9-04-2023:

Earlier in August:

' I've just seen my first 'Pocket Gopher' in the back yard the other day. He eluded my attempts at capture. Caught one stripy and seen another last week.'

AM happy to report, finally got that pocket gopher today. Plus 4 stripy gophers since.

I have 4 5gal pails of sand that bugger piled/pushed up and no place to put it.

I think I'll just leave the stakes on the trees until next season until next seasons roots develop.

9-7-2023:

Just for fun, on a beautiful cool morning, I took some pictures (uncaged) of the two trees, A. psuedoseiboldianum.

They both look to be quite healthy considering the abnormally long hot season we've had here.

Yesterday we received 4/10" nice steady rain, and right after I had watered some.

This morning it was down to 39df. That's 60d colder than a few days ago when temps hit 99-100 as it has many times this season. (There were frost warnings in the far northern parts of the state).

#1 tree: The two good things I can say about this tree, is it's not a seedling anymore at 3-1/2' tall with increased trunk girth, and it isn't a 'stick' or whip anymore with at least 6 new horizontal branches from this season. Just not real showy yet except for the promise of good colors.

#2 tree:

Has put out new growth in numerous directions with even more girth increase than #1 tree.

Both are still a little shy of getting full, all-day sun but I've had worse experiences with plants and hopefully this will improve with more root development as time goes on. ;-)

I didn't water either one near as much as I did last year, when I kept them pretty moist almost all the time.

This season they went several times, in the hot sunny weather, without watering, for up to 7 days at a time, and the soil was getting fairly dry by the time they got watered again. Along the lines of 'Water deeply but infrequently' so this should've given them more opportunity for roots to develop than the season before.

;-)

10-6-2023:

Although growth has slowed with cooler weather now here, there hasn't been much of any real hardening off or expanding of the branch tips or immature leaves.

Tree #2 (front yard).

A little sign of hardening off on this one and a few more.

Anyways, today I dumped ice cube around the base of the tree to see if it helps it gets the hint that it's time to harden off. We've already had a quarter of an inch of cold rain last night and It's been highs in the mid to low 50's with 30's & 40's, going to light frost by Tuesday.

I don't know if it will even warm up enough anymore for things to grow from the top, but we do sometimes get a few days of what's commonly called 'Indian Summer' in late October.

Not saying this will affect anything one way or the other but sometimes you just have to try. ;-)

I didn't have enough ice to do this on Tree #1 in the back yard, but we'll see.

I'll know more in a week or so.

10-22-2023:

I can't tell if the ice did anything to #2 tree.

We've had a few lights frosts and one hard frost, after it was applied, followed by a nice spell the last week or so. To look at it, it's hard to tell.

#1 tree (with no ice) appears to be hardening off better than last season.

I can see where it tried to break bud again during that cool time but froze again.

The leaves are pretty dry & crispy and strongly marcescent.

By next weekend daytime temperatures are dropping below freezing for at least several days.

So, I did all I can do, and we'll just let 'er buck. ;-)

Strongly marcescent indicates that the stem wasn't able to grow a callus to cut off the leaf. Bitter cold mid-Oct 1976 cold spell in west MD left all the leaves on many trees killed & unable to fall, sticking on the trees all winter.

10-23-2023:

From what I see posted on other forums, Korean maple especially, and some of the Japanese hybrids can have this (marcescence) happen, as part of their natural makeup.

I'm almost certain this can or will improve as the root mass matures.

The only irregularity is on the branch tips that are dead in the spring, those tend to send out multiple new shoots from the same spot on the next node down, instead of growing on as a single branch. Pruning the entire dead part away too is not easy because of the angle of new buds forming, albeit the new growth does encapsulate the leftover dead part over time.

Fall colors won't win any prizes yet either, but they're alive and already survived their first winter here at the Boreal Analogous Arboretum. ;-)

I rodent/sunscald proofed the trunks about a foot up from the bottom. The marcescence may help with shading the trunks over winter.

#1 tree (back yard).

#2 tree (front yard).

