Giving Your Japanese Maple Bonsai the Best Care - Part I

The Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) is one of the most well-known and widely used maple trees in gardens around the globe, and it is an ideal specimen for bonsai. Bonsai aficionados enjoy this tree for it's delicate leaves, it's natural small size, but mainly for it's beautiful fall colors. This maple is native to Japan and China. The leaves of the Japanese Maple look somewhat like a human hand, from which it's botanical name is derived. It is a popular bonsai subject in Japan and throughout the world. There are several varieties of Acer palmatum, including thread-leaf and lace-leaf varieties, and both green and red varieties. Most people associate with the red variety which is why it is the most popular.

How to Water the Japanese Maple

Your Japanese maple bonsai will require regular watering from spring, when you begin to see signs that the tree is coming out of dormancy, through late fall when the tree has dropped the last of it's leaves. Japanese maples like moist soil, so you will need to be vigilant in checking the moisture level in the soil to maintain the optimum level of moisture. Your Japanese Maple will quickly die if the soil is allowed to completely dry out. Try to water it in the morning, and then check it later in the day to make sure it is still somewhat moist. It's important that your plant's pot has sufficient drainage holes to allow all the excess water to drain out. If the water does not drain thoroughly the trees roots will sit in water and develop root rot.

The Proper Levels of Sunlight

Your tree will benefit greatly from getting the proper amount of sunlight - not too much and not too little. But Japanese maples have somewhat "delicate" and sensitive foliage, and need some protection from intense mid-day summer sun, and also from leaf-drying winds. Try to place your tree where it will receive direct morning and evening sun, but is protected from the mid-day sun when it is the hottest outside. The sensitive leaves of the maple can actually burn if exposed for long periods to intense sunshine. In the spring and autumn the mid-day sun is relatively mild and so it is OK to leave your bonsai in the full sun all day at these times of the year. "Wind burn" can result from unprotected exposure to hot, dry summer winds that will strip you plant's leaves of important moisture, so take care to protect your tree from these winds too. Make sure that you keep your Japanese Maple out of direct sun and wind during the 2 weeks following any root pruning and re-potting. Theroots are unable to furnish enough moisture to the leaves during this time.

Japanese maples, while being hardy, should be placed in an area that is protected from cold and harsh winter winds also. Winter winds tend to be dry winds, and even though your Japanese maple will be in a state of dormancy during the winter, cold drying winds can cause damage.

Humidity Thriving Trees

Plants thrive in humid environments, and the Japanese maple is no exception. Humidity can be increased by filling a shallow container with small stones, and then covering the stones with water, and then placing your bonsai pot on top of the stones. As the water evaporates from the shallow pan it will furnish humidity to your bonsai plant which will slow the process of transpiration. Another way to increase the humidity level and reduce the transpiration of water from the leaves is to give your bonsai a frequent spraying with a fine mist.

Feeding and Fertilizing

You can start fertilizing your Japanese maple bonsai in the spring after it has begun showing new growth. Use a high nitrogen, slow release fertilizer, and continue fertilizing every two to three weeks clear through mid-fall. The best natural fertilizer that is high in nitrogen is fish emulsion. If you prefer to use chemical fertilizers, feed every other week with a half-strength solution of a balanced 20-20-20 fertilizer. Avoid any potential damage to your bonsai tree by not fertilizing during the hottest weeks of the summer. You can help prepare your bonsai for the upcoming winter by switching to a low nitrogen fertilizer beginning in mid-autumn. This will harden off the current years new growth.

If you have repotted and done some spring root pruning then do not feed during the two months following repotting when a tree is weakened or you could cause root damage.