You mention Miracle Gro potting mix...like the cactus soil? I don't have storage to get many bags to mix like you mentioned, and the bagged soil at the box store might be better option for my one japanese maple I got from you recently, which is still dormant in CA 9B
I've had good luck using cactus/ succulent mixes. Or if I get regular potting bagged soil. I amend with perlite/ somw bark nuggets / medium bark to improve drainage.... and lots of drainage holes. No point in having a well draining mix if it doesn't have anywhere to drain from.
I wouldn't use anything but slow release fertilizer for Japanese maples, and I wouldn't fertilize past mid May. You want any effects from fertilizer to be done by mid September when the leaves start to change and dormancy starts to ramp up.
How about doing a video on training young maples. Like so many I have bought a number of #1 Maples from you and would like to have the best form from them as they grow up. Some from 2019 have some “leggy” branches , so knowing how to prune / shape from young trees would be awesome.
Great video! Thanks for sharing your recommended mix of 80% pine bark, 15% peat, and 5% perlite for a Japanese maple grown in a container. Is this the soil that you use in the containers of the maples that you ship? Thanks.
@@MrMapleShow 🇺🇦 Greetings from Ukraine! [central part of the country] Is it possible to plant a red Japanese maple 🍁 "Pixie" in the sun? Or does this maple need shade from 12:00 to 2:00 [pm]?
Thank you for the video: simple and informative. I’ve been watching other channels but are from other countries with different climate and different types of soils brands. I’ve been looking for experts in Japanese maples (JM) in the U.S. and finally found “The Channel.” I’m really happy about this because I know nothing about JM, and just got one as a gift. I have a question. If one lives, for example, in a warmer climate like in Southern California, should we not use nitrogen or any fertilizer during the fall as well? I hope I get an answer, even if it is from your subscribers. I’ll highly appreciate it. BTW, I’m a new Subscriber 😊.
Which Mirace Gro should we use? Also, we live in Rio Rancho, NM, which is a high altitude desert and plan to put the 4 Japanese maples in pots. Are there any specific instructions for growing them here? Thank you!
I've had really good results with Osmocote slow release plus 15-9-12 NPK. The K is a bit heavy, but I reduce the amount of fertilizer to account for that a little. Read the instructions carefully, and use it sparingly. Whatever the instructions say, I reduce that amount by 10 - 20%. Even with slow release fertilizers like this, don't feed a Japanese maple after mid spring in early to mid May or so. Be patient, let it do its work, and remember that the tree needs its dormancy period in the winter to be as robust as possible for the next growing season.
Fine pine bark as soil could be very expensive, you use 80% in the mix. If I use raised garden soil instead, I could mix fine pine bark mulch in it and perlite, plus some compost. Please tell me in what proportion I should be mixing -- fine pine bark, perlite and raised garden soil (by Shultz or Master) to create ideal potting container soil for my Japanese maple?
I’ve just bought a purple ghost and bronze era, they are about 1 foot tall. I live in North Florida, would a miracle grow be okay to use in the pot soil? Thanks for all the help you guys provide
We recommend that you wait on using miracle grow at this time of the season as it may keep your plant too active during the dormant period. Sometimes Miracle Grow can be a time release fertilizer that last for up to 6 Months.
I want to relocate one of my Japanese maples on my property. I live in West Georgia and I read online that now is a good time to transplant Japanese maples. Then I read another article that said early spring is a good time to transplant maples. Any suggestions? Thanks for the great videos!
Hi, what about using broken down mostly hardwood mulch from the sawmill, this stuff is black and totally broken down..I know azaleas probably wouldn't like it but what about the maples? I could put some peat in it. In the past I usually go 50/50 with peat and miracle grow soil with native soil mixed in.
I am your new subscriber and I am glad to discover your channel. I live in Maryland at the zone 6 maybe? If I grow my Japanese Maples in the pot, where should I keep them so they can sustain the cold winter? And, how do I take care of them in the pot during the winter season?
Hey thanks for subscribing! Here is a cuddle we did on that very topic. Thanks Can I Grow My Japanese Maples Indoors? - JAPANESE MAPLES EPISODE 114 ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Ip9Wg2gih7w.html
The Pine Bark that you recommend...is that Pine Fines or just regular Pine Bark mulch? The Pine Bark mulch bags often have pretty large pieces of mulch in them.
Looks like pine bark fines to me. Sometimes you find it under the name of pine bark soil conditioner. Most nurserymen use it for just about everything they grow in pots.
