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Acer Sango Kaku

jonny.bushelljonny.bushell Posts: 12
edited June 2023 in Plants
Good morning all,

I hope I have this in the right area for discussion :)

We bought one of these Acers back in April, mainly because the height on the plant label / passport said it would grow to 2.5m (8 feet) A nice height in the location it is based.

However, after a quick google, we have found that it can grow to 10-20 feet! A bit bigger than we had planned, as the Acer is planted in the middle of a bed, being 6 feet away from our garage and our greenhouse, and then maybe 9 feet away from our neighbours house. If it gets to that height could the roots cause issues for brick built structures (FYI, they are new builds, if that makes a difference).

Has anyone had experience of this type of Acer only growing to about 8 feet? Or will we need to winter prune (a few years away yet) to keep it to that sort of height?

Also, have I misread the plant label / passport? Is the stated height there a minimum, rather than maximum, growing height?

Thanks
Jonny

Posts

  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    edited June 2023
    Welcome to the forums.

    Acer palmatum Sangu kaku is a super tree but it does grow fairly quickly.
    Roots should not be an issue with your foundations.
    You will need to decide if it is the right tree for that spot.
    Pics below.

    https://www.flickr.com/search/?user_id=11713966@N02&sort=date-taken-desc&text=acer sango kaku&view_all=1

    Burncoose give size as 20ft tall x 16ft wide.

    https://www.burncoose.co.uk/site/plants.cfm?pl_id=110
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • KeenOnGreenKeenOnGreen Posts: 1,831
    My own personal experience of Acers, and we used to have a Sango Kaku, is keeping them alive in the long term.  They are very fussy and are prone to die-back.  You would be very lucky to get one to its full, mature height, and would probably need to wait many years. 
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    @jonny.bushell    We had one planted just 2 metres away from our last house and the root spread was never a problem.   The height will be fine too as they are such airy plants and not a blobby block so you can grow plants beneath it that like dappled shade.

    I've planted another one in this garden and will happily see it grow as big as it wants.

    For some reason, the info on height and width given on plant labels refers to their growth after 10 years.  Most shrubs and trees live a lot longer and carry on growing - especially conifers sold as dwarf.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • jonny.bushelljonny.bushell Posts: 12
    edited June 2023
    Thanks for all your comments. Very useful to know. We are novices in this game. 

    Here’s a pic of our lil Acer. Looking forward to the autumn leaves and the coral bark in the winter :smile:
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    jonny.bushell said:
    Thanks for all your comments. Very useful to know. We are novices in this game. 

    Here’s a pic of our lil Acer. Looking forward to the autumn leaves and the coral bark in the winter :smile:
    In your pic above I can see lots of dead twigs.
    I recommend that you cut all these back to a healthy bit.
    Use sharp secateurs.
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
  • jonny.bushelljonny.bushell Posts: 12
    Ah ok, thanks for the tip. I'd read that you shouldn't prune in the summer, but guess that meant healthy branches? We will get snipping!
  • Silver surferSilver surfer Posts: 4,719
    jonny.bushell said:
    Ah ok, thanks for the tip. I'd read that you shouldn't prune in the summer, but guess that meant healthy branches? We will get snipping!
    Dead twigs can be removed at any time.
    It will look much better with a tidy .
    Perthshire. SCOTLAND .
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