Lets talk a bit about trees , The Japanese Maple or Acer palmatum , Has brilliant ,delicate foliage that can come in reds or greens. Many don’t realize that many of the maple tree varieties come from Asia. There are well over 200 different varieties, all are great hardwood trees that are valuable for shade , wood and ornament .
The Japanese Maple has many varieties itself , some are small , you can grow them in pots and prune them into beautiful specimens, most are considered average size for trees, 15 to 25 feet.
If left to grow on there own they will grow into an umbrella like shape.
Many of the Japanese Maples cannot withstand severely cold winters without help. They do best in zones 3-10 ,Refer to our climate map in the blog section of our website , www.watchusgrow.com
They like the sunlight but prefer to have a location that has some shade especially during the midday hours, also shelter from strong winds is recommended .
They also can tolerate average soil but prefer fertile soil, if the soil is not very fertile it is helpful to top dress around the base yearly with compost and some bonemeal in the fall. When planting a new balled and burlapped Japanese Maple , be sure to dig the hole twice as wide and half again as deep as the ball, mix in some compost and peat moss with the soil and tamp down well. You may want to help the freshly planted tree by supporting the trunk with lines that are parallel and attached to stakes. We also recommend watering in the fresh planting with a mixture of 1 ounce of Watch Us Grow all purpose liquid plant food to 1 gallon of water . And be sure to keep the tree watered in its first year after planting