How to Grow and Care for Inaba Shidare Japanese Maple

The Inaba Shidare Japanese maple is a small tree known for its compact cascading form and feathery deep purple to red foliage. All Japanese maple trees of the dissectum variety are easily identified by their palmate leaves (7-lobed and 6 inches long, in this case) with deeply-cut margins. Inaba Shidare Japanese maple grows best in conditions that are not extremely cold or hot—it requires full sun in cooler regions and some shade under scorching sun in warmer climates. It thrives in soil that's slightly acidic but also moist and well-draining.

Inaba Shidare Japanese Maple Care

• Plant in full sun in cooler regions and offer a bit more shade in warmer climates.
• Apply 3 inches of mulch around the base to retain moisture in the soil, keep the roots moist, crowd out weeds, and protect the tree from cold weather.
• Keep the ground evenly moist and water the tree during droughts.
  

Light

At the cooler end of its range, give Inaba Shidare Japanese maple full sun. The further south you are, the more it can profit from afternoon shade.

Soil

Plant Inaba Shidare Japanese maple tree in rich soil that is well-drained. To boost soil fertility, compost is an excellent choice because it also helps out with soil structure, drainage, and moisture retention.

Water

Provide your tree with evenly moist soil. The soil in its root zone should never dry out completely. But neither should you irrigate so much that the ground becomes waterlogged.

Temperature and Humidity

Inaba Shidare Japanese maple is cold-hardy enough (zone 5) to live in all but the coldest portions of the United States. It can survive the heat and humidity of a southern summer only down to zone 9, which excludes areas such as southern Florida. Given its preference for an evenly moist soil, it is not recommended for regions with extreme heat and low humidity, such as southern Arizona.

Fertilizer

Since Inaba Shidare Japanese maple likes a slightly acidic soil pH, fertilize it annually in early spring with a fertilizer meant for acid-loving plants.

Types of Inaba Shidare Japanese Maple

In addition to 'Inaba Shidare', there are many types of Japanese maple trees. They come in different heights, with differently shaped leaves, and in different colors. Examples include:

• 'Crimson Queen' (Acer palmatum var. dissectum 'Crimson Queen'): This tree is more weeping and less upright than Inaba Shidare. This dwarf tree grows to 10 feet tall and offers foliage with more of a brown tint.
• 'Bloodgood' (Acer palmatum 'Bloodgood'): 'Bloodgood' grows up to 20 feet tall, with red leaves and non-dissected foliage.
• Golden Full Moon (Acer shirasawanum 'Aureum'): This tree grows up to 20 feet tall, with non-dissected leaves that come with 9 to 13 lobes. It has lime-to-chartreuse-tinged golden leaves and turns orange and red in fall.
• Acer palmatum 'Harriet Waldman': This type grows up to 15 feet tall. It has non-dissected leaves and the foliage is variegated, with new leaves starting pink but eventually turning three colors (pink, white, and green).
• Acer palmatum 'Abigail Rose': The dwarf's foliage is crinkled with variegated pink leaves and stays around 5 feet tall.
• Acer palmatum 'Orangeola': This dwarf's orange fall and purple summer foliage grows compact to only 3 feet tall and wide.

Pruning

Pruning a Japanese maple isn't a requirement, but it does keep the tree healthier. People with small yards may wish to keep their Inaba Shidare Japanese maple smaller than the maximum size for as long as they can. Luckily, the tree does not mind pruning, so you can keep it compact by pruning as needed in late winter while the plant is still dormant. If, however, you have no space constraints and want your specimen to get as big as possible so that it will show up better from the street, it is also perfectly all right not to prune Inaba Shidare Japanese maple.

Propagating Inaba Shidare Japanese Maple

You can easily propagate Inaba Shidare Japanese maple via cuttings. The best time to propagate from Inaba Shidare Japanese maple cuttings is in late spring. This gives the new growth that the tree is producing enough time to harden up a bit, yet it is still early enough that this growth isn't too hard. Here's how to do it:

1. Fill a 6-inch pot that has drainage holes in the bottom with potting soil, and make a 4-inch-deep hole in the center using a pencil.
2. Sterilize your pruners with rubbing alcohol. Choose a branch tip that has three leaf nodes and cut it off below the lowest node. The cutting should be about 6 inches long.
3. Keep the leaves at the tip of the branch but remove any others that may be on your cutting. 
4. Dip the bottom end of the cutting in rooting hormone.
5. Stick the cutting into the hole. Make sure the bottom leaf node is down about an inch into the hole. Tamp the soil down gently.
6. Create a "tent" over the pot with a clear plastic bag to retain humidity.
7. Place the pot in bright, indirect light.
8. Open the tent to mist the plant with water from a spray bottle twice a day. This will also ventilate the cutting. Keep the potting soil moderately moist, but don't let it get soggy.
9. The roots of your new Inaba Shidare Japanese maple should be established by next year. Once all danger of frost has passed, transplant it directly into the ground.
   

