It's often avoided because of random dieback of key branches for no apparent reason.

Al

Al

You just saved me $84.00 unless someone tells me the reason for the die back and how to avoid it.

Paul

I hate to be the reason you spend $84, but I've never heard that about Acer griseum. Amur Maple (A. ginnala) has some notoriety in that regard.

Tapla, are you sure its griseum that drops branches?

I've never heard that either and the tree is quite popular, very nice. Though I can't say without seeing 'yours' whether it's worth the money.

Not worried about the money, just the loss of branches.
I decided not to buy the tree because of this.
A "master gardener" confirmed that they do lose there branches even when planted in the ground until older and larger.

Paul

Yes, I'm sure ;o) ..... and I haven't had difficulty with ginnala losing branches. I sort of look at ginnala as a hardy substitute for tridents (in zones 5 & lower), which are difficult to put any kind of caliper on because they aren't dependably hardy in the ground in those zones. ..... nothing to stop you from trying them (griseum), though.

Al

Al
I would like to try a a ginnala.
Your right about the trident not being reliable hardy in the colder zones. All the tridents tried in pots in my area (zone 5a/6b) have died. Some people have had luck when the tree is planted in the ground.
Can you recommend a supplier for the ginnala?
Paul

Paul - if they're in pots, it was probably a cultural thing. IOW, you need to take measures to ensure they don't get too cold, like burying them against the foundation of a heated building, or over-wintering them in an attached garage. I have lots of varieties of tridents I'm working with that are many years old, several of them ARE in the ground fattening up & going through a series of chops.

I would suggest you buy some ginnala seeds & sow them this fall. They'll germinate this spring & you'll have all the little trees you can handle (get 100 seeds - they're cheap). In the ground, they will put on about an inch/yr.

You can do an amazing thing with the extra seedlings. Wire 4 of them together. They should be little guys, of varying ht. Start wiring from the bottom up, and wire so the seedlings are in a spiral. At the first branch level, wire the shortest seedling in position to become the lower, main branch. Then, wire the next shortest seedling into position for a back branch. Finally, the next in length gets to be the second, front branch. The remaining seedling gets to be the apex. Wired together when this young, the seedlings will quickly fuse, and you'll have a rugged looking trunk because of the spiral form and the flutes it will cause - and in no time at all. Pretty darn close to an instant bonsai. Let it grow w/o pruning for a full year, then start on a training regimen.

Pauline Muth showed me this technique, and I'm pretty sure she has it on her website. Look for something she calls 'blended trees' for more details. The technique works very well with maples.

Al

Al
I did that with 9 willow leaf ficus cuttings from the same tree and it worked very well.
Also tried it with 3 spruce seedlings but it will be a while before they meld if ever but it is worth trying.
As far as the trident maple goes it grew well in the ground but died as soon as it was potted. Others in this area have had the same experience. Maybe it is the salt air or it wasn't buried deep enough or or etc.???
I will try it with other deciduous trees but at 74 they better meld fast.:>)
Paul

I know what you mean. At almost 60, cuttings & seedlings don't have nearly the attraction they had 20-some years ago. ;o)

FWIW - tridents do best if you lift and repot them just as leaves are opening.

Al