Japanese Maple Tree Care: Planting and Growing Tips

The Japanese maple tree is best known for its vibrant fall foliage. But did you know this tree’s colored leaves actually emerge in spring and remain, often dramatically evolving throughout the growing season? This makes the Japanese maple a gift that keeps giving, sometimes for over 100 years.

Like most trees, the Japanese maple is long-lived, capable of thriving for decades. However, there are key considerations planters should take into account at the start to be sure trees reach their full potential.

“Trees should outlive us, yet sadly, over 50% of urban trees die before they reach maturity,” explains award-winning international arborist Scott Seargeant. “Planting trees correctly is the difference between success and early death.”

Here’s everything you need to know about planting and caring for a Japanese maple tree to ensure it thrives for years to come, plus how to avoid common issues like brown and crispy leaves as well as pests.

On This Page

What Is a Japanese Maple Tree?

Similar to the weeping cherry tree, the Japanese maple tree is an ornamental tree that belongs primarily to the species Acer palmatum. There are hundreds of varieties of Japanese maples of varying sizes, forms, leaf types, and colors.

There are weeping varieties with cascading branches, upright varieties with branches that grow out and up to heights of 35 feet and dwarf varieties that may only grow from two to eight feet tall. Some have broad fanning leaves, while others have small and delicate leaves with a lacy texture. And they produce a small, colorful fruit (called samara) in the spring.

The leaf colors include purple, pink, red, orange, yellow, green, and multi-colored (variegated). Red-leafed Japanese maples (like the “bloodgood”) are among the most common. They produce pink leaves in early spring that turn purplish-red in the summer and culminate in a deep crimson red in fall.

Where Do Japanese Maples Thrive?

Generally, Japanese maples thrive in areas where the average minimum temperature remains above -10 degrees F (USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 6), but some can tolerate temperatures as low as -30 F (Zone 4). Most prefer part sun with afternoon shade because their delicate leaves are prone to scorching. In hotter climates, a Japanese maple may prefer partial or dappled shade. However, some — particularly green-leaf varieties — can tolerate full sun, even in hot climates. Planting in an eastern location that receives morning sun and afternoon shade is best.

How to Plant a Japanese Maple Tree

Japanese maples prefer loose, well-draining, moist, slightly acidic soil. Fall (one to two months before the first freeze) is the best time for planting, so the roots can get established while the rest of the tree is dormant. Spring planting is also possible after the last frost.

When planting any tree, you should also take into consideration the location’s orientation to your house to ensure space for roots and ideal conditions, Seargeant says. Strong winds can damage fragile branches of the Japanese maple and dry out the leaves, causing a condition called windburn, especially when combined with hot temperatures. To avoid this Japanese maples should be planted where they are protected from wind, like the leeward side of your house.

Japanese maples can be planted in the ground or in containers. If you’re choosing to plant in the ground, start by surveilling the slope of the land. “The first and most important aspect when planting a tree is to make sure the grade is right,” Seargeant says. “For most trees, do not plant in a low area where water will collect. Fill in low areas with dirt preferably on site. Once the grade is right, dig the planting hole to the depth of the container. A deep planting hole will cause settling problems.”

For containers, place the tree in a pot that’s two or three times the size of the root ball, and fill with a slightly acidic potting soil mix. Only plant smaller, dwarf varieties of Japanese maple in containers.

Caring for a Japanese Maple

Watering: Wet or overwatered Japanese maples will lead to disease and death, Seargeant warns. After planting, water twice a week for the first three or four months to firmly establish the roots. Afterward, water whenever the soil feels dry, usually once per week. Trees planted in containers need to be checked and watered more often. A reduced watering schedule during autumn will stimulate more vibrant leaf colors.
Mulching: Apply a two- to four-inch layer of mulch around the tree’s base for moisture retention and root insulation. Maintain a six-inch distance from the base of the tree, and replace the mulch if there is discoloration or decomposition.
Fertilizing: Japanese maples should only be fertilized after they’re a year old, or during the second growing season. The best time to fertilize is late winter or early spring. Japanese maples are naturally slow-growing trees, so stimulating rapid growth with a high-nitrogen fertilizer should be avoided. “Fertilizing with nitrogen usually leads to browning leaf tips, as well as misshaped limb structure, diseases, and pests,” Seargeant says. Use a slow-release fertilizer instead.
Frost Protection: Japanese maples leaf out in early spring and are susceptible to freezing and dying during a hard frost. If freezing temperatures are expected, move a potted tree inside and cover outdoor trees with a tarp, burlap or frost protection cover.

