Cercidiphyllum Japonicum ‘Toffee Apple’

Question

I have a Cercidiphyllum japonicum ‘Toffee Apple ina large pot it’s about 4 years old. Every year the leaves fall off before they turn yellow and I’m not sure what I do have it in at least 4 hours sunlight in a sheltered part. I not sure if it’s the soil which I cant remeber what soil it was though! Any help?

Answer 1

It sounds like it may not receive enough light to be happy. These are full sun shrubs, and will need as much as you can possibly give them. Fortunately, it is pretty easy to provide a little extra light. A florescent fixture will be fine until it is too tall to light well with that sparse of a light.

I recommend at least 200 watts of light for the mature tree. Just stay away from LED panels that are not full spectrum. The red/blue panels will not suffice here.

My personal recommendation on lighting will be a Ceramic Metal Halide (CMH) bulb, and fixture. They are available in a 315 watt fixture that will provide full sunlight to a 4ftx4ft area. This means that anything that, also, needs full sunlight can be lit, as long as it fits in the area.

Here is an article that will give you general information on the tree's care: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/katsura/japanese-katsura-tree-care.htm