:-)

It’s variabe on my various korean maple and hybrids. Korean maple from Bailey Nurseries never holds its leaves and good orange fall color. Northern Spotlight always holds its leaves and fall color is orange to red. Ice Dragon will retain the leaves in abrupt falls and color is usually poor those years. Other years it'll turn red and drop all the leaves

pennlake, How about the branching? Do you find yourself removing a lot of crossed/unruly branches?

I've always heard that diversity comes from planting seed but this tree appears to have a wide range of differences.

And I'm not too concerned about color. Even my sugar maple took several years of establishment to color well, and on time.

I don't hardly recognize the trees, in the pictures below anymore (10-7-2021). The week I bought them home after a trip to Wisconsin.

These may have been seedlings started the year before, just by looking at them.

I repotted them before placing them into the cold frame and iirc: #1 never did color that first year.

#1 tree:

#2 tree:

Yes they can be a bit unruly. It gives them character.

That's what I thought! :-))

Thanks!

5-15-2024:

My 2 Korean maple trees have been leafing out this last week or two.

The #1 tree in the back yard is perfect, with no tip dieback and new leaves sprouting right to the very ends of the branches. The most noticeable change in this tree from last year is that new leaves used to open pure red in color, then turn a darker green once unfurled. Now they open green with a cast of red near the leaf margins.

The #2 tree in the front yard looks about the same except a less pronounced red color at the leaf margins.

One of the two main leaders had some branches die back about 10" down from the top. The winter was not very harsh, and the wind wasn't much fiercer than in the back yard where #1 tree resides. Neither tree had any artificial protection from wind or sun around them all winter.

This tree sets new branches ferociously, so I just cut off the dead part instead of waiting for a damaged branch to mend, if it would at all. Looks like another branch starting up near the cut.

;-)

5-23-2024:

JFWIW:

The cut branch (lower center) is already covered by the throng of new branches.

5-31-2024:

Tree of many talents. Or is it many diversities? ;-)

#1 tree in the back yard is now making pinkish orange new growth.

#2 is not as colorful although much more of a balanced form:

Also, both trees are handling full sun much better this year (so far).

I staked #1 bc it got a little top heavy to one side and we've had strong TS winds again this year and I noticed good sized cracks in the ground near the trunk.

I left the lower stakes on #2 tree JIC it needs more time to recover from last year.

7-3-2024:

With plentiful rains, I notice no more unusual or disfigured branch tips this year.

The branches appear to be hardening off cleanly.

Not sure if this plant puts out a second flush or not.

There has been some leaf scorch on some of the newer growth but not bad.

Maybe the root system has matured?

Tree #1.

Tree #2.

7-3-2024: And to add.

Tree #1.

Tree #2.

Bill, your trees are looking GREAT, love to see an update. :)

I don't know if these just don't make it here in this far north climate, I never come across specimens within local yards and neither do I see them any longer brought in by the nurseries.

That issue is something I've pondered at times myself.

NDSU has a selection for quite some time that's good down to -40df. (link below not secured).

http://ndsuresearch/northern_spotlight/korean maple:

But you never see it for sale anywhere, like it never got off the ground sales wise.

Maybe just too many choices with all the hybrids available?

And with this selection being chosen for cold hardiness, is it the best one for other features like color and form? There's just not a lot of information out there for this one.

Mine are beginning to look good after only their 3rd season in the ground, planted as small seedlings. And when you live in a borderline area for growing things you can't be too fussy about it. :^)

Tree #2 in the front yard has the best form while #1 in the back is showing the best color both in new growth and Fall colors. So, diversity maybe is what makes it difficult to come up with all the desired features on this one. idk.

What I've noticed on mine is leaf scorch from being in full, all-day sun. Something that that should improve as my surrounding trees grow.

Even as the tree itself grows, I noticed it shades itself somewhat on one side to the other as sun direction changes during the day.

With our hot August & September and me watering to prevent LS the tree is sending out a second flush, but erratically on certain branch tips. Not the same as the deformed branch tips I had earlier (which may have been caused by too much fertilizer at a young age) but still a bit unsightly late in the summer.

So, I have a choice between sun scorch or extra new growth. It could be the cause is my sandy soil idk, but this may also pass with maturing root system and increasing shade. I too need to get a better handle on how to water this tree for best appearance.

