How to care for an Acer palmatum bonsai?

Did you just get a bonsai from Maple palmate or do you plan to acquire one soon? In that case, you need to know what the cultivation needs of this species aresince although when the climate is favorable it is not too difficult to take care of, this is not always the case. In fact, in order for it to live (and not survive), the temperatures in summer must be mild, and those in winter low, even snowing.

But the weather is not the only thing to think about. From my own experience I can affirm that choosing one substrate or another will positively or negatively influence the health of the bonsai, something that could be bad news, but in reality it is just the opposite, since this means that if we choose a good substrate or a good mix of them, the life of our Japanese maple can be very long.

Bonsai characteristics of Maple palmate

El japanese maple, whose scientific name is Maple palmate, It is one of the species of deciduous trees and shrubs that we will find in Asiaspecifically in Japan, China and Korea. By having an elegant bearing, and relatively small leaves, it can almost be said with total security that it began to be worked as bonsai from the beginning of this technique, about two thousand years ago.

It is a plant that tolerates pruning quite well. It heals well and quickly, making it one of the best suited to any style you want to give it. Of course, it will always be better to respect the natural movement of its trunk and branches, as this will also make our work easier.

Anyway, if you are curious to tell you that the most chosen styles are the classics:

• chokkan: or formal vertical style. The trunk must be straight and its branches must be arranged opposite each other. It is the easiest to do.
• moyogic: It is similar to the previous one, but the trunk grows informally.
• Kenya: is the waterfall style. The tree should grow to one side, with the trunk sloping and the main branch exceeding the pot.
• yoseue: the forest style. Several grow together, in a number greater than three. Each of them is worked independently, but taking into account that the whole set must create a certain triangularity.

What varieties and cultivars are used the most?

There are numerous varieties, but the ones that are most commonly worked as bonsai are the following:

• Acer palmatum var atropurpureum: its leaves are divided into 5-7 lobes, and are dark red.
• Acer palmatum var dissection: its leaves are divided into 7 very fine serrated lobes, green in color. In autumn they turn yellow, or reddish (in the case of Acer palmatum var dissectum Garnet).
• Acer palmatum var osakazuki: its leaves have 7 dark green lobes. During the fall they turn orange before falling.
• Acer palmatum var Sango Kaku: the leaves are divided into 5 to 7 lobes. These are green in color, except in the fall they turn orange to red in the fall.

We could also talk about the most interesting cultivars to work as bonsai. For example these:

• Crimson wave: is a cultivar of Acer palmatum subsp. Dissectum which has the leaves of a magnificent red color.
• Little Princess: it is a beautiful cultivar with green-yellowish leaves with orange margins.
• tropenburg: its leaves are of a purple color that attracts a lot of attention.

What are the bonsai cares for Maple palmate?

Now that we know more about Japanese maple as bonsai, it’s time to find out how to care for it. So let’s go there:

Location

The Japanese maple is a plant that must be grown outside. You have to feel the passing of the seasons to be able to live, and also to live well. If it is kept indoors, or if it is protected from low temperatures, it will weaken and end up dying.

But also it has to be in semi-shadowin an area where the sun does not reach it directly, and where it can be protected from the dry wind.

Can you have a bonsai from Maple palmate indoors?

No. The Japanese maple has to live outside, since otherwise it would sprout prematurely, considerably reducing its winter dormancy time. For this reason, it cannot live in tropical climates either.

Substratum

Requires porous substrates that do not puddle. It does not withstand drought, but excess water hurts it much more. For this reason, I advise mixing pumice and kanuma at 50%. Another option is 70% akadama with 30% kiryuzuna.

Irrigation

Since the substrate is light and loses its moisture fairly quickly, irrigation must be frequent. In times of heat and little or no rain, we must water practically daily, and even two or more times depending on the characteristics of our climate. The rest of the year we will water a little less, but always monitoring the humidity of the substrate.

Likewise, it is very important to use rainwater or lime-free. Being an acidophilus plant, if it were watered with calcareous water, its leaves would turn yellow, since its roots could not obtain iron because the lime blocks it, making it inaccessible to the plant.

If you have no choice but to use the tap and it has a lot of lime, add a few drops of lemon or vinegar, checking that its pH (acidity level) does not drop below 4. This can be done with a digital meter or with the strips pH that they sell in hardware stores for example.

Subscriber

I once knew someone who told me that the substrate should only serve as a ‘grip’ for the roots of the bonsai, that you are the one who should be in charge of keeping it fed. For this reason, the subscriber is one of the most important tasks, because no living being can exist only with water.

But, what compost to use and when? Okay, it is best to fertilize the Japanese maple bonsai when it is in full growing seasonthat is, in spring and summer. For this purpose we can use specific bonsai fertilizers (like this one from here! for example), always following the instructions on the package.

Pruning

There are two types of pruning: the training that will take place at the end of winter, and the maintenance (including clamping) that has to be done throughout the year.

The first is, of course, more drastic. It consists of cutting all those branches that go out of the style that you want to give it (or that it has already been given), as well as cutting those that are getting too long.

On the contrary, the second is somewhat softer, since all that is done is to eliminate green stems: suckers from the trunk, branches that are sprouting in unwanted places, … Also, to get it to branch more and from below you can remove the first 2-3 leaves of each branch.

Wiring

Wiring is a technique that must be done carefully. Japanese maple grows fast, so if it is not checked there is the risk that it will enter the bark, leaving a mark that will make it quite ugly. To avoid this, what is done is to cover it with paper before using it to place the branches where you want.

On the other hand, you have to keep in mind that There must be the same distance between turns and turns, and it is only advisable to wire in winter and early spring. No wires if you don’t have to. With a good pruning schedule you can avoid wiring.

Bonsai transplant Maple palmate

Every 1 to 2 (or 3 if it is an old specimen) springs it will have to be transplanted. Do this before the leaves sprout, as this will make it safer for him. Carefully remove all the substrate, and cut those roots that you see are rotten. If you have doubts, keep in mind that you have to leave 1/3 more volume of branches than roots. But if you have doubts, you cannot until you are completely sure.

You can then plant it in a new bonsai tray with fresh substrate.

Rusticity

Bonsai Maple palmate withstands well cold and low temperatures of up to -10ºC.

I hope it has served you .