Been growing trident and Japanese maples in south Florida

[Arlithrien]

I can’t say much about growing in Florida except to say that I believe our climate here in Houston is similar to Gainesville - I live in Zone 9b and I generally get close to 200-400 chill hours I think. This winter was mild - I’d be surprised if it was as much as 100. I can say that Trident maples grow extremely well here and are easier than Japanese maples. I know them to do well in the New Orleans area as well. I keep mine in full sun and they do great. Japanese maples grow ok, and do better with a bit of sun protection, especially when the temperature gets above 90 or so. Neither gets particularly good fall colors unless we have an early cold snap. I don’t think you’ll have a problem with Tridents in Orlando and I wouldn’t put them in the refrigerator. I have the sense that the Japanese maples are closer to the southern limit of their zone here. I’d probably go with the Tridents first.

I’m almost sure I’ve seen some videos from Orlando Bonsai where he showed at least one pretty nice tridents.

Yup - 7 minute mark.

Scott

Yeah I have a trident and it's doing well enough in full sun. Might need some shade in the hottest parts of the day but it's hanging in there so far.

I have some Japanese maples inside under a grow light and some outside in the shade to compare growth rates. I might move some in a shady spot that gets morning sun if I can manage but I don't want to be too hasty.

 

[Arlithrien]

And finally we all know Acer rubrum can survive nearly everywhere without issue. I'm always keeping an eye out for outstanding specimens. Here's one I found with very dense foliage, and medium leaves.

 

[markyscott]

And finally we all know Acer rubrum can survive nearly everywhere without issue. I'm always keeping an eye out for outstanding specimens. Here's one I found with very dense foliage, and medium leaves.

Certainly red maple will grow there. I personally would have little interest if I could grow trident instead.

- S

 

[Forsoothe!]

And finally we all know Acer rubrum can survive nearly everywhere without issue. I'm always keeping an eye out for outstanding specimens. Here's one I found with very dense foliage, and medium leaves.

I assume you're air layering some for your friends.... Ahem....B'Nut friends...?

 

[AlainK]

Sorry, but I just hate bonsai videos : most of the time, 90% blah-blah, 10% good (?) tips.

 

[Arlithrien]

I assume you're air layering some for your friends.... Ahem....B'Nut friends...?

Its in my apartment complex in a pretty open spot. I could probably sneak an air layer in under all that Spanish moss. However I might not be able to do so inconspicuously without getting in trouble.

For now I took a few cuttings.

 

[Flabonsai]

Very nice!
The only maples I have in Florida are some A. Rubrum saplings I collected in the swamp.
nothing much yet, but it is nice to know it is possible to do tridents here.
have you been able to get any cuttings to grow?

I also have a few Rubrums that I collected. The Problem with them is there leaf size is a little large even after defoliating and after the 2nd flush comes in.

 

[Arlithrien]

I also have a few Rubrums that I collected. The Problem with them is there leaf size is a little large even after defoliating and after the 2nd flush comes in.

They have such a large genetic variance, I'm sure there are some smaller leafed varieties out in the wild that have yet to have been found.

As someone mentions in this thread drummond's red maple has been used as the current best red maple variety for bonsai, and the leaf reduction is impressive.

Acer rubrum internode reduction

The biggest down side of red maples, acer rubrum, is the huge internode length. I have a thought on how to handle this but have not had a chance to try my theory. I'll say it again that this is untested on my part. My idea is to treat them similar to JBP. Since the first push of growth is...

www.bonsainut.com

 

[Flabonsai]

What about in areas like South Florida where there is under 100 chill hours per year? I am in my first year trying to grow deciduous in a warm climate and was planning on putting my maples in the fridge for a few months.

My understanding has been that maples will eventually fizzle out after a few years of not getting enough chill hours and go comatose.

I'm sure the Japanese maples wont make it for a long time. The tridents that I grew from seeds I'm sure will be fine. They are looking better each year and fuller. These past 2 years they have been growing like crazy. You wont have any problem's growing tridents in Orlando. Just protect them from the strong afternoon sun in the summer.

 

[Flabonsai]

Here’s another recent thread on J Maple dormancy.

Japanese Maples Chill Hour Requirements

I recently purchased several Acer Papmatum trees (Shindeshojo, Akane, Englishtown, Red Dragon, and Orangeola). I plan to develop most of these for bonsai (except the two weeping varieties with high grafts). They are all currently planted in pots. I live in upstate New York in Zone 5b. My...

www.bonsainut.com

Our winter lows are low 40s with no frosts in the last 10yrs. Tridents do wonderful in my microclimate. The leaves are usually spent by late Dec. and some get removed, others don’t. If you look up their native range in China, it also includes coastal areas with mild winters. Japanese Maples don’t do as well in the landscape, but there are larger trees in the neighborhood landscape. Chill hours appear to be sufficient here and heat isn’t a problem. Water quality and untreated fungal issues seem to be the main obstacles.

