Some Japanese Maples are also grown via tissue culture which involves a laboratory and test tube like conditions. Budding is really just another form of grafting, except instead of using a small cutting from the desired parent plant, you work with a single bud from the desired plant.

There are a number of methods which include growing them from seed, grafting a piece of the desired variety onto a Japanese Maple seedling, and budding. you might ask, how do I go about propagating a Japanese Maple? However, all of this tends to complicate the process of propagating Japanese Maples because very few of these numerous cultivars will come true to the parent plant when grown from seed. The different varieties are so unique that you can easily use several of them in a residential or commercial landscape without the slightest hint of redundancy. And that’s why the Japanese Maple is by far, one of the most versatile plants you can add to your landscape. They also have as many different variations of leaf size and shape as you can imagine. If you need help identifying your tree, take a look at our Bonsai tree identification guide.Japanese Maples come in all kinds of different sizes, different shapes, and have a variety of different growing characteristics. It's also well-known and popular for its very attractive yellow, orange, and red autumn colors, orange and red maples being the most popular. The young shoots in spring have yellowish, orange, or even bright red leaves. Red leaved varieties (often referred to as simply a red maple) include the Deshojo and Seigen. The Japanese Maple trees are very popular as ornamental shrubs like Kiyohime, Kashima, Shishigashira, and Arakawa. About 500 cultivars of the species are known, many with special leaf colours or shapes, dwarf growth or interesting bark textures. The fruits split into two winged seeds, shaped like a paired winged nut that floats to the ground like propellers when they drop. The reddish flowers have five petals and appear in clusters in May to June. The bark of young trees is green or reddish and smooth and turns light grey with age. The maple is also known and loved for its attractive autumn colours in all shades of yellow, orange and red. In spring the new leaves have a yellowish or orange to bright red colour, depending on the variety or cultivar. The opposite leaves are divided into five to eleven pointed lobes, with toothed edges.

In nature the green palmate maple grows shrub-like or as a slender tree and can become up to 15 m tall. For an interesting case study, check our article making a Maple. Palma is Latin for palm, as in the palm of your hand. It owes its botanical name to the hand-shaped leaves with five pointed lobes (but more lobes are possible). The Japanese Maple (Acer palmatum) belongs to the soap tree family (Sapindaceae) and is originally from Japan, China, and Korea. General information about the Maple Bonsai tree Continue reading about pruning Bonsai trees. Remove the largest leaves, closely spaced leaves, or the leaves in the strongest areas of the tree. As the name suggests, partial pruning does not require you to remove all the leaves. Partial leaf pruning is a more gentle and less stressful pruning method, so it can be done every year. When pruning, remove all the leaves, but make sure to leave the leaf-stems intact. It should not be done every year because it puts quite a bit of stress on the tree. Leaf pruning is the removal of all leaves during the growing season to encourage a second and often finer flush of growth. This method weakens the tree in the long run and should be applied specifically and thoughtfully. After the first leaf pair has unfolded, remove the soft little tip of the shoot between them to prevent the twigs from thickening. Mature Bonsai with a delicate ramification can be pinched in order to keep the twigs thin. New growth should be pruned back to one or two pairs of leaves. The Maple is particularly vulnerable to some fungal infections and diseases. When pruning thick branches we advise using a cut paste product to prevent fungal diseases that can enter through pruning wounds. Strong branches should be pruned in autumn or summer, when callus growth is quick, to prevent excessive bleeding.

Trimming shoots and twigs can be done year-round.

Bloodgood japanese maple bonsai