#2 Tree front yard. 8-22-24.

Tree #1 back yard: 8-23-24:

Tends to leaf scorch more with less late growth but when watering to lessen the LS problem, the tree decided to send out a long, second growth branch (upper left) instead of a little new growth on several branch tips. :o)

So, it's all a learning experience. I'm glad to have them and they're looking better every year with less care. 8^)

I can’t help but wonder if lack of ornamental appeal at the retail level doesnt impede the popularity of A. pseudosieboldianum. They’re not common, but also not rare in commerce. Whenever I see one at a nursery, it looks a bit unruly. On the other hand, the few older/mature specimens I’ve seen on garden strolls are attractive. This must be a challenge for retailers.

Unruly growth would be a good word for them.

Not a replacement for Japanese maples by any means but one that will grow in colder zones and if placed correctly with companion plants, could be a nice addition in a more septentrional garden.

I'd be happy to obtain 'Northern Spotlight' if at all available. But, yeah, the nurseries had their run with the Korean maple and then up and stopped about ten or so years ago, could very well be due to lack of full hardiness and folks here requesting refunds. Bill, your specimens are beauties even with a bit of leaf scorch. I did make one attempt, though never even had chance to get the thing in the ground for developing a watery canker at the base and up and perishing.

Maackia, yes, the ones I recall at the nursery did not much inspire with their yellowish leaves and scorched leaf margins, rangy growth as well, though might have done fine when properly sited and settled in. Gonna do a search for what I can "possibly" find available in Canada whether seed or specimen.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so they say.

Here's what they looked like in late June before the real heat hit.

Again, if placed in a shadier environment, which I don't have, they'd do better,

;-)

I have very many different sun aspects ... problem is my winters aren't necessarily becoming any milder, last winter seeing a dip like I haven't experienced in 40 years, some regions hitting -50 F, my yard not quite so, but dang cold enough that some very hardy apple and plum trees had been damaged.

I may be repeating myself but my seed Korean maple and northern spotlight , if they put on the secind sporadic flush of growth its, in late july. The Iseli hybrids have that bad habit of flushing again here in late August and September often resulting in that growth being damaged.

My winters have been getting milder for the last few years now.

Could be I'll be posting here next spring telling how we got a terribly cold and all my borderline plants bit the dust.

What was weird this season was the solid low to mid 80's we've had all of September and very dry with no rain since mid-August with windy conditions.

Ordinarily, this time of year, I would've let the Korean maples go knowing it was Fall and the trees have stopped actively growing for the season and soil moisture was sufficient for root expansion until winter. But it stayed hot & dry for so long I feared drought damage and so I watered the trees. nbd huh?

It was the second or third watering, about a week apart that the late growth began.

Like I say, I learned a lesson and should've watered the second time only after things were nearing critically dry conditions again. Heat + moisture = confused plants.

I'm letting things go without watering for now. Cooler temps forecast this week so I'm just hoping things will harden off before our first freeze a couple/three weeks from now.

Pennlake, yes, especially this far north, anything that flushes any bit on the later side gets winter zapped. From record November and December sunny warmth, we were nailed in January with that deepest of cold in 40 years. Alberta was pretty well the only region having experienced the bitterness of that arctic blast, though very cold did briefly slump down into the interior of BC causing devastating damage to the stone fruits and grape vines. Ontario and eastward along with the eastern states, winter had very much taken the season off!

Bill, after a very rough slow delayed spring, the weather settled into a near perfect pattern until now, summer was fantastic warm and dry, a bit tooo overly dry, though enough moisture falling upon field crops to make for good yields. Moisture has been on and off of late giving the ground a bit of a very necessary drink, I hope more falls prior to late October's chill.

Yeah, we had a slow start then a beautiful summer season, sunny with regular rains and when it stopped raining about the middle of August, that was great. Generally, dry is good that time of year and by September, the weather cools off and things finish off for the season. And usually by mid-September, we get a rain or two that keep things from getting too dry.

But no harm done from what I can tell.

