Japanese maple
Keep it outdoors year-round. Morning sun and moving air encourage compact growth; protect leaves and the shallow pot from extreme afternoon heat and dry wind.
Understand the whole system.
Light without heat stress
Keep it outdoors year-round. Morning sun and moving air encourage compact growth; protect leaves and the shallow pot from extreme afternoon heat and dry wind.
Moist, never airless
Check the upper substrate, then water the entire root ball until water drains freely. A small pot may need several checks on hot, windy days.
Open root architecture
A useful starting point is 50% akadama, 25% pumice and 25% lava. Adjust water retention to climate, pot depth and your watering rhythm.
Guide vigour, not only shape
Pinch or shorten strong growth after it hardens while weaker areas grow. Monitor wire closely; the thin bark marks quickly.
Repot at swelling buds
The usual window is shortly before bud break, adjusted for local frost risk. Protect from wind afterwards and avoid immediate heavy feeding.
Dormancy is essential
The tree belongs outdoors in winter. Protect the pot from prolonged deep freezing, drying wind and winter sun; do not move it into a heated room.
Read the leaf edge
Crisp margins usually point to heat, wind or dry roots. Long internodes suggest weak light or excessive vigour. Check pale stippling for mites.