Image – mikesbackyardnursery.com
I love Japanese maple. It is a very elegant plant, which is beautiful practically all year round (I would even dare to say that it is always beautiful, also in winter when it runs out of leaves). Like me, there are many other people who like it a lot, surely that's why botanists and growers do their best to bring out new and improved cultivars, such as the Acer palmatum 'Beni Schichihenge'.
As you can see in the image above, this shrub or little tree has green and pink palmate leaves, something that without a doubt it makes it a perfect variety to give color to the garden, or to the patio since it can be kept in a pot.
What are the characteristics of Acer palmatum 'Beni Schichihenge'?
Image – theevergreennursery.com
Our protagonist It is a deciduous shrub that only grows about 2 meters in height by more or less the same width.. Its development is that of a dwarf little tree, with a trunk that begins to branch at a certain distance from the ground; not like others japanese maples that develop branches very, very close to the ground and therefore have a lighter bushy shape.
The leaves, as I said before, are green with pink edges; However, in summer the pink parts become cream, and in autumn they are more reddish. It does not flower, so it only multiplies by grafting during the spring.
What are the care you need?
The Japanese maple 'Beni Schichihenge' is a cultivar that requires somewhat special care so that it can be really good. Next I am going to tell you everything you have to do so that you can have it in perfect condition:
Location
Image – acersonline.co.uk
Where does it have to be? Well, to answer this question it is important to keep in mind that you need to feel the passing of the seasons, the wind, the rain, the cold, etc., for this reason, It must be outside, in the shade. And it is that if we kept it inside the house it would not last long, since it could not withstand the conditions that it would find in the house.
Now, like the rest of the Japanese maples, it is very sensitive to late frosts. Don't get me wrong: it supports frost and in fact it is necessary for the temperature to drop below 0 degrees so that it can better regulate its cycles.
But you should know that as soon as the weather starts to improve it will sprout, which is a problem if there are usually late frosts in your area. For this reason, in these cases, it does not hurt to protect it with a anti-frost fabric and take it off immediately that the temperatures, then yes, rise leaving behind the values below zero.
Soil or substrate
It is a plant that we could label as »acid», since It can only grow in soils that are like this, acid, with a low degree of alkalinity (between 4 and 6.5). This is something that we must keep in mind, whether we want to plant it in the garden or if we prefer to have it in a pot. In fact, In a pot, it will be necessary to put a specific substrate for acidic plants, coconut fiber, or opt for a mineral mixture like the following: 70% akadama + 30% kanuma.
If the garden soil is alkaline, I do not recommend planting it there not even if a very large hole is made and filled with acid soil. Why? Because sooner or later both lands will be mixed unless it is avoided by covering the edges with some plastic; and even so, as soon as the roots reach the bottom -which must be unprotected, that is, without any plastic- surely the leaves will begin to look chlorotic.
Irrigation
Another important issue that is closely related to the land is irrigation water. The water should also have a low pH. (like rainwater, or that of Bezoya for example), since otherwise every time the Japanese maple 'Beni Schihenge' is watered with it, we will cause the soil's pH to rise, something that will end up causing problems like the chlorosis that I mentioned before. This is nothing more than the yellowing of the leaves as a result of some nutrient, which in the case of maple, would be iron.
Also, you have to know that it does not support drought. Because, the soil should always be kept slightly moist.
Subscriber
When do you have to pay it? The ideal is to start in spring, when we see that the buds are waking up. And we will continue until the summer is over and our maple begins to fall; then we will suspend the subscription until next year.
If you want to know which fertilizers to use, I recommend fertilizers that are specific for acid plants. Now, if you have it on the ground, you can fertilize it with guano or goat manure, for example.
Rusticity
El Acer palmatum 'Beni Shichihenge' resists frost down to -18ºCexcept if they are late.
Have you heard of this Japanese maple?