Congrats on pushing the limits! Now you need a refrigeration crate to grow those northern conifers! Lol.

I see you're in the same zone 10a as me. Your lows are the same but I think we get more rainfall. This week has been the start to the rainy season and we must have got over 5 inch's already . I actually have black pines but I wont even try a white pine down here. lol

 

[Forsoothe!]

Its in my apartment complex in a pretty open spot. I could probably sneak an air layer in under all that Spanish moss. However I might not be able to do so inconspicuously without getting in trouble.

For now I took a few cuttings.

Who's going to know what it is? It's not like this is a common practice among the general populace. Put a name tag on it with your phone number and an ambiguous nomenclature like, "Acer rubrum botanical specimen collection #05212020USF10025Ag. Do not remove. Contact F. O. Baloney, (239) 555-1234, USF Ag" I guarantee people will steer clear. If it looks professional and official, people will assume it is. You can impersonate a professional, right?

 

[Arlithrien]

Who's going to know what it is? It's not like this is a common practice among the general populace. Put a name tag on it with your phone number and an ambiguous nomenclature like, "Acer rubrum botanical specimen collection #05212020USF10025Ag. Do not remove. Contact F. O. Baloney, (239) 555-1234, USF Ag" I guarantee people will steer clear. If it looks professional and official, people will assume it is. You can impersonate a professional, right?

Im not worried about someone messing with it, I'm worried about applying an air layer in public.

 

[Forsoothe!]

I may be a bad person, but I carry a fluorescent orange vest in my car, along with a small shovel, pruning shears, loping shears, saw, trowel, and large plastic bags just in case I stumble across an interesting subject. It's called, "Hiding in plain sight".

 

[hemmy]

Your lows are the same but I think we get more rainfall. This week has been the start to the rainy season and we must have got over 5 inch's already . I actually have black pines

You probably get more rain than us in one storm! 13” this season, our range dry to wet is under 8” to over 30”.

 

[Arlithrien]

I may be a bad person, but I carry a fluorescent orange vest in my car, along with a small shovel, pruning shears, loping shears, saw, trowel, and large plastic bags just in case I stumble across an interesting subject. It's called, "Hiding in plain sight".

Haha. I've joked about doing that but never committed. I have an orange shirt and some blue jeans so maybe I could pull it off. Alright I'll go apply an air layer when I get the chance.

I'm going to move the acer rubrum discussion over to the thread I linked a few posts ago, as it's a little off topic from this threads original discussion.

 

[Shima]

Im not worried about someone messing with it, I'm worried about applying an air layer in public.

I use heavy gauge foil and spray it flat black and/or tie similar stuff around it.

 

[Flabonsai]

Here’s another recent thread on J Maple dormancy.

Japanese Maples Chill Hour Requirements

I recently purchased several Acer Papmatum trees (Shindeshojo, Akane, Englishtown, Red Dragon, and Orangeola). I plan to develop most of these for bonsai (except the two weeping varieties with high grafts). They are all currently planted in pots. I live in upstate New York in Zone 5b. My...

www.bonsainut.com

Our winter lows are low 40s with no frosts in the last 10yrs. Tridents do wonderful in my microclimate. The leaves are usually spent by late Dec. and some get removed, others don’t. If you look up their native range in China, it also includes coastal areas with mild winters. Japanese Maples don’t do as well in the landscape, but there are larger trees in the neighborhood landscape. Chill hours appear to be sufficient here and heat isn’t a problem. Water quality and untreated fungal issues seem to be the main obstacles.

Congrats on pushing the limits! Now you need a refrigeration crate to grow those northern conifers! Lol.

That's a really interesting thread. One of the members is in zone 11 and going on 4 years growing a Japanese maple. From the research I've done it looks like the Green variety are more heat tolerant and the leaves don't burn as much. Are the leaves any thicker on the green Japanese maples and is that why?

 

[Shima]

That's a really interesting thread. One of the members is in zone 11 and going on 4 years growing a Japanese maple. From the research I've done it looks like the Green variety are more heat tolerant and the leaves don't burn as much. Are the leaves any thicker on the green Japanese maples and is that why?

They have more chlorophyll.