@KC Where are you located? I'm on NC and I've bought several different brands of soil conditioner, and it's always been pine bark fines. It's usually more composted than the pine bark fines I buy by the yard at the mulch and stone place. The bag should clearly list the ingredients. Something to the effect of composted forest material. I wonder if the region of the country makes a difference. Here in the southeast we are surrounded in pines
I recently bought a couple of ginkgos, a wisteria, an azalea and several maples. One of the maples and one of the ginkgos I want to plant in South al. And the rest will be in the Bham , Al area. What do we need to do/know about planting this time of year? Thanks so much, Tracey
I tend to feel with my hands at what level the potting mix is very drainable, however I do not know the proportions, so need your help/thoughts and comments.
Try this mix: 60 - 65% pine bark mulch, 15 - 20% coarse sand, 15 - 20% composted pine bark mulch. If you find that your maples are in a windy area or you can't shield them from late afternoon sun (generally after 1pm in the summer) the consider adding sparing amounts of peat moss (10% or less) to retain a little bit more water. If you find that your drainage isn't as good as you'd like, try adding 10% Perlite to your mix. Maples do great with a slightly acidic (5.5 to 6.5 pH) soil, which the pine bark mulch and the composted pine bark mulch will take care of. The coarse sand serves two purposes- it gives a little bit more weight and something for the fibrous root structure to anchor to, and it also helps with drainage. The biggest killer of Japanese maples is perpetually wet roots. They are very susceptible to root rot. The close #2 and #3 concerns should be leaf scorch and wind. Don't let water get on the leaves, particularly in sunny areas. Wind is rough on Japanese maples and makes the roots dry out quicker and stresses the tree, so if you can find a somewhat sheltered area for them, that's your best bet. Some of the tools that have really helped me are moisture meters, pH meters, and DLi meters to measure how much sun a particular spot gets. All of these tools are relatively cheap and found easily on Amazon. Good luck with your cultivars!
@JJ0n3z Thank you for the advice. Getting the soil and the microclimate for the Japanese maples is a tough job. I had to replant some at a different location as the leaves were drying out due to a number of reasons. It has been a trial and error learning process for me. The plants are all protected for the winter now with frost cloths and thick wooden containers (in zone 6a, windy city Chicago). Keeing my fingers crossed for their survival
@@argosaha9318 I’m in central Virginia, so my biggest concern is prolonged moisture and snow during the winter. I only have one Red Dragon in the ground that did ok last year but I’m considering putting it back in a pot. Luckily for me, I have a non climate controlled Florida room on the back of my house, so all of my maples in containers are there. They still get low temps and reduced levels of light, but they’re protected from excess moisture and harsh winds.
@JJ0n3z my mature Japanese maples (1 inch diameter, 5 to 6 feet tall) are in half Whiskey barrel Oak planters (25 gals) and large wood raised beds (3x6x2) The considerable soil mass in those containers protects the roots ( in our 6a climate). I keep all smaller plastic containers held japanese maples in my unheated garage, next to a large window.
We live in Illinois and wanting to plant a Japanese maple tree. Our soil has a lot of clay in it. What can we do to amend the soil? Should we mix some of the clay with the amendments? Should we dig a bigger hole to plant it in and only use the amendments? I know not to plant it deep. Plant it low and it won't grow, plant it high and it won't die is what I have always heard on plants and trees. It will be in the sun in the morning but shade in the afternoon. Any help would be appreciated.
i love your videos! They are super helpful for someone like me. I have a tamukeyama Japanese maple. Still very young and I live in northern Maryland which is zone 7 ( from what I’ve found out). Someone recommended that maybe for the first year keep it potted then transfer it to my yard especially since my front yard gets hit with direct sun in the afternoon hours which I know can scorch the leaves. Do you recommend that? Also. My area is all clay soil. I’ve read that I should mix that with some small pine bark to keep it from compacting. However when I went to my garden center they told me to use potting soil and mulch. After watching your video I almost think I need to undo what I did and add the soil from my yard. I’m very very very new to all this so any help would be greatly appreciated! I also have a Inaba shidare Japanese maple and wanted to know if this would be the same process as the tamukeyama? Thank you for any advise!
There are very few cultivars of Japanese maples that do well in the eastern/southeastern US in hot afternoon sun. If your Tamukeyama is still young, I'd keep it in a pot, and make sure it has a good strong root structure, then select a spot in your landscape that has at least some relief from hot PM sun (especially in summer). So the answer to your question is essentially no. I don't know why Japanese maple retailers even use the descriptor "full sun" because they readily admit there are very, very few Japanese maple varieties that can handle Mid Atlantic afternoon sun in mid to late summer. It's almost guaranteed to do some damage to your specimen no matter what. If I were you, I'd monitor your landscape and try to find a place where it'll get a lot of morning sun, but enter shade after 1pm.
How much MicroMax should I add to a one gallon container? Is it okay to use a slow release fertilizer in May and then every three weeks or so add DynaGro to the trees?
