PlantSowGrow
How to plant and care for Japanese Maple
Acer palmatum
A small, graceful tree grown for its delicate leaves and fiery autumn colour. Perfect for a sheltered corner or a large pot.
When to plant and care for it
Timed for a typical UK garden (last frost mid-April). The app uses your own town's frost dates.
Growing Japanese Maple: what it needs
- Light
- Part shade · 4+ hours a day
- Watering
- Keep evenly moist; water pots daily in summer heat
- Soil
- Moist, well-drained, slightly acidic soil or ericaceous compost · pH 5.5–6.5
- Spacing
- 2–4 m apart
- In pots
- Grows well in containers
- Feeding
- A light spring feed of slow-release fertiliser
- Hardiness
- USDA zones 5–8
- Difficulty
- Easy
Step by step
- On planting day
Plant the Tree
Plant the maple at the same depth it grew in its pot, in a hole twice as wide as the root ball. Firm the soil and water well.
- 1 day after “Plant the Tree”
Water In Deeply
Soak the root area with a full watering can, then keep the soil moist (not wet) for the first few weeks.
- 7 days after “Water In Deeply”
Mulch the Base
Spread 5–8 cm of compost or bark mulch in a 1 m circle, keeping it clear of the trunk.
Every year
- MarchSpring Feed
Scatter a slow-release feed and top up the mulch (use ericaceous compost for pots).
- AprilProtect New Leaves from Frost
Late frosts and cold wind scorch the young leaves. Cover with fleece on frosty nights.
- JulyWater in Hot Weather
Leaf edges crisp if roots dry out. Water deeply in heat and dry spells.
- OctoberAutumn Colour
Enjoy the autumn colour — a good moment for a photo for the journal.
- DecemberLight Pruning
Only if needed, remove dead or crossing twigs while fully dormant. Maples bleed if pruned in spring.
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