Bonsai Tree Care – How to Care for Maple Bonsai Plants

There are a variety of maple trees and sub-species in maple trees, but all of them make great bonsai trees. These maple trees can be tougher to care for, but they are in great demand by bonsai artists and enthusiasts. With their attractive appearance, particularly in the fall when they turn yellow and red, they are a great choice for your bonsai.

Some maple tree species will work inside, but most of the time, you will see the highest amount of success with outdoor maple trees. There are a variety of opinions about how much sun the maple requires and it also depends on their species, but you will most likely need at least some shade with most.

Maple trees survive in the winter on their own, but a bonsai maple will need some additional help. You will need to make sure that there is good drainage, although a little extra moisture can be a good thing, especially if you have a flowering maple. Overall, maple trees like moist soil.

You can find that the maples adapt to a number of styles, including the informal upright shakan style. You can train the maple bonsai to the han-kengai or semi-cascade style, but with its brittle branches, you will need to be very careful that you don’t split the trunk or branches.

Han-kengai style with a tree can be achieved without wiring, but it is more difficult. In addition, maple trees are not seen in the han-kengai style in nature and bonsai arts are all about mimicking nature at a smaller scale, so this contradicts the ideal.

You will want to feed your maple once a month with a slow-release fertilizer in the strong growing seasons of spring to the fall. The hotter summer months should not have fertilizer so that you don’t burn the plant. Don’t feed for a few weeks after you have re-potted the plant. A great choice for organic fertilizer is Peter’s 20-20-20.

Pruning is an important part of your project since the root systems will grow more branches and leaves. For less branches and leaves, you will need to aggressively prune your roots for that to work. For branch pruning, you will want to work during the fall and winter when there are no leaves. Fortunately, maples heal really well in case you do hurt it. You can seal the wound after branch removal.

You can pinch new growth during the active growing season to keep your foliage and trees to a moderate level and train your tree where you want it to go. In addition, you will be able to have a clean working area. After all, the goal is to be somewhat minimalist and a fully leaved tree will look like an ordinary houseplant, which you definitely don’t want!

You are less likely to see wiring with maples because of their brittle branches. These trees can look great without a lot of extra effort and have been known to scar easily, so wiring is tricky.

         

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