Japanese maple: bark cracking

[EdinN]

Hello
Last year i bought one meter height geafted japanese maple.
Its growing well. Few brown leaves due to late frosts but i can deal with it.
The problem is bark. Vertical fissures. The side that is facing south west while other side is much better almost clear, green as you can see on pictures.
Its in 7 hardiness zone, alot of late frosts and im pretty sure thats the problem. During the day bark is facing the sun and then temperature goes below 0.
I cant find solution for this for the upcomming winter or maybe i should do something now durring the hot summer.
Someone advise to cover it, paint it, while other saying not to do that.
Im pretty confused
Thank you in advance,
Edin
(Pictures: just to make it clear: one is bark the other is bamboo stick )

 

[DirtMechanic]

While we have Japanese Maples we are are 33 lat and do not suffer the amplitude or frequency of freeze thaw cycles that you do at 44 latitide. I see the conversations regarding the sun fast thawing a frozen tree and how burlap or even a board can be used to create shade to mitigate that overly fast warming. The indicator is if it is in the side facing the sun according to what I read but I simply do not experience this problem.

For environmental context for other readers; from the WIKI:

Travnik is located near the geographic center of Bosnia and Herzegovina at 44°14′N 17°40′E. The river Lašva passes through the town, flowing from west to east before joining the Bosna. Travnik itself is built in the large Lašva valley, which connects the Bosna river valley in the east with the Vrbas river valley in the west.

Travnik is found 514 metres (1,686 feet) above sea level. Its most distinguishing geographic feature are its mountains, Vilenica and Vlašić. Vlašić, named after the Vlachs, is one of the tallest mountains in the country at 1,933 metres (6,342 feet).

Travnik has a continental climate, located between the Adriatic sea to the South and Pannonia to the North. Average summer temperature is 18.2 °C (64.8 °F). Average winter temperature on the other hand is a cold 0.5 °C (32.9 °F). It snows in Travnik every year.

 

[EdinN]

Thanks for expeditive reply
I live in Travnik, city you described but thats not the place where i planted this maple. Maple is in 500 meters higher. More winds, frosts and even sun during summer. I think ill improvise somehow to shelter fissured bark but to make air flows that part.
Btw i have another JM in Travnik. Its thriving there. But as mentioned. Here in Travnik winters are milder and that one is placed in better shade.
The fissured bark JM is fighting in more harsh conditions but we will make it together

 

[DirtMechanic]

Japan is roughly 36 degrees latitude though Im not sure about elevations where the maples grow. You may be getting out of range and it wants a greenhouse. The national tree is Sugi - we can call it a eastern red cedar sometimes. Its a form of cypress fairly unique to there. I have three of those in the yard too. At some point the decidious gives way to the evergreen but I am around 200 meters elevation here and do not know how your elevations treat the maple.