Top Tips in Caring for Your Japanese Maple Bonsai

By: May Stern

There are many kinds of trees that you can use for bonsai. A lot of experts however have a marked preference for the Japanese maple. If properly attended to, the Japanese maple can stay strong and continue to sprout beautiful foliage. The Japanese maple bonsai can be red or green with many other variations. All Japanese maple bonsai types however are fine and elegant.

Moderate Sunlight

The Japanese maple bonsai is still a live plant and would therefore normally benefit from some sun exposure. You have to remember though that the Japanese maple bonsai has sensitive leaves that could burn and curl when exposed to too much sunlight. The best way to get over this problem is to expose the plant only during times of the day when the sun is not too hot. Winter however is not a good time to leave your bonsai outdoors since the harsh climate could equally be as damaging.

Watering

The lack of water could result in dry soil and a dehydrated Japanese maple bonsai. There is no rule against watering the bonsai plant everyday. You should however only water the plant early in the morning before the sun comes out. Experts believe that water droplets on the leaves could increase the sun's burning power. Others also suggest that water could contribute to leaf burns since minerals in the water could produce a chemical reaction when exposed to the sun.

Pruning

The Japanese maple bonsai is usually shaped through careful and discriminate pruning. You can prune leaves, branches and roots with additional internode pinching. It is recommended though that you should avoid pruning in the spring to avoid damaging the plant. You could schedule leaf pruning in the middle of summer. Roots and branches should be pruned at the same time ideally in autumn.

One other great pruning technique is to completely defoliate a Japanese maple bonsai in the summer. This is often the strategy used to produce smaller and finer leaves. One rule to remember though is that you should never remove all the leaves if your Japanese maple bonsai has just been repotted. Check your bonsai for wounds after pruning and make sure you have dressed all of them.

Short internodes are usually desirable as compared to long internodes in Japanese maple bonsai. You would definitely want to have fine, elegant looking branches. You can easily manage internodes by removing emerging shoots or pinching branches.

Wiring

Experts do not always agree about wiring because some maintain that pruning and pinching is enough to shape a Japanese maple bonsai. Wiring however may additionally be employed. It is usually advisable to avoid wiring during winter or after the leaves have fallen. This is because the bonsai may be extra sensitive and any damage from wiring may not heal well.

You should be careful during spring wiring since the wires could damage the bonsai during its growth and healing phase. It is usually recommended not to leave the wires for longer than half a year.