He didn't know maples would not grow in the tropics, so he went ahead.

Clicio

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No, I am not talking about trident maples; those are like weeds everywhere. You need to drag them tied to the rear of a a truck to kill them, or so they say.
I am trying some different cultivars, like Deshojo and Kotohime.
The secret (up to now...) is taking them out of the sun on time, before the leaves are all scorched.
And water, plenty of water.
They're waking up, as Spring is here. Which means 97ºF today...

The Deshojo woke up two weeks ago.
20201001_155055-2.jpg

20201001_155031-2.jpg


The Kotohime woke up this week.
20201001_154530.jpg

Temperature today.
They say tomorrow will be hotter.
Maples don't like at all.
Screenshot_20201001-162614_One UI Home.jpg
 

hinmo24t

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very cool maples in 104* F, good call - they dont like full sun for me either in boston lol

big gabriel medina filpe toledo and italo ferreira fan here. and gisele
 

Clicio

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big gabriel medina filpe toledo and italo ferreira fan here. and gisele

Hum... Medina is OK. Nice guy, as Filipe and Italo also are.
Beach boys.
Now let's talk about Gisele, the goddess.
Absolutely perfect.
Let me see: Born in the tropics, tall blonde girl, beautiful wavy hair, best model on the industry.
So much for stereotypes, isn't it?
And so are Maples grown in Brazil.
 

Shibui

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Great to see your maples are still looking good.
From talking to growers in tropical Australia I understand that Japanese maples do survive for a while in tropical areas but they just seem to get a little weaker each year until they finally die. Some have kept a few alive for 4 or 5 years but as far as I can see none of them actually thrive the way they should.
It may not be the heat in summer that is the problem. We get temps well over 40C here and apart from burning the leaves and occasionally sunburnt bark the maples are quite OK. More likely it will be lack of cold winter that causes any decline. Maybe it would be worth trying some way of keeping some a bit colder during dormant time just to see if that makes a difference.
Best of luck with your trials.
 

Clicio

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From talking to growers in tropical Australia I understand that Japanese maples do survive for a while in tropical areas but they just seem to get a little weaker each year until they finally die.

Well, I am not the first one.
There are many bonsai growers here in Brazil who keep healthy maples for decades, specifically in the south (which is colder, like in Australia).
I am quite sure it's not a hopeless quest.
😉
 

hinmo24t

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Hum... Medina is OK. Nice guy, as Filipe and Italo also are.
Beach boys.
Now let's talk about Gisele, the goddess.
Absolutely perfect.
Let me see: Born in the tropics, tall blonde girl, beautiful wavy hair, best model on the industry.
So much for stereotypes, isn't it?
And so are Maples grown in Brazil.
Good call w Medina. Brazil has some great surfers and beach scene

Cool differentiating w the maples down there!
 

Clicio

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Maybe it would be worth trying some way of keeping some a bit colder during dormant time just to see if that makes a difference.

Yes, I've been trying to keep them in the shadiest part of the garden during the winter.
I don't think the fridge way is feasible, unless all the other components of the equation are present, such as longer nights, shorter daylight, humidity, airflow. Can be done but it costs a lot of money, work, time and effort.
Thanks for sharing your experience, @Shibui
 

Kudo

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In the South of Brazil they have an almost temperate climate, so Japanese maples can more easily grow. I also live in Brazil in a different city of Clicio but not too far away, so the climate is similar and hotter than South but have a chiller winter - not uncommon a 5 ºC (41F) - compared to the Central or North parts of Brazil.

In my little experience there are very few cultivars of japanese maple that can live normally here - I don't own any but have seen some bonsai - and others just struggle to survive. I have some Mountain Japanese Maple (yama momiji) grown from seed from Japan since 2009 and they are still alive but not thriving as they should. For these particular plants that I own the growth is not as vigorous as I see on BNut posts from temparete climate countries, but still throwing some healthy shoots and they seem to go dormant - won't throw new shoots - on winter but the leaves won't completely fall like trident maples do here. I don't put them on refrigetaror or some kind of cold house. And also they won't thicken the trunk as fast as I see on posts.

So, can japanese maple live long term in Brazil? The answer may be yes to where I live and certailny yes for Southern region. Can they really thrive? Maybe yes, maybe not.
 

Clicio

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So, can japanese maple live long term in Brazil? The answer may be yes to where I live and certailny yes for Southern region. Can they really thrive? Maybe yes, maybe not.

Like you said, definitely yes in the southern region; and most probably in the southeast, but not from Rio upwards.
There are some beautiful Japanese maples in public and private gardens in São Paulo, some quite old, and they do good.
I've seen thriving maple bonsai in Curitiba and downwards.
So, let's try! ;)
 

LanceMac10

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Gabby is a gunshot to Italo's Christmas tree full of hand grenades!!
🥳

Brazil has the best surfers, footballers and the hottest ladies, (Gisele non-withstanding), gimme a sweet curvy dark-skinned Carnivale woman and now we're cooking!!!

Japanese Maple in Brazil? That will be tough. Good luck @Clicio my friend!!:cool:
 

zanduh

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i would love to see your “fall” shots and how you are forcing dormancy. I had this depressing thought that if in 1000 years we have greenhouse-style colonies on Mars they will only have tropical trees. This gives me hope that there will be crazy people who figure out maples just for the fun of it!
 

Clicio

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Brazil has the best surfers, footballers and the hottest ladies, (Gisele non-withstanding), gimme a sweet curvy dark-skinned Carnivale woman and now we're cooking!!!
Yeap, I have to agree!

Japanese Maple in Brazil? That will be tough. Good luck @Clicio my friend!!:cool:
If it's not tough, it's not fun at all...
I'll prove you skeptical people all wrong!
hahahahaha
 

Clicio

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i would love to see your “fall” shots and how you are forcing dormancy.

I am NOT forcing dormancy. When it gets to 15C and lower, as it happens in the winter here, they go dormant alright.
Unfortunately, you are right. No beautiful fall colors. The leaves dry and fall in the end of Autumn.
I am not pushing the point, but the State of São Paulo is full of sweet gum maples from Canada.
All thrive, but the only ones that show fall colors are the ones planted in mountain cities like Campos do Jordão, where it gets colder earlier and temperatures can be 0C minus on many nights during winter.
 

Kudo

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Same here: no fall colors. This picture show two japanese maples. The leaves from the front one fell on winter and it is starting to show spring growth. The leaves from the one in the back didn't fall until now and seems to still be dormant. The japanese maple I own show this kind of behaviour: during fall/winter the leaves start to dry and fall without fall color, like the leaves from the back of the picture are now.

20201002_105305.jpg
 
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