Pennlake,

I may have mentioned this earlier in this thread, but I had tip die back this spring with the deformed tip growth from last Fall. It wasn't all that much, maybe 1" L. off the branches that were affected (~25%).

But new branches grew out of the next nodes downs and by the time everything was leafed out, you couldn't tell anything had been wrong.

I just looked and the #1 tree in the back that I quit watering over a week ago hardened off and looks like it will go dormant. All the branches looked pretty much like this.

The #2 tree out front was watered a few days after #1 one and is still showing an attempt at making new growth. It's not all deformed like last year but again, that could've been my previous seasons fert program. ;o) I think this is just hot weather and abundant moisture.

I'll check it again to see but it might be like pennlake alluded to about different varieties acting differently at end of season. It's nbd bc last spring I did a little early snipping those branch tips and all was fine.

#2:

Finally cooled off some.

10-11-2024:

After NOT watering the #2 tree in the front yard for over a week and temps in the low 80's today with still dry conditions, I had a look and can tell the tree is hardening off like the other in the back yard.

I was surprised how moist it still is under the mulch, after no irrigation and mostly 70's and sunny for highs.

I'll continue letting it go with cooler temperatures forecast.

Hard frost coming Sun, Mon, Tues. with 26d for 8 hours on Tuesday AM.

The 10"L. branch that died back last spring and resumed further down the branch, is still growing, which could explain why it died back in the first place. It most likely wasn't hardened off by Fall last season. So, lesson learned but maybe hotter weather will be the norm here from now on. I'll just have to let things dry down earlier, if possible, for these maples.

No rain forecast for the next 10 days, with only 50's and 60's for highs.

1-29-25: Last report on these until I see some good Fall colors.

This is about as good as my Fall color got on the #2 Acer pseudosieboldianum, front yard, this Fall.

Picture taken 10-5-24 before our first frost. The leaves just kept getting brown, so I didn't take anymore pictures.

I am satisfied on how well they are growing though. The trunk on this one is a good 1-1/2" diameter, crown width 3ft and height is 3ft.

Tree #1 in the back yard is growing more vertical in form and is 4ft. tall, 3ft. wide. New growth starts out red to maroon in summer then to darker green.

Then from green to brown so far. :-/

11-6-2024:

The most beautiful time of year for these trees, so far, has been springtime.

These were taken May 31st, 2024. The new growth has been the most colorful so far on #1 tree. The orange goes to a darker red as the season wears on.

#2 tree: Lime green with new leaves having a thin red margin.

History: Bought seedlings planted April of 2022 after they began growing in my cold frame where they wintered during the 2021-2022 winter. New growth this time of year is bad but I was leaving on a trip and had no choice.

4-11-2022:

Planted in half frozen ground 4-11-22. The new growth froze off and had to start over, which gave me an indicator of the cold hardiness of this plant.

End of May 2022. Remarkable recovery.

#1:

#2:

Conclusion:

No, they aren't Japanese Maples but those won't grow here anymore than Camellia would.

So, stop comparing and we'll stop saying that you can't grow Cocos nucifera. ha! ;-)

Acer pseudosieboldianum is a beautiful, cold hardy =>(-40f) form of Asian maple that grows in our more Septentrional locations. So, we'll grow it and are happy about it.

:-)

Just to add:

With the experience I've gained with 3 years in the ground, I'll be approaching this season differently. Watering only when needed, and absolutely no added fertilizer whatsoever, even though what I did apply was barely minimal, just to ensure my poor sandy soil wasn't lacking in a critical nutrient for this type of tree. Sulfur, calcium or magnesium being the most likely.

Still winter here but looking forward to 1st days of spring. Planted a First Flame. I saw it at the local yard....the spring color is to die for. Online pics of this cultivar don't do it's justice on how it looks in person. The cultivar name of flame suits it right

Yeah, First Flame is rated zone 5 so for me it's a bridge too far. ;-)

A good tree for those in a cold zone 5 that can't grow a straight JM though.

Here's recent thread on First Flame:

5-27-2025:

If this is any indication of my tree becoming established, the #1 Korean maple out back is showing no drawbacks to our winters here. But it may be the only one of the two I started that will make it.

