How long for Arakawa Maple to bark up?

[dpowell]

I purchased this Rough Bark maple as a 2 year old cutting 4 years ago (Jan 2010) and I'm still waiting for it to start to form the characteristic rough bark. Am I just being impatient or should I start being able to see the corking form given the base is changing from green to grey?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

It doesn't look like my arakawa. Mine starts to bark up at the nodes/growth rings. This is a layer of a 5-6 year old branch, making the trunk 6-7 years old, and the twiggiest branches 1-2 years old.

the second one shows another layer, same age, with 2-year old shoots grafted through the trunk.

 

[discusmike]

My arakawa have a lot of red in the trunk and branching, you should be seeing some changes as Brian mentioned around the rings, mine turn a whiteish gray color when they start to crackle.

 

[Dav4]

I suppose your tree may be taking a bit longer to bark up, but I agree with Brian that you will usually see the bark developing on wood that is 4-5 years old. This is a picture of a 4-5 year old arakawa cutting I acquired last year. As Brian said, you can see the bark beginning to develop at the nodes

 

[discusmike]

My branching is red like a jap red maple, I notice the one in the photo has reg color palmatum branching, can they be either? Or does he have another cork bark cultivar?

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

My branching is red like a jap red maple, I notice the one in the photo has reg color palmatum branching, can they be either? Or does he have another cork bark cultivar?

I went out and took another look at mine; seems the new and 1-year-old shoots are red, and as they lignify, they turn green, and eventually start to bark up. It's likely more than 1 arakawa cultivar is out there, but Dave's and mine is consistent with any I've seen.

 

[Kodama16]

I know there is 3 cultivars for sure. I have 3 different type. One that takes years to Bark up. The normal on like you guys. And I have a new import that barks up within a year. I'm at my shop. When I get home ill try to find them and get the new ones name. It's called something different. And the one that takes a really long time was labeled as rough bark not arakawa.
Ill try get pics to. But it raining so might have to wait a few days.

 

[garywood]

I know there is 3 cultivars for sure. I have 3 different type. One that takes years to Bark up. The normal on like you guys. And I have a new import that barks up within a year. I'm at my shop. When I get home ill try to find them and get the new ones name. It's called something different. And the one that takes a really long time was labeled as rough bark not arakawa.
Ill try get pics to. But it raining so might have to wait a few days.

Nishiki Gawa

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Brent lists an Ibo Nishiki as well:

0581 Acer palmatum 'Ibo Nishiki', This is one of the "cork bark" Japanese maple cultivars. It is upright and strong growing with the foliage shape and color of the green species. Leaves are about the same size as the species and good leaf reduction is possible. New stems are a scarlet red. Unlike the other cork bark types, this cultivar does not form irregular large plates or wings, but instead has rough furrowed bark in vertical scales. Corking can begin in three years, but will not form complete mature bark coverage for ten to twenty years. I actually perfer this type bark over the more warty forms. Also, the growth pattern and branching is more like the species than the other cork barks, where branching and ramification can be a problem for bonsai. Cutting grown plants, no graft unions.

 

[Kodama16]

That makes 4 then: ) the one I'm taking about it ryu something. Its newto USA. I think been in the US only 2 years. I forgot to go look at it today. Ill try to remember in the morning.

 

[dpowell]

Thanks for all the replies everyone. Mine does not have the red branching that everyone's describing and isn't showing any signs of barking up so I'm guessing it was not a cork bark. The only description I could find listed it as a cork bark maple, but did not specify the cultivar name, I'll have to see about contacting the original seller.

 

[Dan W.]

Don't throw it out even if it isn't a corkbark. It has some nice qualities, cork or not.

 

[Kodama16]

That makes 4 then: ) the one I'm taking about it ryu something. Its newto USA. I think been in the US only 2 years. I forgot to go look at it today. Ill try to remember in the morning.

Ryu ukon ara kawa.
So it's is a branch off of arakawa. Just a different cultivar.

 

[dpowell]

Don't throw it out even if it isn't a corkbark. It has some nice qualities, cork or not.

Don't worry, it's not going anywhere, I have plans for this tree. I'm just disappointed I've been growing it for 4 years thinking it's a cork bark. I had even planned on air-layering the sacrifice branches hoping to get a few more.

On the plus side growing it in anderson flats in good soil has given it a decent nebari which will only get better. Also if you look in the overview picture above on the left hand trunk about an inch or 2 up you can see the future trunk leader. Like I said, I do have plans for this tree