Video:Using Japanese Maples for Fall Planting

Transcript:Using Japanese Maples for Fall Planting

Hi, I’m Sean Gillman with Portland Nursery here today for About.com and we’re here to talk about using Japanese Maples for fall planting.

Varieties of Japanese Maples

They come in many colors and their colors change in spring, summer, and fall.You’ve got many types with green leaves in summer that will be gold to yellow in fall. We’ve got red leaf types in summer that will be scarlet in autumn. Japanese Maples can be used as a street tree, particularly for full-size upright growing Maples, growing usually to twenty feet or more with a canopy, so you have some shade for a parking spot or what not.

Also, Weeping Japanese Maples are often used as a specimen tree, that means as a focal point, where you’re looking at that tree, your eyes are drawn there.Near a pond is often good where it’s draping down over the water. Miniature Maples can be used for container growing or even bonsai, with a bit more compact growth and interesting colors. This is a great one called the Coral Bark Maple, best for fall to winter interest. Once the leaves drop, you get these red branches and they set off well amongst evergreens.

Caring for Japanese Maples

They can work in a fair amount of sun or a fair amount of shade, but I usually tell people to avoid either extreme. In full sun, particularly in hotter climates, you can definitely get some burning, whereas in full shade, you don’t get the best color for the leaves and sometimes, it’s not as thick of a tree as it would be.

Planting Japanese Maples

There’s a few things to know when you’re planting a Maple, probably the most important thing, whether it’s going into the ground, or into a pot, do not bury the stem any more than it already is. That’s how you kill a tree.When you’re pulling the tree out of the pot, you kind of bump the pot off, or alternately, slide it out.

You do not tug at the tree. In this case, I pull it out and find out that it has quite a bit of roots. When you have roots that are bound up into a tight formation, growing around into a circle in the soil, you do need to break that up somewhat and get those roots growing out into what will be the new potting soil.

Put the Japanese Maple in here, move the soil away from there, and in this case, we want to make sure we get the soil line exactly where we want it, so we’re not burying the stem with any excess soil. The soil line stays the same, and make sure that it’s sized well for the pot, so it’s just under the rim of the pot if you drew a line straight across.

I can tell it’s the same line because I feel this is still firm, while this is still loose over here. I have not packed it in severely, you can pack it in somewhat, but it’s best to let the water do that. The next thing you do is water this in and the water will flow down, settling all of the soil and getting all of the air pockets out. And you’re basically done!

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