Maple leaf drop for autumn design

Horticulture
1

Hi all,

I live on the Gold Coast of Australia which is in a Mediterranean/sub tropical climate and we are halfway through our last month of autumn (fall). As ive learnt, the window period for maple design work is in autumn when the leaves are dropping. According to the calendar Ryan has put out that should have happened here weeks ago. Since we are nearly in winter and leaves have still not dropped and I have an overseas trip coming up in 3 weeks, if they still havent changed should i go ahead with design, making those structural cuts and refinement work before i go regardless? Or would i best wait till i return 2 weeks later and hope i dont miss that window?

Also, from what Ive learnt from Ryan and other professionals there is a certain time of the year this happens according to your geographic location and there is no exception as it is related to the hours of daylight and not really the temperature. Why would you think this is happening so late for my location? I al relatively new to bonsai so i dont have any comparisons from past seasons.

Ive attached photos of one of my Tridents and Japanese Maples.

Thank you :saluting_face:

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2

You are getting well into fall and the winter solstice when the daylight increases will be about the time you get back. I would do the fall work as close as reasonable to your departure if the leaves still have not changed.

Do your maples normally drop their leaves in the winter? I see that your normal low in mid-winter is 12C with a record of 4C. Mine normally don’t drop their leaves until I have seen some frost.

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3

Hey Marty, to be honest about them dropping their leaves or not, i dont think they fully drop their leaves but i cant be sure as I havent lived this far up the coast long enough to know. From what I remember when I lived 2 hours south they maybe partially dropped. I know for sure Bald Cypress dont fully drop their foliage up here if that helps?

I will definitely do the work before I leave. I assume I defoliate while im doing it yes?

Thanks for your help Marty

4

Another quick question mate. I have a bunch of Japanese Maples im gonna use for a forest. Some have some heavy branches nearly as thick as the trunks on a few of them, still thin enough for cuttings, given the time of year where I am will they be useable as cuttings? Or will they not root atm?

Thanks

5

Lee,

I would not defoliate when you do the chops and other styling. Defoliation is yet another stress on the tree and may be too much in your mild climate. I am hoping that some the members from the southern USA who have a similar climate where bald cypress do lose their leaves can comment on growing Japanese and trident maple. If I were to guess, the Japanese maple will struggle more than the trident. I know that Acer rubrum is grown in Florida so at least some maples can handle the mild winters.

Tanking cuttings at this time will be an interesting experiment. The lengthening daylight after the solstice may stimulate growth and rooting in your mild climate.

Marty

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