for you. A soil pH of neutral 7 to saline 8.5 is one that you can manage your trees a whole lot better without the signs of continual salt burn to the leaves. Your trees without some wind protection from your prevailing wind direction can cause severe wind burn to the leaves until these trees better adapt. In a front porch with a protective awning facing South suggests to me these trees will be in containers, which may be better suited for you to grow these trees in containers for a while prior to your wanting to plant these trees in the ground. An eastern exposure with early to mid afternoon wind protection is best for the Coral Barks around here. They can do well in time grown out in the open landscape like they were in ground at the nursery in such an exposure. For more information on soils, plant selection, water application and site preparation check with your nearest Cooperative Extension service through the University of Arkansas or check with Aggie Horticulture through Texas A&M University. Jim
Thank you for the well thought out response, Jim. I really appreciate it. I am having soil samples sent off this week for a nutrient assessment and to determine the ph.
I recently purchased a small rooted cutting of 'Sango Kaku'. I was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on the hardiness of the root system compared to the species acer palmatum they are usually grafted on to. I will have it potted in a net pot for the next year to grow a more fibrous root system. I figure this will be a cheap investment to "test the waters" with coral bark maples in my area. Thanks, John
