I am trying to get information on how to winterize a "red dragon" japonese maple?

Question

We have an "acer palmatum dissectum red dragon"

Answer 1

Nice choice in the tree. The red dragon is a small variety of the lace leaf types that typically matures to about 5' rounded or so and has good color for most of the season but tends to have more of a bronze foliage throughout the heat of the summer than other cultivars. How you would go about "winterizing" it completely depends on where you are.

If you are in an area that has snow / ice you will want to do something to protect it from winter damage. The palmatums have very brittle branches, especially the dissectums. To combat this you can build a simple wooden structure to protect it or simply make sure that too much snow doesn't pile on it through the winter. Myself I prefer just to shovel them off once in a while because the branching is stunning especially with the sheen of ice covering it.

Don't try to tie it up! The branching is much to complex and fragile to sucessfully do this.

If the tree is in a windy area you may want to spray the tree with "Wilt Pruff". This is an anti-dessicant that will help the leaf buds stay moist through the winter. Acer species have their dormant buds exposed on the surface of the bark in winter.

If rodents are a problem for you (Japanese Maple bark is a favorite for many rodents) then spray the bark with a hot pepper wax. This is made by Bonide Chemicals and it works very well and doesn't need to be applied again if you wait until a couple of days before the first snowfall to spray the tree.

I assume you just planted it as you want to know how to winterize it... In this case continue to keep the tree watered until it loses its leaves. The more water the plant has going into the winter the stronger it will pull through it.

That's about all... if you're in a really cold area you may want to mound some mulch up around the roots to insulate them, but make sure you remove the extra mulch next spring.

Hope this helps

Answer 2

Acer is the genus of Maples, Palmatum means palm-shaped leaves, and the sub-species dissectum means that the leaves are deeply clefted. Wait until all of the leaves have dropped, and you can use two methods to winterize the plant. First way is to get a large burlap bag....cut out the bottom and gently pull the bag over the tree, gathering up the branches and tucking them inside. Tie the bag around the trunk....and you can fill the bag with leaves or straw (leaves work better) then tie top of bag....wetting the burlap...not drenching....is good too. The second way is to tie up the branches (to prevent breakage from wind) and buy a wax coat from a garden supply....forgotten the name, but the wax is used on fruit trees to prevent premature flowering...as the temperature increases in the spring, the wax melts off, and it is time to untie the branches.

Answer 3

Well its easy. Most maples in my area like the shade in the summer with ample watering. But in the winter time your watering methods should fade. The trees usually go dormant in the winter so they don't use alot or any water at all. If you need to before the night chills hit do some minor pruning for shape. Some maples are slow growing so if you prune to much you can lose the alot of growth. Hope this helps..

Answer 4

Tips for winter care of trees
and shrubs

Watering: Good winter
care starts with thorough watering in the fall.
When the garden season draws to a close, it is tempting to just forget about your plants. But you
should continue to water all woody plants - especially newly planted trees and shrubs and all evergreens in the fall.


Water them well until the ground freezes, and make sure you water adequately through a dry fall. (These plants will need the equivalent of one inch of rain per week. In a wet fall, you can relax.)

Protect young trees by putting plastic tree guards around the bottom of their trunks to prevent damage from gnawers such as rabbits and mice. Make sure the tree guards go high enough - over the snow line. (I always remove them in the spring because it looks better and then I don't have the problem of the guards trapping moisture against the bark in the summer and attracting insects.)

If rabbits are a big problem in your area, winter care of trees and shrubs should include putting chicken wire cages around the plants they find most tasty.

Prevent rabbit and rodent damage with a pest repellent spray that you apply on lower trunks, branches and stems. Such products generally have to be reapplied after wet weather.

Answer 5

I would water less and put lots of mulch around it to protect from the cold. Not much else you can do.