Acer palmatum var. dissection

El Acer palmatum var. dissection It is a kind of Japanese maple a little different from what we are used to seeing. Its leaves are thinner and smaller, but they are also very numerous which contributes to giving it a unique elegance.

In addition, some cultivars have been obtained from this variety capable of withstanding direct sun quite well, provided it is for a short time. As if that were not enough, it tolerates pruning well so that even if we do not have a garden, it is possible to grow it in a pot.

Origin and characteristics of Acer palmatum var. dissection

Our protagonist is a japanese maple originally from Japan and Korea. It is known as Japanese maple, palm maple, or narrow-leaf Japanese maple. It grows as a shrub or sometimes as a small tree up to 7 meters high. It is like him to have slightly arched branches, without being a "weeping".

The leaves are deciduous and fall in autumn-winter after having been reddish or orange since late summer. In spring and during the summer season they remain green. Also, it must be said that it has narrow lobes, with jagged margins.

It blooms during the spring, around the time its foliage sprouts or shortly thereafter. The flowers are very small, less than one centimeter, reddish / pink, and can go unnoticed. For it to give seeds, it is necessary that there are two specimens blooming at the same time: one female and one male, so that pollination can take place.

The fruit is a double samara, that is, a two-camera. A samara is a rounded seed that has a more or less long wing. In the case of maples they have two, each with its wing, and they are joined at one end of the seed.

Varieties or cultivars

There are a series of varieties or cultivars that I think is very interesting to know, and they are:

• Garnet: This cultivar is a shrub that can be shaped into a tree. It reaches 3-4 meters, and during the autumn its leaves turn a dark red color that attracts a lot of attention. In temperate-cold climates, with high humidity, the sun can shine for a few hours as long as it is not the middle of the day.
• Shidare Inaba: is very similar to the previous one. It is a shrub or small tree about 3 meters high, with reddish-purple leaves in autumn. If the climate is humid, with high humidity, and cool, it can be in semi-shade.
• Seyriu: it is a small tree about 7 meters high, with green leaves that turn red in autumn. You can get a little sunshine in the early morning or late afternoon. If you are in the Mediterranean, tell you that, from experience, it is one of the easiest to maintain.
• Viridis: this cultivar is a shrub with a compact, dense, parasol crown. It grows a maximum of 3 meters in height, and in autumn its leaves turn orange and reddish.

Caring for the Acer palmatum var dissectum

If you want to grow this variety of Japanese maple, you have to take into account a few things to know how to maintain it:

Location

Whenever we buy a Japanese maple we have to put it outside, either in the garden or, if we do not have it or the soil is not adequate, in a pot. Now where exactly?

It will depend a lot on the climate of our area and the cultivar. If it is a Seyriu for example and we are in the Mediterranean, we can put it in a place where the sun shines first thing in the morning and shade the rest.

But when in doubt, the ideal will be to put it in the shade; yes, »light shadow». It cannot grow in areas where there is hardly any light.

Soil or substrate

El Acer palmatum var dissectum is a plant that needs acidic soils, with a relatively low pH, between 4 and 6. Likewise, it must have good drainage, because although it wants a lot of water, it does not tolerate the ponding that occurs in those lands that are very heavy and therefore compact.

If you don't have it, then it should be grown in pots with suitable substrates, such as coconut fiber (for sale here), or substrate for acidic plants (for sale here). A 70% akadama mix is ​​also very good (for sale here) with 30% pumice (for sale here) or kanuma (for sale here).

Irrigation

Irrigation will be moderate, more often in summer, especially if it is very hot and coincides with the drought. For example, I to my Acer palmatum var dissectum, and actually all my maples, I water them 3 and up to 4 times a week in summer, because in the south of Mallorca the temperatures are very high during the summer season (we exceed 30ºC and sometimes we touch the maximum 40ºC, and we have a minimum of 20ºC or more).

During the rest of the year, on the other hand, I water little, once a week. It usually rains a little in spring and late summer, and as the humidity is very high, it is always more difficult for the earth to dry out completely. Therefore, if you have a similar climate in your area, you will have to be aware of irrigation, especially in summer.

If it rains frequently, then you will need to water less. But yes, uses rainwater or, failing that, poor in lime. The pH must be low, between 4 and 6.

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It is important to pay it from the moment the leaves sprout, until after the summer. For this, fertilizers such as guano will be used (for sale here), The green manure, or compost for example. In this way, it will grow without difficulty.

Multiplication

El Acer palmatum var. dissection multiplies by seeds in winter, cuttings in winter-spring and cultivars by grafts in spring. It is important to treat everything with ecological fungicides that contain copper (for sale here), as this will prevent fungal infections.

Rusticity

Withstands cold down to -20ºC, and maximums of up to 38ºC if you have water at your disposal. It cannot live in tropical climates.

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