Maple trees

Maple trees originate from Japan, China, and Korea. The bark of young maple trees is green with a reddish tint, and will gradually turn gray or gray-brown over time.

place
Maple trees prefer a sunny, well-ventilated environment, but they should be placed in the shade during the hottest part of the day to prevent leaf damage. Maple trees are still very cold-resistant even if they are planted in small pots, but if the temperature drops below minus 10 degrees, cold protection measures must be taken.

watering
During the growing season, potted maple trees need to be watered every day. In particularly hot weather, they need to be watered multiple times a day, but soil drainage and the growth of the tree need to be observed. Use lime-free water when watering, as maples do well with neutral or slightly acidic water. About more potted plant watering. Continue reading Watering Potted Plants.

fertilize
Solid organic fertilizers are very suitable for older maple trees because solid fertilizers will disintegrate and continue to be effective. They also contain necessary nutrients. Please follow the instructions on the package carefully. If you want your maple tree (new tree or sapling) to grow faster, you can additionally apply liquid fertilizer once a week. But be careful to avoid using fertilizers that are high in nitrogen, which can encourage excessive internode and leaf growth.

Trimming and wrapping
New branches and twigs can be pruned throughout the year, and new branches can be pruned to the length of two pairs of leaves. However, thick branches should wait until summer (wounds heal quickly) or autumn (sap leaks less) before pruning, otherwise they may easily cause damage; please also apply healing agent after pruning, otherwise mildew will easily invade the maple tree from the incision. Older maple trees can keep their branches small by picking buds. After a pair of maple leaves unfold, pick off the small buds that appear in the middle and top of the maple leaves. However, picking buds will easily cause the maple tree to become weak, so when doing so, Please think again. About more potted pruning. Continue reading for potted plant pruning.

Maple leaves can be heavily pruned every two years during the growing season (early summer), which will encourage them to grow smaller maple leaves. This method requires cutting off all the maple leaves, but please leave the petioles (the part connecting the leaves and stem nodes). You can also perform smaller pruning, which is a gentler approach that only removes the largest, thickest, and densest growing maple leaves. This method can be done every year and causes less impact on the tree than major pruning. many.

Change soil
Change the soil about once every two years; the root system of palm leaf maple has strong growth and can grow a lot in a short time, so the roots must be carefully pruned when changing the soil. As the soil medium, please choose a mixture with good drainage, such as a combination of Akadama soil, Kanuma soil, and lava stone. Continue reading Replace soil for potted plants.

reproduce
Maple trees are suitable for the seeding method or the cutting method in summer; the aerial layering method (or high-pressure method) is also a rapid propagation method.

Pests and diseases
Maple trees are very resistant trees, but they are easily invaded by aphids in spring. At this time, special insecticides can be sprayed or poured into the soil. For more detailed information on these techniques, check out our Bonsai tree care section.

About maple
Clusters of green-yellow flowers bloom from May to June, and the fruits are samaras, shaped like a pair of small wings, which will fall to the ground when mature.

There are many cultivated varieties of maple trees, all with different color leaves, tree shapes, habits, and sizes. They are often used for landscaping, such as Kashima maple and barren maple. Red-leaf maple trees include Chuangyang and Qingxuan. The leaves on the young shoots are orange-yellow or bright red in spring. The orange-red leaves of maple trees are widely loved, and Chinese people also love to appreciate maples to welcome autumn. Please refer to our Bonsai Species Guide to identify the species for your pot.