An excellent question and one which produces a whole variety of well intentioned but completely wrong answers. The real secret if there is one to growing maples successfully in containers is getting the compost right from the get go and simply keeping an eye on the trees performance.
I will be answering the question "What is the right compost for Maples" in a future post but for now just read through this post
I will be answering the question "What is the right compost for Maples" in a future post but for now just read through this post
Why Are My Potted Maples Leaf Tips Burning?
To answer this particular question I will assume you have the compost sorted as well as the watering.
It is often written that the red leaved varieties are more "tender" and their leaves will scorch in our pathetic British sun so therefore need "light shade" to prosper. People follow this unsound advice and discover that there lovely red maple then turns green!
In despair they then believe that they have either been sold a "pup" or they have done something wrong. The reality is that all they have done is follow the wrong advice so here is the correct advice.
Maples need to see the sun to maintain their colouration be it on their leaves or on their twigs. In common with all nearly all plants they also need sunlight to photosynthesise plant foods. So if you put the Maple in the shade it doesn;t get enough sun and two things happen.
Firstly the plant becomes more green than anything else as it tries to manufacture enough food from the lower light levels and secondly the leaves begin to get bigger to increase the available surface are for photosynthesis.
You have to bear in mind that these plants are native to Japan and South east Asia where the lux or sunlight level is far higher than here in the UK. This means that they can easily cope with our insipid British sun provided they have access to the right air/moisture balance.
It isn't the sun that kills or disfigures maples it is the air water imbalance in the pots.
The only justification for putting potted maples into the shade temporarily is if they are going to be left unattended for a period of time and the shade should slow evaporation down and give the maple a buffer against drought.
There are far better ways to alleviate drought in potted Maples and I will go into these at a later date as currently our summer is very wet and overcast so all Maples should be able to see the sky!
It is often written that the red leaved varieties are more "tender" and their leaves will scorch in our pathetic British sun so therefore need "light shade" to prosper. People follow this unsound advice and discover that there lovely red maple then turns green!
In despair they then believe that they have either been sold a "pup" or they have done something wrong. The reality is that all they have done is follow the wrong advice so here is the correct advice.
Maples need to see the sun to maintain their colouration be it on their leaves or on their twigs. In common with all nearly all plants they also need sunlight to photosynthesise plant foods. So if you put the Maple in the shade it doesn;t get enough sun and two things happen.
Firstly the plant becomes more green than anything else as it tries to manufacture enough food from the lower light levels and secondly the leaves begin to get bigger to increase the available surface are for photosynthesis.
You have to bear in mind that these plants are native to Japan and South east Asia where the lux or sunlight level is far higher than here in the UK. This means that they can easily cope with our insipid British sun provided they have access to the right air/moisture balance.
It isn't the sun that kills or disfigures maples it is the air water imbalance in the pots.
The only justification for putting potted maples into the shade temporarily is if they are going to be left unattended for a period of time and the shade should slow evaporation down and give the maple a buffer against drought.
There are far better ways to alleviate drought in potted Maples and I will go into these at a later date as currently our summer is very wet and overcast so all Maples should be able to see the sky!
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