Tips on How to Care for Japanese Maple Bonsai

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

Just like other living organisms, the Japanese maple bonsai needs sunlight too to survive. You should take note though that the Japanese maple bonsai has particularly sensitive leaves and may burn easily due to sun exposure. It would therefore be a good idea to expose it to mild sunlight and away from exposure during the middle of the day and in summer. Autumn and spring are good times for sun exposure because sunlight is mild but winter should be a time for intensified protection against the wind and cold.

Watering

You don't want to end up with dry soil that could be unhealthy for your Japanese maple bonsai so you should water it everyday in the morning. Some bonsai experts however believe that watering, combined with sunlight might additionally contribute to leaf burns. Water on the leaves may function as a direct lens that could magnify the effects of direct sunlight. Others also believe that water chemicals or minerals are the real cause of leaf burns. Particles in the water could stay in the leaves and result in undesirable chemical reactions when exposed to the sun.

Prune at the Right Time

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.

Some bonsai experts also simulate fall in Japanese maple bonsai by defoliating during summer. This technique will result in smaller and more exquisite leaves. You shouldn't do this though if you have just repotted your Japanese maple bonsai within the year. Make sure that all wounds that result from pruning are properly sealed.

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

There is some debate to the practice of wiring Japanese maple bonsai specimens. Although wiring is a common practice for other bonsai types, others prefer the simpler practices of pinching and pruning. You may however resort to wiring to get your desired shape. It is suggested though that you shouldn't wire during the winter season. The bonsai could have more sensitive parts in this season and extra wiring may hurt it.

You should be extra careful though during spring because the wires could damage your growing and blooming bonsai. Late autumn would be a good time to wire your bonsai.