Caring For Your Japanese Maple Bonsai Plant

The Japanese maple bonsai plant is one of the most popular trees found in bonsai cultivation. One of the reasons why this particular tree is used is the beautiful colors that the foliage turns to during the seasons. The deep purple and bright red leaves that the Japanese maple bonsai plant acquires is breathtaking. Not only is the Japanese maple bonsai a beautiful tree, it is also hardy, easy to grow and easy to maintain.

Tips To Grow Japanese Maple Bonsai

Choosing your Japanese maple plant should be limited to one that has a four inch diameter trunk. This shows that the tree is already ready to be trained for cascading and other lower poses. Whereas for apex style bonsai, you will need a Japanese maple bonsai that has around one or two trunk chops.

The Japanese maple bonsai tree has a slow growth pattern that ensures the changing colors of the foliage will be thoroughly enjoyed. The changing of the foliage colors is gradual and sometimes truly amazing. In spring you can expect the leaves to be a bright red color while in summer; they have a sort of bonze red hue. In the fall, the leaves become a dark pink and then finally a deep purple or deep red.

The Japanese maple bonsai may be a hardy tree but they do need to be sheltered from sharp winds. During most of the year, these beautiful bonsai trees will enjoy being put under the full sun but during the warm summer months, you might like to put it in a semi-shaded part of your garden. It does well during the winter months as an outdoor plant but will still need to be placed in a not so exposed area of the garden to protect it from severe chills.

Watering the Japanese maple bonsai tree requires that you keep the soil mostly damp and not allow it to dry. Over drying may cause leaf burn which does not look good for the tree. Experts suggest trimming or pruning the Japanese maple bonsai tree around the end of spring. As with other bonsai trees, pinching or killing of new nodes and sprouts may be necessary to maintain the pose that it is trained to do. The Japanese maple bonsai is prone to growths in the nodes so you will need to be vigilant regarding those.

The Japanese maple bonsai is a very pretty plant that can be used for indoor decoration as well as outdoors. They add life and color to any area that you put them in and also can be a conversational piece for visitors.