We had such unusual weather when it quit raining around the end of September with highs in the high 80's almost until the end of October. It was so dry I watered some which may have been a mistake. The #2 tree did not want to shut down.

Then in March we had a week of high 60's and low 70's that started everything to break dormancy.

So, #2 tree looks like it has a lot of diebacks with new shoots coming out the trunk and is really slow to grow so far this season. Could be time for a change to something rated zone 3.

Don't know what I'll do yet. But with those weird weather events last winter and Fall, I might give it another chance just to see for sure if it can learn to shut down on time.

You could clone the good tree

That's a good idea L, right now, I'm just happy that one of the two seedlings I bought appears to have been successful.

It's a real gamble buying plants grown from seed. You don't always get the same desired attributes of the plant that the seed came from, even if that plant is a selected cultivar (mine was not, I think they were just randomly collected seeds from who knows where).

Getting just one of these to click; is near miraculous (although I don't know the actual percentages of that happening). <happy dance> 8^)

iirc: It cost me $6. ;-)

5-28-2025:

I decided to prune the dead branches off just above the new growth. And they were dead with not even a hint of green under the bark on anything above the new growth.

With the root system as developed as it is, I'm estimating this tree will look almost as big as it did last season by Fall. The hope is that we get a more normal Fall with ample time of cooling off, so the tree shuts down for the winter instead of 80's in October and single digits in November. I sprayed it with copper fungicide after the cuts, but you're supposed to be able to prune dead or diseased branches at any time of the year so no worries. ;-)

Oh, I did wipe some new growth off the lower part of the trunk just bc I can.

8-2-2025:

Final report on these two.

The Front yard tree (#2 last pictured in the post above) that I cut back severely, grew back enthusiastically. Maybe call it an over achiever.

I did some 'structure pruning' so not every branch would develop all summer and have a chance of looking like a small tree. (7-8-25).

We had rain early, but things started to dry up in July and I didn't water so the tree got fairly dry, relative to when I watered regularly. Not dry, dry but 'just enough moisture' to prevent damage.

It surprised me that even without water, this tree keeps putting out new growth. And that wouldn't be so bad but it's that gnarled, weird, deformed new growth like it did the last few years, into the Fall and beyond. Even though this season, I allowed the deer to prune off most of the branch tips by offering no protection.

(8-2-25):

In conclusion:

I'm holding onto little hope for this one hardening off for winter and attribute that to be the reason for dieback the last couple years.

The smart thing to do is just shovel prune it and put the Ohio buckeye in its place. But I'd have to wait until Fall for that anyways, so might as well wait until spring, just to see. :-)

Additionally, just for comparison with the #1 tree in the back yard.

I initially assumed, the deformed late growth on #2 tree might've been, to a point, caused by sun scorch.

But below is a picture of one branch that came as a second flush, on #1.

I could see leaves along this new branch that are small, thin with crispy leaf edges, presumably from the high angle and all-day sun (same conditions in this respect for both trees).

But the branch elongated nicely (a couple of feet) and didn't produce any weird or unusual growth at the branch tip.

When you look at the end of this branch, it looks healthy and might further produce additional normal growth (rain in the forecast) yet this season as one would expect.

Looking at all the other branches on #1, the ends have quit growing and appear to be hardened off with smooth, finished ends, like one would expect this time of the season, with no underdeveloped growth.

Entire branch #1 tree: 30" long?

View of the end of this new 'second flush' branch: Very different from #2 tree.

So, without anything else I can think of, to share about these two trees, I can say #1 tree looks like a 'keeper'. :-)

eta: added picture of whole tree.

:-)

9-9-2025;

The #1 tree grew quite a bit in August even though we didn't get any rain all month.
I thought it would simply harden off as it was getting pretty dry.

It’s starting to look like a tree!

9-10-2025;

Yes, and if it grows as much next season as it did this summer, it's going to start to look like something. ;^)

This also brings up the question about the moisture requirements, going around online, that advised this tree not to be planted in a dry location. Phssst! Where I live I'm well acquainted with dry!

