Acer ginnala

Amur maple

Acer ginnala has only started to attain popularity as a bonsai. It is certain to become widely used as it is an attractive, fuss-free maple. It shares the three-lobed leaves of trident maple, but is much more frost resistant. In fact, it is more tolerant of adverse conditions than most other maples. Amur maple also has its brilliant autumn coloration to recommend it. It grows to 20 feet in nature, often with multiple trunks. 'Durand's Dwarf' is an especially desirable cultivar for bonsai.

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Lighting:

 Full sun, slight shade in midsummer and in very hot climates to prevent leaf burn.

Temperature:

 Very weather resistant - thrives in zones 3 to 6, but may be grown in somewhat hotter areas if care is taken to prevent leaf-burn or dehydration.

Watering:

 Moderate - increase watering during the summer heat, and keep fairly dry in winter.

Feeding:

 Weekly for the first month after leafing out, then every two weeks through summer. Use bonsai fertilizer or half strength plant food.

Repotting:

 Repot in early spring, before bud burst, using a fast-draining soil mix. Young trees may need to be repotted annually. Otherwise, repot every two years, but not in the same year that the tree is defoliated.

Styling:

 Acer ginnala takes well to bonsai techniques. It buds back rapidly on old wood, and thus can be cut back quite hard. Its leaves will reduce to under one inch if it is defoliated once every two years in midsummer. New shoots should be pruned through the growing season. Acer ginnala may be wired, but like other maples, may require some protection of the bark.

Propagation:

 Cuttings, seed, air-layering.

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Some species suitable for bonsai:


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Related posts on Acer Ginnala:

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Joan J. Smith
jj4art@otn.net
October 26, 1997
I have, what I call, a Japanese Maple.  I've made a grove of 5 and they have been in a dish since 1989.  Is it time to re-pot, root prune or what?  They are outside all year in partial shade.


Joan J. Smith
jj4art@otn.net
October 26, 1997
I have, what I call, a Japanese Maple.  I've made a grove of 5 and they have been in a dish since 1989.  Is it time to re-pot, root prune or what?  They are outside all year in partial shade.




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Date: Tue, 13 Aug 1996 22:21:46 -0700
From: weiser@foothills.eznet.com (Marty & Patty Weiser)

I have found amur maple to be a great tree for bonsai.  Some have said they
are a good cold weather alternative to trident maple and I agree.

They generally grow quite strongly, the leaves are realtively small, and it
is quite hardy.  I don't think I have lost any to freezing and the only ones
I have lost to heat were due to forgetting to water or planting in a very
shallow container right off.

I have seen growth of as many as 15 to 20 pairs of leaves in a season with
approximately 1.3 cm (0.5 in) internodes.  I plant mine in a realtively
coarse mixture and water heavily with fairly heavy fertilizer.

Mine have budded back from old wood - in fact the buds can be a nusence
(sp?).  Of cours I also have A. truncatum and A. tarticum (sp?) which are
quite similar.

Marty
Marty & Patty Weiser
Spokane, WA USA
weiser@eznet.com

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From: IASNOB 
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 96 06:51:00

Acer ginnala is much more frost resistant than the Acer buergerianum. 
Defoliation of this specimen can be a powerful technique when judiciously
applied to a bonsai to (1) replace the leaves with new, smaller leaves for
maximal fall color and (2) to control the development of portions of the
specimen.  As a yearly practice, the cumulative effect can result in a
substantially weakened bonsai--one which might be more profoundly affected
by the effects of disease and fungus over time.

I would recommend that complete defoliation (leaf cutting) be practiced
every other year in mid summer.  Defoliation for the purposes of slowing
or speeding the growth of specific branches can be practiced as required.

Also, after repotting, it is best to wait until the following year to
resume the defoliation schedule--defoliating the bonsai at that time can
interfere with the reestablishment of the root system.

With this said, defoliation ultimately is a practice based on the artist's
design and aesthetic objectives.

Cordially,

Michael Persiano

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Information Sources:

Information on Acer ginnala is taken from Resnick's "Bonsai," and Tomlinson's "Complete Book of Bonsai," along with posts from Marty Weiser and Michael Persiano, and with species information from Thomas (ed.) "The Hearst Garden Guide to Trees and Shrubs."


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