NOT to sound like a broken record but #1 probably the result of the spring freeze #2 Sango is not my favorite tree IT IS NOT HARDY either for hot humid summers or cold winters and is tricky to grow and is the result either breeding or heritage and IMHO not a good viable tree for all but the most JM friendly areas...I prefer tthe Japanese sunrise but have found it also not a hardy tree!!. #3 if the bark is black and or grey it is history get your trumpet out for taps.. David

If this is the poor tree I've seen a picture of posted elsewhere, it's blighting off from a pathogenic infection like I have seen many times on other maples.

any advise for storing a Sango seedling for the winter.

Keep in unheated garage or out buliding away from lights and windows water maybe lighly once a month or less( not when frozen) and keep your fingers securely crossed David

OH and I'd keep permantly in a pot if I were you... see above ..David

I have an unheated garage... do I wrap the pot in burlap and put mulch on the crown? or just leave as is and pray? Also, would you recommend the same for my Pixie?

I left mine in my out buiding all winter and it was drafty had a 12 ft garage door that wasn't well sealed ...and all did fine ...most were frozen solid at least some of the time they were all in 1 gallon or smaller pots.. It wouldn't hurt to wrap the pot in some insulation and put some extra mulch on top but you also could do what I suggested to the condo woman and put whole pot on another larger one with insulaing mulch inside the large around the smalller...Pixie should be alright as is but you can do same if you are worried..you have several months to practice the perfect finger crossing methods and I would suggest you do so on a daily basis like a marathon trainer with running practice makes perfect ;>) David

I have my sango in a 3 gallon and my pixie in a, I think, a 1 gallon, maybe smaller.. dont know, I also have a Tam that is in a 5-6 gallon. That I cant move, so I will just wrap the bottom up in burlap and mulch and I am sure it will be fine. LIke I said, I do have a dark garage and it does get cold. I like the idea of the pixie and Sango pots in a larger pot with mulch.. I can burlap them too to be on the safe side. What do you think?

Mine was the only Acer p. to die completely in the April 12 16F. The biggest and most established Acer p. I had.
A trash tree that had a mind of its own. Never worth the price I paid for it. It is in the dumpster now. Good riddance.
If the red bark is turning black it is toast.

Dave

We had 5 of them planted on a large mound with a waterfall. Purchased them each in 15 gal cans. Kept waiting for them to grow or look good for 8 years. They never did! Only the newest growth turned coral in winter, and during the summer the pale green/yellow tinged with pink leaves looked anemic. We tossed them and put in some 15 gal. green Jap. maple seedlings and they took off running.

Many newly landscaped homes around here plant them. I'm watching to see if they look as good next winter as they did when they were first planted. Those 6 to 8 footers sell at a big premium, and they do catch your eye.

Rather more prone to some pathogens than other cultivars of JM and perhaps over-produced by less than sterling growers from less than optimum stock plants. But a well grown, healthy Sango Kaku is a maple to behold, particularly in winter. My own tree, now approaching 12 years in the ground, about 18' tall and 20' wide, is a beautiful healthy specimen that has never shown a hint of any problem and never encountered any pruners except for the light removal of some interior dead wood. Grown in full PNW sun, it is not just the newest growth that offers the intense coral red color but it is uniform throughout the tree except for the trunk and largest, oldest primary branches. Summer leaf color is a glowing, grassy green, turning to gold and apricot in fall. In the occasional winter snowfall or after a heavy rain with the drops still clinging to the branches, this tree has been known to stop traffic. I personally wouldn't trade it for any other cultivar.

GG is correct that is why i said may be a genetic..or breeding thing obviously at some point they were of great lineage and some out there still may be ...if you grafted from HER tree and replanted in HER yard you'd likely get great results... Also note that I did not recommend them for any but the most pristene JM growing area like hers, David

It is obvious from these postings and numerous others in the past ...there is a BIG problem with this tree for most folks and buyer beware...it's not just a " didn't work out for me" it's MORE like " I hate that tree" or "what a piece of crud tree" "I threw that sucka in the trash " tree ..yatayatayata..David

Interestingly 'Sangu Kaku' (Coral Bark) is now about the second most common Japanese Maple sold in central Ohio nurseries(Zone 5B/6A-ish) after the ever common but well growing 'Bloodgood'.

I don't know if you this means that Coral Bark has done well here, or whether the market finds the tree profitable and marketable. It is being sold cheaper than other JM, $79 for a 5-6 foot tree at the biggest nursery. Quality trees, I dunno.

My first impression is that it is "twiggy" and that some upper branches are prone to die, but I have not noticed very many established trees yet.

It would be interesting if we knew someone at the big box stores who would know how many are returned each year ...of course many don't bother ( both price natching and return policies are there simply as a gimmick most folks just don't have the time or energy to take advantage of it.. or simply forget ...many arn't likely to drag in a half dead tree 11 months foward. )... In addition established trees may not be a good marker since I think the advent of SG being redily available in the mid west is rescent and also their limited sales in general until recently may also be reflected in small returns ( at this stage). They DO have tree sex appeal and are likely easy to sell and may be worth the returns for these store in the long run, or you may eventually see a decline in the mass market availabilty...My guess that will take several more years unless as I said even with returns it is worth it to them to sell them .David