How To Grow Japanese Maples: Part 3.

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"How to Grow Japanese Maples"
from http://japanese-maple.com
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Here's Part 3 in our mini course on "How to Grow Japanese Maples".

In this part we'll cover the following:

* Planting in Containers
- Soil Needs
- Fertilizers and Nutrients
- Pruning & Repotting
- Trees for Bonsai

Planting in Containers

Japanese maples are ideally suited for container growing. There are several dwarf cultivars that will thrive on a patio or in a small garden setting in a pot.

You can even plant larger specimens in tubs or large pots. The two most important elements for container gardening are the same as for the garden - water, fertilizing and pruning.

The main difference here is that you have to pay more regular attention to the plant's needs as the container will be more prone to drying out faster.

- Soil Needs

Most of the commercial compost mixes are okay for planting. We use a professional grade mixture and will sometimes add a little sand (to add weight) and perlite to enhance drainage. Your local garden center or DIY Store will help you.

If you are container gardening you might consider adding a few granules of one of the polymer water absorbers. These are readily available at your local garden center or you can check out our resources section.

In Winter, if your local temperatures fall below 15F, you will need to provide some extra cold protection as roots will die below this point. You can set the pots in a bed of sawdust or some other mulch if pots are small. Cover the soil level to a depth of 2-3".For larger containers, use of burlap wraps or poly foam sheets is also helpful.

- Fertilizers and Nutrients

Slow release fertilizers such as the 'Osmocote' brand work well to maintain some fertilization over an extended period. We mix these slow release granules in the compost before potting.

Japanese maples do best with DILUTE fertilization using a balanced fertilizer, use 1/4 to 1/2 strength once or twice a month, once the leaves are fully out in Spring. Stop all fertilizing in late Summer (August) so the trees will stop growing new shoots allowing the new season's wood to "harden off" for winter. This will also help develop the fall leaf colors.

- Pruning & Repotting

You can lightly prune your trees at any time. Maples respond well to pruning. Typically the response is to stimulate even more new growth. When this happens you can select out which buds are facing the "wrong way" to produce the shape of tree you're looking for.

Any severe pruning (more than just snipping off 0.5 to 1.0") should be done in late winter when the tree is just coming out of dormancy. In this way, the rising sap will help heal cuts faster.

Always prune with sharp tools (knife/saw or pruning shears) and make a sloping cut above the bud you want to form the new shoot. Choose the bud carefully so your bud is facing the direction you want the branch to go. Cover cuts with a wound paste to reduce the chance of disease.

Never reduce the amount of a tree by more than 15-20% at any one time. If severe pruning is needed, do it gradually over a period of years.

Maples are one of my favorite plants because they have interest in all four seasons. Use the Winter time when leaves are gone to look at the shape of the tree. Visualize the trunk and branches as you'd like to see them and use this image as your
guide when pruning.

- Trees for Bonsai

The 'plant-aholic' in me loves all 300 or more named cultivars of Japanese maple - and I want them all!

If you were to force me to choose only a few trees, I'd probably come down in favor of the dwarf varieties. Among my favorites, all of which are good bonsai material - are:

'Butterfly';
'Kamagata'
'Kinran'
'Kiyo hime'
'Omure yama'
'Red Dragon'
'Chishio Improved'

See our list of "Popular Cultivars" for more details of specific plants.

In the next issue we'll cover the following:

* Sexual Reproduction
- The 5 keys to successful seed raising,
including the one CRITICAL item that if
missed, will result in failure!

Happy gardening online and in dirt!

Ken Alston
Commonwealth Plants, LLC
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Ken Alston is a green thumbed British gardener, plant-aholic and nurseryman who provides gardeners and fellow plant-aholics with professional growing tips, techniques, rare plants and seeds.

http://japanese-maple.com

(c) 2003, 2004 All Rights Reserved, Commonwealth Plants, LLC.