A Detailed Guide to Making Maple Bonsai and Care Precautions

The maple is a famous landscape tree, with a graceful and enchanting form, and is an excellent material for making bonsai. In making a maple bonsai, besides the processing methods, what matters more is the choice of tree shape and the original natural form, and it takes a certain amount of time to shape it. Every maple bonsai should have its own characteristics. Let us take a look together at how to grow a maple bonsai!

Making the Tree Shape of a Maple Bonsai

Maples grow widely in the wild. To make bonsai, people mostly dig up old stumps or young trees from the mountains and fields. The new branches are long and supple and can be trained into many styles of bonsai. Common ones include the formal upright style, slanting style, curved trunk style, double trunk style, cascade style and forest style. Shaping is mainly done by pruning, with wiring as a supplement. The leaves are relatively large, so it is not suitable to make cloud pads or cloud-like forms; instead, the branches and leaves are often pruned into a natural style with coordinated heights and proper density. After frost, the maple leaves turn red, dazzling and lovely.

Planting and Pot Selection for Maple Bonsai

1. Planting: Maples are best planted in February to March before spring budding. Before planting, prune the branches and roots once, remove half of the old soil, replace it with new soil, and place decomposed bean cake at the bottom of the pot as a base fertilizer. Maples like loose, fertile and moist soil and grow poorly in barren places. For planting maples, use 2/3 humus soil mixed with 1/3 sandy soil.

2. Pot selection: The leaves of most maples turn from green to red after frost in late autumn, so when choosing a pot, be careful not to use purple clay pots or glazed ceramic pots in red or green. For a forest-style maple bonsai, a shallow pot of white marble or marble can be used, and the potting soil can be shaped into an uneven natural mountain-and-field form. If a few turtle-vein stones or Yingde stones are placed at suitable spots on the pot surface, dotted with a few small figurines of people or animals, the bonsai will have a stronger sense of life.

Care and Management of Maple Bonsai

1. Location: Maples like shady and cool environments and dislike direct strong sunlight, so the bonsai should be kept under a shade shed or beneath other trees. If placed in strong light or on a balcony, leaf scorching often occurs. Because indoor ventilation is poor, a maple bonsai should not be kept indoors for more than one week, otherwise it is unfavorable for growth. In winter in the north, the maple bonsai should be moved into a low-temperature indoor room; in the south, simply burying the pot in wind-sheltered, sun-facing soil is enough for it to overwinter safely.

2. Watering: Maple leaves are large and evaporate water quickly. During the growing season, water frequently. In hot weather, sprinkle water on the ground frequently to keep the microclimate humid. In winter, maples enter dormancy, so water less; as long as the potting soil is moist, you can skip watering.

3. Fertilizing: Before spring budding and when the leaves unfold, apply one application each of decomposed dilute organic liquid fertilizer, but do not fertilize on rainy days. In August to September, apply one application each of decomposed dilute liquid fertilizer. Do not fertilize during winter dormancy.

4. Shaping: Maples have strong sprouting ability and often produce new buds on the trunk. Any buds not needed for the design and overly dense branches should be pruned promptly. This not only saves nutrients but also helps ventilation and light penetration. The best viewing period for a maple is when the new leaves have just unfolded. If all the leaves are removed in late summer and one application of decomposed dilute liquid fertilizer is given, new leaves will grow in about 20 days, thus adding another best viewing period.

5. Disease prevention: Common diseases of maples include brown spot disease and powdery mildew. When disease occurs, spray with a 50% carbendazim wettable powder solution at 800 to 1000 times dilution, once every 10 to 15 days, for 2 to 3 consecutive sprays. The main insect pests are the yellow-spined nettle moth and the glossy-banded longhorn beetle. For the yellow-spined nettle moth, control is generally done from late autumn to early spring by turning over the soil and digging out pupae for concentrated destruction, or by spraying a 50% fenitrothion emulsion at 1000 times dilution in the early larval stage. For the glossy-banded longhorn beetle, for eggs and larvae that have not yet bored into the xylem, a 50% fenitrothion emulsifiable concentrate at 150 times dilution can be sprayed on the larvae on the trunk; for severely damaged young trees, cut them down at the base and burn them in a concentrated way, or inject a 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 100 to 200 times dilution into the bore holes and then seal the holes with mud, which gives a relatively good effect.

