small japanese red maple isn't growing

11 years ago

hi,
i bought a small ($15.gallon or less container.2-3 feet tall) japanese red maple back in april and potted it in a large planter.it hasn't shown any sign of dying,but the only sign of growth is a very slow growing tiny offshoot/runner at its base.it looks to have been grafted (spliced) near the base which concerned me at first,but for $15 i couldn't pass it up since the larger ones were $50+.
can anyone give me any hints as to why it hasn't grown or what i can do to get it to grow?
any info would be appreciated.
thanks!

Featured Answer

gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)

11 years ago

What sort of growth were you expecting? Depending on cultivar, most JM's are rather sedate growers; some downright slow. And some never get very big at all so any growth in a single season is modest

Do you know what cultivar it is? That would help in determining how much growth to expect but newly planted into a larger container is not going to generate much visible growth the first season.....it's busy developing its root system. If it is a named cultivar, that splice/graft is necessary and nothing to be concerned about. If the new shoot you see is coming from below the graft/splice, you want to remove it - that is a sprout from the rootstock and if left intact, will outgrow and overwhelm the grafted, desirable portion.

As to how to get it to grow??? It will do that on its own in the fullness of time. You can't rush these things or speed them up :-) Patience is the first skill every gardener needs to learn.

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Comments (8)

gravyboy77
Original Author
11 years ago
gardengal48,
thanks for the reply!
i can only tell you that the card that came with it says it is an "Acer Palmatum var. Bloodgood".

i know it can take a season or more for a plant to root and that it would be slow to grow at first especially in a large (24 inch) pot,but i expected to see something/anything by now considering it was spring and now summer so seeing that it hasn't grown at all worried me.i guess i was wishful thinking and should indeed be patient ,thanks for the reminder :)

the sprout at the base IS below the graft.should i remove it now or let it grow out some to let the leaves collect light and remove it when/if it gets to be too much?i have very little experience/knowledge with grafted plants so your reply is VERY helpful to know that this isn't uncommon.
thanks again!
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jalcon
11 years ago
Definitely remove any growth below the graft point, they just suck energy away from the real cultivar.
gravyboy77 thanked jalcon
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
11 years ago
If indeed a Bloodgood but only 2-3' tall, then it is just a baby - maybe only a 2 year old graft - and will not display a significant amount of growth initially. But as it establishes and settles in, growth should be apparent in subsequent years. Bloodgood gets to be a pretty good sized JM, one of the larger growing named forms.

You should also know that growing a JM (or any other woody plant) long term in a container is a natural dwarfing process, almost like bonsai but without all the pruning and training that accompanies that process. The roots usually do not develop as rapidly or as extensively as they would in the ground and growth is typically slowed.

And yes, remove any shoots that appear from below the graft whenever you see them emerge.
gravyboy77
Original Author
11 years ago
Gardengal48,

thanks again for your time and knowledge!

(jalcon,thank you as well!)

it is just a baby.

i'm pretty patient and am willing to wait the year+ for it to develop,but i just wasn't sure if the zero growth so far or the grafting was "normal".the only reason i didn't find a nice place in the ground for it is because i am going to be moving within a year or so and wanted to take it with me when i do.hopefully the large planter it is in (pics attached) will allow it to grow to a good size if/before i should transfer it to the ground.
tlbean2004
11 years ago
I got sucked in to, except i got the "red select" that walmart had for 15 dollars. It has been planted for a couple of months now and there does not seem to be any new growth on it. The leaves ma have gotten a little bit bigger but that is it! I hope things speed up in the next year or two.
gravyboy77 thanked tlbean2004
houzi
11 years ago
I believe the most common reason for slow growth when everything else looks ok is planting maples too deeply.Just check the soli is only just covering the roots where they exit the trunk :)
gravyboy77 thanked houzi
gravyboy77
Original Author
11 years ago
tlbean2004,
i got mine at walmart as well.the ones at the local nurseries as well as lowes and home depot were expensive (i guess you get what you pay for).
i'm going to be patient since i have had several plants that took a year or so to show any significant growth (but never no growth like this maple.they always at least put off some new leaves/shoots) and on the advice from this forum.
please post any progress.
good luck!
houzi,
i think i planted it at a good depth,but i'll double check it.
thanks for your time!