How to Plant a Japanese Maple the Right Way for Years of Stunning Color

From an aesthetic point of view, Japanese maples have a distinctive architectural beauty year-round but especially after their leaves fall. From a practical perspective, these maple trees are compact (usually under 25 feet tall) and grow slowly, seldom overtaking a space. They also don’t litter the ground with sticks like certain other maples do. Use this guide to find out how to plant, grow, and care for a Japanese maple in your yard successfully.

Where to Plant Japanese Maple Trees

Where to plant your Japanese maple tree will depend on the cultivar you select. Smaller cultivars that mature at 6 to 8 feet can be used as foundation plants, in effect serving as large shrubs. Larger cultivars work as specimen plants. They can even be limbed up, with branches selectively removed to open up the canopy for a see-through view, and placed near an entryway or window.

Japanese maples do best when sheltered from wind and the hottest rays of the afternoon sun. They actually prefer the partly shaded conditions found near mature trees or two-story houses common in many neighborhoods. Site the tree on the east side of a structure or large shade tree.

How and When to Plant a Japanese Maple Tree

You can plant a Japanese maple tree any time the ground is unfrozen; however, spring is preferred because it allows plenty of time for roots time to spread and the tree to acclimate itself to the planting site before winter.

Dig a hole as deep as the root ball but twice as wide. Remove the tree from its container and if you see tightly wound, circling roots that could girdle your tree, cut half-inch deep into the root ball at four equidistant spots, then do the same at the bottom of the root ball by making an X. This will encourage the roots to migrate outward.

Plant the tree and backfill with the excavated soil, then top with 1 to 2 inches of compost. Tamp the ground to remove air pockets and water well. Japanese maple trees can also be planted in a container filled with a quality potting mix augmented with compost and sharp sand.

Japanese Maple Tree Care Tips

Japanese maple is a low-maintenance tree when its basic needs are met.

Light

Plant Japanese maple where it will receive 4 to 5 hours of sunlight per day. Afternoon shade or dappled shade is beneficial in the hottest climates or when planting a Japanese maple with green or highly dissected leaves (called cut-leaf, lace-leaf or dissectum) to avoid scorching. Scorched leaves have brown margins and may crinkle up or fall from the tree in mid to late summer.

Soil and Water

Japanese maple likes a slightly acidic, humus-rich soil with good drainage. It will not tolerate wet, poorly drained soils. Avoid salty or alkaline soils.

Regular watering is needed the first year after transplanting and during drought. The more sunlight a Japanese maple receives, the more water it requires.

Temperature and Humidity

Japanese maple trees will grow in a variety of climates, but some cultivars are better suited to a particular region than others. As a thin-bark tree, Japanese maple is subject to damage from the freeze-thaw cycle in colder climates. To prevent injury, wrap tree bark in late fall and remove in early spring (this will also prevent rodent nibbling of the trunk).

Fertilizer

If planted in a good soil with plenty of organic matter, Japanese maple generally doesn’t need fertilizing. However, if the tree is showing little to no sign of growth, perform a soil test to see if there are any nutrient deficiencies, then fertilize accordingly. A slow-release fertilizer applied in spring will supply added nutrients throughout the growing season.

Pruning

Pruning will help restrict the height or width of the tree if desired and is sometimes needed to remove damage from winter dieback after extremely cold temperatures. Remove branches that are rubbing against each other, growing inward, or straight up. While it is usually best to prune deciduous (leaf-losing) trees when they are dormant, maples tend to “bleed” sap when pruned in late winter or early spring. This does not hurt the tree, but if you want to avoid the mess, prune in early summer instead.

Pests and Problems

Healthy, unstressed Japanese maples have few pest or disease problems. Aphids, scale, and leaf rollers are occasional pests. Verticillium wilt is a fungus disease causing leaves to wilt, often on only one side of the tree. Another telltale sign is finding green or black streaks along the inner wood of wilting branches. If you find these streaks while pruning, disinfect pruning shears with 10-percent bleach solution between cuts to avoid spreading the disease to other parts of the tree.

How to Propagate a Japanese Maple Tree

Japanese maple trees can be propagated in a number of ways, including seed or layering.

Seed

Collect the winged seeds (called samaras) in fall. Remove the wings and sow in pots filled with seed-starting mix and kept in a cold frame or other protected site that can provide the winter cold needed to break seed dormancy in the spring. Note: Japanese maples grow slowly from seed and the offspring will not be identical to the parent if the parent is a named cultivar.

Layering

In spring or fall, choose a flexible young shoot to use for layering. Then follow these steps:

1. Bend the young shoot to the ground and use a rod to mark the spot where the shoot touches the ground.
2. About 1 foot from the shoot tip, make a 1 to 2 inch incision along the stem and through a bud to create a wedge; prop the wedge open with a sliver of wood such as a toothpick.
3. Dig a shallow 4-inch-deep trench from the rod back toward the tree.
4. Apply rooting hormone powder to the wound, then use wire to anchor the wounded section of the shoot in the trench.
5. Attach the tip of the shoot to the rod to encourage it to grow upwards, then fill the trench with the excavated soil, tamp down, and keep it watered.
6. A root system should form within a year, at which time you can use a sharp spade to sever the new plant from its parent and transplant elsewhere.

There are two types of Japanese maple: palmate, which features palm-shaped leaves with large lobes; and dissectum, with deeply divided lobes and a lacy appearance. Popular and/or unique cultivars include:

'Bloodgood'

This cultivar features a rounded, upright growth habit and leaves that remain burgundy-red throughout the summer provided there is sufficient moisture. It reaches 15-20 feet tall and about as wide. Zones 5-8

'Atropurpureum'

Also known as red-leaf Japanese maple, 'Atropurpureum' offers dramatic foliage that starts out red-purple in spring, fades to greenish bronze, and finally turns red in fall. It grows 18 feet tall and wide. Zones 5-8

'Sango-kaku'

More popularly known as coral-bark Japanese maple, this cultivar is beloved for its coral-red bark and light-green foliage that turns golden yellow in fall. It is a good selection for the humid Southeast. It tops out around 25 feet tall and 15-20 feet wide. Zones 6-8

Velvet Viking ('Monfrick')

This weeping variety is one of the hardiest Japanese maples available, said to survive as far north as Minnesota if there is snow cover. A slow-growing, dwarf Japanese maple, it features rich, red, heavily dissected leaves that turn more vibrant tones of red in fall. It only gets 2-3 feet tall, and 6-8 feet wide. Zones 4-9

Emperor 1 (‘Wolff’)

A favorite in Zone 5 Midwestern gardens due to reliable hardiness, it leafs out later than other cultivars so it is less likely to be damaged by a spring frost. Emperor 1 tolerates heat well, and the dark-purple-red leaves are less prone to scorching. It grows up to 15 feet tall and wide. Zones 5-8

Japanese Maple Companion Plants

Japanese maple does not like root competition, so make sure there is plenty of space between the tree and nearby companion plants.

Dwarf Conifers

Just like Japanese maple, dwarf conifers such as dwarf Alberta spruce (shown here) come in a range of shapes, sizes, and colors. They also grow slowly and won’t overpower Japanese maple. Moreover, they offer year-round appeal and can even serve as a backdrop for Japanese maple’s handsome architecture in winter.

Rhododendrons and Azaleas

Shade-loving rhododendrons and azaleas come in a range of sizes and flower colors. Use large cultivars to back up smaller Japanese maples and smaller cultivars as a burst of color in the foreground.

Oaks

These stately trees can provide the high shade or dappled shade that Japanese maples crave. Plus, their large, upright mature size is a nice complement to the shorter stature of the Japanese maple.