Palm mapleis the pearl of Japanese gardens. Its interesting appearance catches the eye and is perfect as a representative element in the garden. See whatvarieties of palm maplework best in home gardens and allotments, what does the cultivation of palm maple look likein our climate and which care treatments are the most important, and also how to protect this tree from possiblediseases of the palm mapleHere's everything about this beautiful plant!
Palm maple - habit
Palm maple(Acer palmatum) is an ornamental tree or shrub that sheds leaves for the winter.It forms a wide crown made of thin branches. The species grows up to 5 meters in height with a similar width. Its leaves are green, fan-shaped, and clipped. In autumn, they turn into wonderful golden red colors. Especially appreciated arevarieties of the palm maplewith intensely red leaves. If we provide this plant with a suitable position, it will grow perfectly and decorate the garden for many years.Palm maplegoes well with shrubs and, above all, dark green conifers. Large specimens of palm maple are usually the dominant feature of the bedding arrangement.
Although these plants are often confused with each other by amateurs of gardening, it is worth knowing thatpalm maple(Acer palmatum) is a completely different species than Japanese maple (Acer japonicum) and maple red (Acer rubrum).
Japanese maple - varieties
The palm maplecomes in many varieties. They differ in leaf color, height and habit. Meet the best and easily availablevarieties of palm maplethat will work in your garden!
Palm maple 'Atropurpureum'- is the most famous and appreciated variety of palm maple, growing up to 3 meters in height. It has fan-shaped, cut leaves, intensely dark red, which makes it clearly distinguishable from other plants in the garden composition. Its small size predisposes the palm maple 'Atropurpureum' to cultivation in small gardens.
Palm maple 'Bloodgood'- is a variety of palm maple growing up to 6 m in height with an erect habit. The bark is dark gray and the leaves are deeply cut, dark purple.
Palm maple 'Dissectum'- definitely one of the slowest growing varieties of palm maple, reaching 2 meters in height, with a slightly overhanging habit. The leaves are heavily indented, green in color, and have additionally jagged edges. They turn bright yellow in autumn.
Palm maple 'Dissectum Nigrum'- an interesting variety of palm maple growing up to 1.5 m high with brown-red, heavily cut leaves. Like the maple variety 'Dissectum', it has a slightly sloping habit.
Palm maple 'Mikawa-yatsubusa ' - an extremely interesting variety of palm maple growing up to 0.8 m in height. The shrub has a very original habit thanks to densely arranged leaves.
'Orange Dream' maple- grows up to 4 meters high, and its leaves are cut and pointed. In spring they have an intense orange color, then they turn yellow.
Palm maple 'Sangokaku'- is a variety of palm maple with branches that change color to a red color in winter. During the growing season the leaves are vivid green, in autumn golden yellow with a peach tinge.
Palm maple - leaves
Palm maple - cultivation
Palm maplehas high requirements as to the position, but if we provide it with a suitable place, we will be delighted with the view of this extremely interesting plant for a long time. Growing palm mapleis best done in sunny to partially shaded locations. Ideally, the site should be sheltered from winds.
Palm maplewill grow well in moist, well-drained and slightly acidic soils. It tolerates a slight alkaline reaction, but does not tolerate catchment and wetland soils. It is also not fully frost-resistant, especially its young specimens. Therefore, for the winter, cover them with straw mulch, jute or agrotextile.
Mostvarieties of palm mapledo not tolerate direct sunlight and prolonged droughts. During the growing season, remember to irrigate regularly. If there are no disturbing changes in the form of spots, spore clusters or mycelial blooms onpalm maple leaves , and the edges of the leaves dry up significantly, this may indicate a small amount of water in the substrate. Therefore, plants should be watered regularly, especially in summer.Inthe cultivation of the palm mapleit is also very important to mulch the soil around the trunk. Such a treatment will protect this shallow-rooting plant from drought and frost.The palm maple does not require pruning , if we do it too much, we can permanently deform it.
Palm maple - red leaves falling in autumn also have their own special charm
Palm maple - diseases
Palm maple verticillium disease- symptoms of this dangerous disease of the palm maple can be observed in the summer in the form of drying leaves. Between the veins, the leaf tissue turns yellow, then turns brown, and consequently the leaves fall. Browning of the outer rings can be observed on the cross-section of the shoot. The infection occurs through wounds on the roots. Plants that have frozen or become dry during the growing season can also be infected. The fight against verticillus is to avoid planting palm maple in places where diseased plants have grown.If symptoms of the disease are observed, the shoots should be removed and the infected plants should be sprayed with Topsin M 500 SC.
Powdery mildew of palm maple- Powdery mildew is a disease of palm maple which is manifested on the top of the leaf blade in the form of a white floury coating on which you can see black tiny spots of the fungus spores. After a dozen or so days, the raid darkens and the spores are transferred to neighboring plants. The fungus hibernates on shoots or in fallen leaves, and spores are formed in spring. This dangerous disease of the palm maple is favored by frequent rainfall and large differences in air humidity during the day and at night. Spray infected plants 3 times alternately with Discus 500 WG, Amistar 250 SC plant protection products.
Paper blotch on palm maple leaves- symptoms of paper blotch on leaves can be identified by yellow-brown, round blotches with a lighter center appearing on the leaves of the palm maple.Over time, the stains may merge with each other. As it grows, the tissues in the leaf crumble. Leaves become chlorotic, yellow-green in color, becoming covered with black pycnidia with spores of the fungus. On exposure to water, rain or watering, pycnidia open and spores infect neighboring plants. The fight against this disease of the palm maple consists in removing the leaves in the fall, and after observing symptoms, alternating spraying with such preparations as Topsin M 500 SC or Score 250 EC.
Palm maple anthracnose- symptoms of anthracnose are visible along the main nerves of the palm maple leaf tissue. At first they become light green, then they turn yellow, brown and, consequently, die. There are also numerous circular spots surrounded by yellow tissue on the leaf surface. Tiny black spots are acervulus, transferred to neighboring plants in a drop of water or by insects. Fallen leaves must be removed and burned. Spray infected plants 2-3 times with such preparations as: Topsin M 500, Polyran 70 WG.
MSc Eng. Joanna Białowąs
