Trident maple - overwintering

[aphid]

Hi all,

I have always wanted one of those really fat trident maples. Does anyone in New England or zone 6 and lower successfully grow them with minimal winter protection? I have a small tool shed in the backyard where I keep all my trees, but the temperature in there does fluctuate a bit. The shed definitely shields from the wind, but it still gets down to the teens or lower in there somedays then change to the 30's another day. I have never had one because I read that they have high water content and need more winter protection than other maples.

Please state your zone and how you overwinter your big tridents. Thank you.

 

[CHUCHIN]

If you have a shed, you should be fine... As an extra pre-caution wrap the rootball(Pot included) in burlap and sit in oversized tubbed(Cement Tub Home Depot/Loews) Mulch entire rootball (including pot) to the base.

You do that and tree should be fine... When you have to water(Yes you do in the winter) water first thing in the morning and never at night...

I am not an expert but I keep about my Tridents alive this way every winter. This may be over kill but is there such a thing to keep your kids safe?

Good luck and please seek points from others on here and possibly in your zone.

James

 

[Dav4]

I had tridents for about 10 years in N. Attleboro, MA, usda zone 6. I overwintered them in my unheated garage, mulched with wood chips on the concrete floor. The temps inside the garage in January and early February could fall into the single digits, but the tridents all did fine, nestled in the frozen mulch from Xmas until Easter.

There were two issues to be dealt with that were much more significant then cold temps. They were the presence of rodents like mice and voles, and the heat gain that invariably started in mid to late February. I dealt with the rodents by placing traps around the mulched trees and particularly near the maples, and I also started using naphthalene moth balls as a deterrent (very toxic-keep away from pets and kids). To deal with the heat gain, I'd leave the doors wide open all the time...I'd even close them during the day if it were cloudy. You want to keep the trees cold and dormant as long as possible.

 

[Don Blackmond]

I keep tridents in my greenhouse (about 30 degrees), on the floor with no additional protection in my unheated garage (down to single digits), and outdoors sitting on the ground (temps to -15 or so). I live in Southwest Michigan.

imo, tridents are more resilient than other forms of japanese maple.

 

[discusmike]

I've never lost one, but have been warned when roots get active in early spring n temps drop, frost, protect the roots or you can lose them.

 

[garywood]

Like Don, Tridents on the ground exposed with single digits and haven't had any problems. They aren't exposed for prolonged periods at this temp, only a few days at a tine. You seem to be zone 6 so personally I wouldn't worry too much. As Chuchin said, take a little extra precaution.

 

[CHUCHIN]

I've never lost one, but have been warned when roots get active in early spring n temps drop, frost, protect the roots or you can lose them.

Thats the soft spot...One year I almost killed every single one I owned during that window of time. You know Maryland weather... I repotted buds were pushing and boom Freeze for a week straight... All branch structure turned black on me and almost gave me a heart attack...They all lived but took me almost 5 years to build back the branch work I had already achieved.

James

 

[M. Frary]

Is it possible to grow a trident maple up here in northern Michigan? I've got winter storage under control but my question is there enough sunlight for them here?

 

[garywood]

Is it possible to grow a trident maple up here in northern Michigan? I've got winter storage under control but my question is there enough sunlight for them here?

Mike, a consideration for thought, summer daylight may not be as intense as southern latitudes but the length of total daylight is a pretty good equalizer. If optimal winter conditions can be controlled then being close to the 45th parallel gives optimum growing conditions as far as total daylight is concerned.

 

[M. Frary]

I've been wondering about tridents up here for a while now. I guess I may have to get one and give it a whirl. Thank you Gary.

 

[Don Blackmond]

Is it possible to grow a trident maple up here in northern Michigan? I've got winter storage under control but my question is there enough sunlight for them here?

sunlight during the growing season? or during winter? not sure which you are questioning. my answer is yes to both. they don't need sun during winter. the day light hours and growth season are fine during the growing season. you will just have a shorter season for development, that's all.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

I kept Tridents in Chicago, and yes I agree with the statement they are more robust than Japanese Maples. The summers were fine - it was the winters that were the problem. I overwintered mine in an unheated garage on shelves (but the garage was attached to the house which kept it from getting TOO cold) or in unheated window wells. I would put snowballs on them to keep them from drying out - when the temps would get above freezing the snow would melt, etc. I never lost a tree. I know people who would put their maples in a cold frame and bury the pots in snow - it is a great insulator and keeps them from getting too cold or drying out.