How to Grow Inaba Shidare Japanese Maple From Seed

Propagation can also be easily achieved by seeding. The seeds need to go through the stratification process for results. Take these steps:

1. Inaba Shidare Japanese maple seeds ripen in the fall; harvest them when they turn brown.
2. Remove the samaras—the dry fruit surrounded by papery wings—attached to the seeds.
3. Store the seeds in a bag in a cool, dry place until February.
4. In February, pour the seeds into a container filled with warm water to soak them. Leave them soaking for 24 hours.
5. Drain off the water, and move the seeds into a plastic bag filled with a sand/potting soil mix. Mist this medium so that it is evenly moist but not soggy. Make holes in the bag to provide circulation.
6. Put the bag in the refrigerator for 100 days. 
7. Sow the seeds outdoors after all danger of frost has passed in a fertile, well-drained planting bed. Cover the seeds with 3/8 inch of soil and water them. Whenever the soil is about to dry out completely, water again.
   

Potting and Repotting Inaba Shidare Japanese Maple

One of the dwarf types of Inaba Shidare Japanese maple makes a beautiful potted tree. But even the taller versions can look stunning in a pot if they are pruned to stay under 10 feet tall.

Choose a container made from a porous material, such as clay or wood, that will keep the roots properly aerated. Make sure the pot has plenty of drainage holes to keep the soil well-drained. Choose a pot that is twice the size of the root ball, typically a 5-gallon container will work. Fill it with top-quality potting soil but one that does not have a fertilizer in it since you need a specific food for acid-loving plants. Keep checking the container to make sure your tree is evenly and consistently moist, as potted plants require more vigilant watering schedules than plants in the ground.

Slow-growing Japanese maple trees grown in pots tend to require repotting about every two years as the roots outgrow the container. It's fine to prune the large roots when repotting to make room for smaller roots.

Overwintering

As long as you do not live north of zone 5, you should not have to take any special steps to winterize Inaba Shidare Japanese maple. But if you are afraid the tree is not cold-hardy where you live, spread 3 inches of mulch across the root zone once the tree stops actively growing in late fall to provide insulation against winter's cold. Bring a potted tree into a garage or protected area away from winds and harsh winter weather.

Common Pests and Plant Diseases

The tree is susceptible to both insect pests and diseases which are more often damaging to young, immature trees.

The most common pest is the Japanese beetle which can defoliate a young tree in a short amount of time. Other pests to watch for are scale, mites, borers and aphids. Aphids also carry plant diseases and leave behind a substance called honeydew which can lead to sooty mold on the leaves. Mites and aphids can sometimes be knocked down with a strong spray from a garden hose. Beetles, borers, and scale will likely require treatment with organic or synthetic pesticides. Borers leave behind small mounds of sawdust where they enter the branch. Smaller branches can be pruned out to prevent further damage. Dormant oil applied in the late fall or early spring can also help reduce pest populations.

Diseases affecting Inaba Shidare are verticillium wilt and pseudomonas blight. Wilt begins with the leaves and can move down into branches turning them black. Prune back to well below the blackened branches and avoid overwatering which exacerbates this soil-borne disease. If the tree succumbs to verticillium wilt, do not plant another Japanese maple in its place. Pseudomonas is an airborne bacteria that can spread during moist soggy conditions. It also causes dieback but can be controlled with a copper-based fungicide. Avoid causing any residual water to splash up on the leaves.

A healthy plant is the best method for reducing problems caused by pests and diseases. Keep a close eye on young trees since early intervention will increase chances for recovery.

Common Problems for Inaba Shidare Japanese Maple

Most common problems are easily avoided by practicing sound garden hygiene, such as properly disposing of diseased plants, raking up leaves that build up around plants, and promoting good air circulation by spacing plants correctly and pruning when needed. Water in the morning to give the tree plenty of time to dry before nighttime temperatures drop and always water at ground level.

Leaf Spot

The namesake spots of leaf spot disease come in a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. But they're usually dark (or light with a darker margin) and rounded or irregular in shape. Luckily, they break out on the surface side of the leaf, so they are easily detected. This fungal disease is rarely fatal, but it inhibits photosynthesis, weakening your tree and making it more susceptible to other diseases.

Sunburn and Windburn

If you live in an area with hot, bright sunlight most of the day, or your property is subject to windy conditions, plant your Inaba Shidare in a protected area where it will receive some shade.

Discolored Leaves

If the colors on your Japanese maple are disappointing your tree may be getting too much fertilizer or not enough sunlight. Choose a location with the right amount of light before you plant or cut back on fertilization.