How to Prune a Japanese Maple Tree

Japanese maples don’t require much pruning, but any tree brought home from the majority of nurseries will need corrective pruning in order to remove damaged, diseased, or dead branches, Seargeant says. Pruning trees initially helps prevent the spread of disease and enhance growth. “But you should wait to do any corrective pruning until the tree is established or during the dormant season,” Seargeant says. Also you should not top your tree, he adds, as it will most likely lead to limb failure as the tree matures.

Regular periodic pruning after that can promote the health and aesthetics of the tree. Perform heavy, structural pruning while the tree during late winter or early spring. Light pruning and removal of dead or damaged branches can be done any time of year. Prune a Japanese maple with bypass pruning shears or a pole pruner, following these steps:

Remove branches that are rubbing against each other.
Trim back branches that are closer than two inches apart to allow wind to pass through and prevent branches breaking from wind strain.
Remove dead branches.
Remove branches growing straight up on trees with a weeping profile.
Remove branches growing inward, toward the trunk.
Trim back or remove branches that detract from the desired shape and balance of the tree.

How to Propagate a Japanese Maple

Japanese maple trees can be propagated from softwood cuttings that will be ready to transplant after about a year. Begin the propagation process in spring after the last frost, once the first leaves have formed, or in early summer. Here’s simple steps for propagating a Japanese maple:

Fill a nursery pot with a mixture of half perlite and half peat moss. Moisten thoroughly with water.
Firmly press the mixture down until it’s partially compacted, and form a four-inch deep hole in the center.
Cut a six- to eight-inch-long section, 1/4-in. diameter. Section off the tip of the maple tree, just below a spot where a leaf meets the stem (AKA leaf node), at a 45-degree angle.
Pull off the lower leaves to expose the nodes.
Soak the cut end and leaf nodes in a mid-strength rooting hormone for about a minute.
Place the cut end into the hole you formed in the nursery pot with the leaf nodes just below the surface of the potting mixture. Gently compact the mixture around the stem and drizzle water around the base of the cutting.
Place the pot on a heat mat in an outdoor area with indirect sunlight.
Mist the cutting twice a day. Only add water to the potting mixture when the top two inches are dry.
After five or six weeks, check for root development by gently tugging on the cutting and feeling for resistance.
Transfer to a one-gallon pot filled with potting soil after the roots have formed.
Continue growing indoors while watering regularly until spring.
After the last frost in spring, transplant the cuttings outdoors after acclimating them by setting the pot in a partly shaded outdoor location for about a week.

FAQ

Why are my Japanese maple’s leaves turning brown or crispy?

“Browning leaves can be a sign of high salts (usually from nitrogen fertilizers), high pH, too much hot sun, and insects or disease disrupting water distribution in the tree,” Seargeant says. He advises that it’s best to let the tree grow naturally to avoid brown and crispy leaves. Encountering yellow leaves? “Japanese maples will become chlorotic (yellow leaves) in higher pH soils,” Seargeant says. “Chelated iron and zinc may be needed to remedy chlorosis.”

What pests or diseases affect Japanese maples?

When it comes to garden pests, Japanese maples can get aphids, scale, mealy bugs, borers, and spider mites. Additionally, if there are ants crawling in your Japanese maple tree, it is a sign of homoptera insects which secrete a sweet honeydew that ants love, Seargeant adds. Common diseases of Japanese maples include Phytophthora root rot, Anthracnose, and Verticillium wilt.

The best ways to prevent both pests and diseases from affecting Japanese maples is to avoid over-fertilizing your tree. “Plants with excess amounts of nitrogen fertilizer are susceptible to insects and disease,” Seargeant says.

About the Expert

Scott Seargeant is an award-winning international arborist and landscape contractor with nearly 40 years of experience. He is also the owner of Seargeant Landscape & Arboriculture, a full service landscape installation company in Visalia, California.