Thank you for the information you provide, it’s very helpful. I need help, my Japanese maple has tiny spots on the leaves. What is it and what can I do to get rid of them? Thank you in advance. Carmen
Since the soil is clay before watering I check the soil. Nevertheless how can I avoid the soil compactation ? Over the soil there is mulching, but in some area I notice that soil become compact and hard. thanks
Any of our cultivars are grafted. Named varieties are not produced from seed because they do not come true from seed at all. Any named Japanese maples are alway going to be grafted. A seedling wouldn’t have a name just a species.
@@MrMapleShow Thanks for the reply. It's already done, so I guess I'll find out. I'll refrain from that in the future with "Japanese" maples, but I had read that maple trees like sugar maples and red maples like a little higher acidity which the coffee grounds bring. Is extra acidity not a good thing for Japanese maples?
From what I understand, the brewing of the coffee has already leeched out pretty much all of the acidity from those grounds. Not that the grounds will be a detriment but it won’t do anything for the acidity of the soil. The actual coffee on the other hand can help, having a PH of ~5 give or take.
Just curious when planting a new Japanese maple are there any steps I should take as far as putting a stake next to the tree, should I put a screen around the trunk to protect it in its early stages of growth ❓... Thank you for your response.
What if I have sand soil which is more acidic? Should I add other things in it before planting a young Japanese maple ( we r in zone 8-9 with humidity)
Mr Maple, I just ordered a Crimson Queen from you guys and I'm preparing my container soil with the 80/15/5 blend you describe in the video. How often does this soil need to be top dressed, refreshed and changed out?
Thank you for this video, I have heard so many different theories, about Japanese Maple soil and no true answer, so thank you. I own a Japanese maple but I'm not sure what one it is. If I email in a picture of it can you guys identify it for me please? Could I get an email address? Thank you
I got two Japanese Maples from you guys. I repotted it right away, used cactus soil for good drainage and transferred the tree into a wood pot . Is this okay? Is it okay too that I cut some leaves off coz it might have been squished in the box? 𝚃𝚑𝚎 Bloodgood one is kind of too tall and missing some leaves on the branch. Where can I cut ？ Or should I wait till it’s dormant to prune?
The best time to prune is mid to late March. I don’t have any experience with that soil mix but it may work fine. Thanks so much did your order here are some simple tips also mrmaple.com/pages/care-of-japanese-maples
@@tazmankb26 , not sure what is going on in your situation. It is working ondifferent devices here and the other comments are based on a question I asked from my audio from the video for other video ideas, so the audio must be working for others.
There is audio it is just extremely muffled...please watch your videos before posting them...Its like the mic is tucked into too many layers of clothing or something....several of your videos lately one of the mics is screwed up...still love you guys, but definitely need to remake this video with a different mic.
When you say "Japanese maples are adaptable to almost any kind of soil" then follow that immediately with "it should have good drainage" then that almost automatically cancels out your original statement. Clay-based soils that hold water and don't drain well are all over the east coast. Your less specific, vague statements like this need to be clarified for new Japanese maple enthusiasts that really want to jump in head first and use your channel as an accurate guide. You should be more specific and have your words match what actually works. Now, I'm not trying to take away the value of this video. Showing what goes into the mix that you use IS very valuable, I just think it conflicts with the statements you make that Japanese maples are adaptable to almost any kind of soil. This simply is not true. Well-draining soil DOES NOT Include most composts, garden soils, potting soils, clay-based soils, etc. So, folks who latch onto that statement are misled. The same is true with sun. I've heard your channel say "does great in full sun". This is entirely too vague. Full sun means full sun. That's 6 to 8 hours of direct sun. This will kill (eventually) or damage all but the most hardy and robust large red upright Japanese maples, such as Bloodgood and Emperor 1. This is a slight criticism, but I'm trying to be constructive. I'm a new Japanese maple keeper/collector, and I'm trying to help others like me who get conflicting information from otherwise valuable sources like yours. You'll sell more if you give precise and accurate information. Almost every Japanese maple I own requires a special mix of something like pine or fur bark mulch, an additive to help with aeration and drainage like Perlite, and a rough or course sand to add weight, something tangible for the roots to anchor to, and to increase drainage. Concerning sun, I've found that it varies based on the time of year, and also the particular cultivar. For starters, based on my experience, I have yet to find a young (3 years and younger) specimen that can take hot afternoon sun. That means to be that NONE of them be in "full sun" particularly for zones 7, 8 and 9. However, in early spring, and in the fall, maples in containers can and should be moved around to see where they thrive the most. I'm a huge fan, so I don't want to bust your balls too much, just some things are worth mentioning and might even help boost your sales. If you sell people maples and help them thrive, you'll have less people unhappy with dying or wilting maples, and they'll buy from you even more. I'm probably not your biggest customer, but I have turned several people onto your site, and will continue to do so.
We certainly do respond to any questions we find. That said it is an extremely busy time of year and we get lots of comments. I don’t see any missed questions by you though???