How to Grow Maple Bonsai: Maple Bonsai Cultivation Methods

The maple is a famous landscape tree, with a graceful and enchanting form, and is an excellent material for making bonsai. In making a maple bonsai, besides the processing methods, what matters more is the choice of tree shape and the original natural form, and it takes a certain amount of time to shape it. Every maple bonsai should have its own characteristics. Let us take a look together at how to grow a maple bonsai!

Making the Tree Shape of a Maple Bonsai

Maples grow widely in the wild. To make bonsai, people mostly dig up old stumps or young trees from the mountains and fields. The new branches are long and supple and can be trained into many styles of bonsai. Common ones include the formal upright style, slanting style, curved trunk style, double trunk style, cascade style and forest style. Shaping is mainly done by pruning, with wiring as a supplement. The leaves are relatively large, so it is not suitable to make cloud pads or cloud-like forms; instead, the branches and leaves are often pruned into a natural style with coordinated heights and proper density. After frost, the maple leaves turn red, dazzling and lovely.

Planting and Pot Selection for Maple Bonsai

1. Planting: Maples are best planted in February to March before spring budding. Before planting, prune the branches and roots once, remove half of the old soil, replace it with new soil, and place decomposed bean cake at the bottom of the pot as a base fertilizer. Maples like loose, fertile and moist soil and grow poorly in barren places. For planting maples, use 2/3 humus soil mixed with 1/3 sandy soil.

2. Pot selection: The leaves of most maples turn from green to red after frost in late autumn, so when choosing a pot, be careful not to use purple clay pots or glazed ceramic pots in red or green. For a forest-style maple bonsai, a shallow pot of white marble or marble can be used, and the potting soil can be shaped into an uneven natural mountain-and-field form. If a few turtle-vein stones or Yingde stones are placed at suitable spots on the pot surface, dotted with a few small figurines of people or animals, the bonsai will have a stronger sense of life.

Care and Management of Maple Bonsai

1. Location: Maples like shady and cool environments and dislike direct strong sunlight, so the bonsai should be kept under a shade shed or beneath other trees. If placed in strong light or on a balcony, leaf scorching often occurs. Because indoor ventilation is poor, a maple bonsai should not be kept indoors for more than one week, otherwise it is unfavorable for growth. In winter in the north, the maple bonsai should be moved into a low-temperature indoor room; in the south, simply burying the pot in wind-sheltered, sun-facing soil is enough for it to overwinter safely.

2. Watering: Maple leaves are large and evaporate water quickly. During the growing season, water frequently. In hot weather, sprinkle water on the ground frequently to keep the microclimate humid. In winter, maples enter dormancy, so water less; as long as the potting soil is moist, you can skip watering.

3. Fertilizing: Before spring budding and when the leaves unfold, apply one application each of decomposed dilute organic liquid fertilizer, but do not fertilize on rainy days. In August to September, apply one application each of decomposed dilute liquid fertilizer. Do not fertilize during winter dormancy.

4. Shaping: Maples have strong sprouting ability and often produce new buds on the trunk. Any buds not needed for the design and overly dense branches should be pruned promptly. This not only saves nutrients but also helps ventilation and light penetration. The best viewing period for a maple is when the new leaves have just unfolded. If all the leaves are removed in late summer and one application of decomposed dilute liquid fertilizer is given, new leaves will grow in about 20 days, thus adding another best viewing period.

5. Disease prevention: Common diseases of maples include brown spot disease and powdery mildew. When disease occurs, spray with a 50% carbendazim wettable powder solution at 800 to 1000 times dilution, once every 10 to 15 days, for 2 to 3 consecutive sprays. The main insect pests are the yellow-spined nettle moth and the glossy-banded longhorn beetle. For the yellow-spined nettle moth, control is generally done from late autumn to early spring by turning over the soil and digging out pupae for concentrated destruction, or by spraying a 50% fenitrothion emulsion at 1000 times dilution in the early larval stage. For the glossy-banded longhorn beetle, for eggs and larvae that have not yet bored into the xylem, a 50% fenitrothion emulsifiable concentrate at 150 times dilution can be sprayed on the larvae on the trunk; for severely damaged young trees, cut them down at the base and burn them in a concentrated way, or inject a 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 100 to 200 times dilution into the bore holes and then seal the holes with mud, which gives a relatively good effect.