 

[fh05]

Any special precautions to take, with the temps fluctuating like they are ~ 20 F up or down in 1 day for tridents or other species.

 

[M. Frary]

sunlight during the growing season? or during winter? not sure which you are questioning. my answer is yes to both. they don't need sun during winter. the day light hours and growth season are fine during the growing season. you will just have a shorter season for development, that's all.

I was talking during the growing season. The reason is I wasn't sure if the sun was intense enough up here. If that makes sense. I know they won't need any during winter because they're deciduous trees. No leaves no way to absorb light.

 

[Don Blackmond]

I was talking during the growing season. The reason is I wasn't sure if the sun was intense enough up here. If that makes sense. I know they won't need any during winter because they're deciduous trees. No leaves no way to absorb light.

That's not an issue.

The positive: there is less chance for sun scorch and less need for any protection from the sun.

The negative: there is a shorter growing season.

 

[CHUCHIN]

It does come down to where you live...Don is right...They dont require any sunlight in the winter...As far as winter care I think that point is now calibrated...

In general, Tridents love full sun...Perhaps not Texas sun but they thrive in full sun. You just have to keep giving them a lot of water...They are guzzlers...I live in Maryland Zone 7 and I keep my Trident in full sun all summer until they drop their leaves in the fall...No shade cloth, zero covering and I experience little to no sunburn. I am also employed and only water Sun Up and around 4pm. If you live in area that gets limited sun light or reduced total sunlight than reduce your water...So many factors to balance...

Location > Soil > Water

Another one of my favorite species besides Korean Hornbeams. Kaede bonsai will keep you busy... Its like a beard...grows seemingly daily. Great trees

James

 

[aphid]

How many years in the ground would these take for a good sized trunk?

0320 Acer buergerianum'Evergreen's Rough Bark' These are cuttings from a chance seedling of A. buergerianum that has rough bark. We have been watching this plant for many years and the new growth continues to produce a very nice small scaly bark similar to that of Hawthorn except that it is tan rather than gray. New growth will not begin to show scales for about 3 years. This is a very exciting development for bonsai. The size of the scales will be proportional for a small bonsai, all other characteristics will be the same as the species. Pictured is the bark detail, the bright disc is a quarter, shown for size reference.
2 3/4 INCH POTS $18
FOUR INCH $27


0325 Acer buergerianum 'Naruta kaede' This cultivar of A. buergerianum is quite vigorous and grows faster than the species, but its main attraction is its leaves that have rolled edges. This gives the 3 lobed leaves 3 sharp points that are very unusual and distinctive. At first glance it appears the tree needs water, but upon closer inspection the unusual leaf shape is evident. Its vigor will yield large trunks very quickly. Cutting grown plants avoid the nasty looking grafts common with trident maple.
2 3/4 INCH POTS $12
FOUR INCH POTS $18

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

Depends what you consider good sized. It seems like my tridents put on 1/2" of caliper at the base each year if I'm intervening with digging up or chopping back. It probably slows them down, but I want movement and taper. New runners can grow 1"+ thick in a year.

This thread shows 5 seasons of the same trident in the ground:
http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?3285-The-2010-BonsaiNut-Maple-Project

 

[aphid]

Depends what you consider good sized. It seems like my tridents put on 1/2" of caliper at the base each year if I'm intervening with digging up or chopping back. It probably slows them down, but I want movement and taper. New runners can grow 1"+ thick in a year.

This thread shows 5 seasons of the same trident in the ground:
http://bonsainut.com/forums/showthread.php?3285-The-2010-BonsaiNut-Maple-Project

A coke can sized trunk like yours is definitely "good sized". I see that you have a fence. Do you have deer problem, too? Deer have eaten half of my Japanese maple cultivars in the ground!

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

No deer. Plenty of squirrels, occasional cats and opossums, even saw a fox up the street once, but nothing has really bothered the trees much.