The #2 tree out front hasn't had supplementary water since the scant rains we had last July (1/4"?) which would make that particular spot very near 'Dry, Dry', yet it has grown well this summer.

And those horizontal branches that grew straight out from the main trunk after the severe pruning I gave it this spring, all bent themselves upward, growing more vertical like a tree (sorry for the sunny picture and wildlife protection).

Furthermore, when you look at the new second flush growth that occurred during August, with these dry conditions, actually appear more normal now than they ever did the last few seasons, with regular irrigation.

So, I learned something about this tree. Not be so concerned about water, the tree will be fine if it gets on the dry side, especially in late summer and fall.

These events changed my opinion of these trees significantly .

If it winterkills fine, it still a goner but now I'll just have to give this tree another chance, again this spring.

:o)

8-15-2026: Update!

In another 'plant damage' thread, I posted about the removal of A. pseudosieboldianum #2 (front yard tree). So that one is gone and replaced with a different plant.

Tree #1 (back yard tree) is my last remaining Korean Maple.

It leafed out beautifully this spring even though I noticed damage on other trees here because of a string of high 70's and low 80d days middle of April, then a return to teens and low 20's the following week (mostly dead buds on several varieties of spruce trees and one severely damaged oak).

Seemingly no winter damage at all one this one, end of May (new growth somewhat orangey some with reddish leaf margins).

Continued new growth middle of June comes out bright orange/red.

By end of July, it goes to dark green with sprits of red/orange tip growth.

Yesterday, I had to 'sky line' it to show the form (I cut out one competing leader, earlier this spring but regret it bc the tree sent no new shoots out of that spot, leaving a somewhat empty area in the center (live and learn, I'm not touching this one anymore)).

6-1/2 ft. tall with near 2" caliper, 2ft. of clear trunk for regional purposes.

We will await what Fall colors amount to. ;-)

:-)

It’s a super cool tree. I’d pay handsomely for a Korean maple like yours

Thanks Lane!

5th year in the ground from a $6 seedling. But I had to wait that long for results. lol

What are the chances that one out of two would make it.

It grew a ton this year. How many seeds did you get for $6? How many did you plant? From where did you obtain the seeds? (the wheels are turning in my head now)

I've probably mentioned this somewhere before, but these were 'seedlings' (pictured above in this thread).

They were $6/each at the time, 6 years ago and we were in the area, so we stopped and got the grand tour. 😏 That's when I spotted the Maples in small containers and bought them.

https://www.reesevilleridgenursery.com/

It says Wholesale plant nursery but he's a great guy to deal with, friendly and was more than happy to mail order things for me. It's where I got my creeping junipers and late pagoda dogwood from too.

Today I just noticed my Korean maples bark is beginning to show what appears to be mottled color appearance.

AI told me it's not possible for korean maple to have mottled bark and it must be some sort of disease, mold or lichen or freeze damage lol.

I checked it very closely and it doesn't look like any of those things.

Unless someone can tell me what this is, it appears to be mottled colored bark.

here's some close-ups with dryer bark (the above was watered wet).

🤔

^^stuff like that always makes me super nervous. Hope it is not some kind of damage, Bill. But if is freeze damage, which it kinda looks like to me, i I would think it would have presented way before now

Thanks L.

I rubbed my finger on the white spots and they didn't show disturbance. Which led be to believe it was bark color and not something growing on the surface.

But looking at the cracks in the bark in the second picture, they appear to continue through the white spots, not under them. Then to, there appears to be a little white 'fuzz' along the edges of those cracks, that would point to something like mold on the surface, that has dried and then 'shredded' as the trunk bark enlarges, causing cracks to appear.

We did have some very 'hot for us' weather with rain and high humidity this summer, so possibly some sort of mold blotches that formed on the surface of the bark?

I'm not sure but the tree appears healthy, so I won't be too concerned unless something more develops. 😉

I shouldn't even mess with AI but that's all they offer now with google searches. I'm always suspicious of it to start with, it's wrong so many times. 😖

"but that's all they offer now with google searches"

This is not what I'm seeing on Google. Yes, AI is at the top, but if you scroll down below the 'show more' flag you will find old school searches.