Maple Bonsai Cultivation Methods

The maple is a famous landscape tree, with a graceful and enchanting form, and is an excellent material for making bonsai. In making a maple bonsai, besides the processing methods, what matters more is the choice of tree shape and the original natural form, and it takes a certain amount of time to shape it. Every maple bonsai should have its own characteristics. Let us take a look together at how to grow a maple bonsai!

Making the Tree Shape of a Maple Bonsai

Maples grow widely in the wild. To make bonsai, people mostly dig up old stumps or young trees from the mountains and fields. The new branches are long and supple and can be trained into many styles of bonsai. Common ones include the formal upright style, slanting style, curved trunk style, double trunk style, cascade style and forest style. Shaping is mainly done by pruning, with wiring as a supplement. The leaves are relatively large, so it is not suitable to make cloud pads or cloud-like forms; instead, the branches and leaves are often pruned into a natural style with coordinated heights and proper density. After frost, the maple leaves turn red, dazzling and lovely.

Planting and Pot Selection for Maple Bonsai

1. Planting: Maples are best planted in February to March before spring budding. Before planting, prune the branches and roots once, remove half of the old soil, replace it with new soil, and place decomposed bean cake at the bottom of the pot as a base fertilizer. Maples like loose, fertile and moist soil and grow poorly in barren places. For planting maples, use 2/3 humus soil mixed with 1/3 sandy soil.

2. Pot selection: The leaves of most maples turn from green to red after frost in late autumn, so when choosing a pot, be careful not to use purple clay pots or glazed ceramic pots in red or green. For a forest-style maple bonsai, a shallow pot of white marble or marble can be used, and the potting soil can be shaped into an uneven natural mountain-and-field form. If a few turtle-vein stones or Yingde stones are placed at suitable spots on the pot surface, dotted with a few small figurines of people or animals, the bonsai will have a stronger sense of life.

Care and Management of Maple Bonsai

1. Location: Maples like shady and cool environments and dislike direct strong sunlight, so the bonsai should be kept under a shade shed or beneath other trees. If placed in strong light or on a balcony, leaf scorching often occurs. Because indoor ventilation is poor, a maple bonsai should not be kept indoors for more than one week, otherwise it is unfavorable for growth. In winter in the north, the maple bonsai should be moved into a low-temperature indoor room; in the south, simply burying the pot in wind-sheltered, sun-facing soil is enough for it to overwinter safely.

2. Watering: Maple leaves are large and evaporate water quickly. During the growing season, water frequently. In hot weather, sprinkle water on the ground frequently to keep the microclimate humid. In winter, maples enter dormancy, so water less; as long as the potting soil is moist, you can skip watering.

3. Fertilizing: Before spring budding and when the leaves unfold, apply one application each of decomposed dilute organic liquid fertilizer, but do not fertilize on rainy days. In August to September, apply one application each of decomposed dilute liquid fertilizer. Do not fertilize during winter dormancy.

4. Shaping: Maples have strong sprouting ability and often produce new buds on the trunk. Any buds not needed for the design and overly dense branches should be pruned promptly. This not only saves nutrients but also helps ventilation and light penetration. The best viewing period for a maple is when the new leaves have just unfolded. If all the leaves are removed in late summer and one application of decomposed dilute liquid fertilizer is given, new leaves will grow in about 20 days, thus adding another best viewing period.

5. Disease prevention: Common diseases of maples include brown spot disease and powdery mildew. When disease occurs, spray with a 50% carbendazim wettable powder solution at 800 to 1000 times dilution, once every 10 to 15 days, for 2 to 3 consecutive sprays. The main insect pests are the yellow-spined nettle moth and the glossy-banded longhorn beetle. For the yellow-spined nettle moth, control is generally done from late autumn to early spring by turning over the soil and digging out pupae for concentrated destruction, or by spraying a 50% fenitrothion emulsion at 1000 times dilution in the early larval stage. For the glossy-banded longhorn beetle, for eggs and larvae that have not yet bored into the xylem, a 50% fenitrothion emulsifiable concentrate at 150 times dilution can be sprayed on the larvae on the trunk; for severely damaged young trees, cut them down at the base and burn them in a concentrated way, or inject a 40% dimethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 100 to 200 times dilution into the bore holes and then seal the holes with mud, which gives a relatively good effect.