How To Grow a Japanese Maple Indoors – The Best Guide 2023

Japanese Maple trees are foliage beautiful, particularly the deep orange or red colors in the fall. Did you know that you can grow trees in pots and then bring them indoors? Yes, it’s possible!

It does require an enormous amount of work to ensure that the tree is healthy, and that includes the following:

1. It allows the Japanese Maple to undergo its seasonal winter dormancy.
2. Pruning branches and roots to stop the growth of the tree.

If you can get these two aspects in order, everything else is an easy task. Here’s how to begin:

How To Grow a Japanese Maple Tree Indoors

Step 1 – Selecting Your Maple Tree

The dwarf Japanese maple trees are the best since they develop smaller root systems, and grow to be 3-10 feet tall.

Small Japanese maple varieties are suitable to be used indoors for potted growth It is possible to grow in different sizes and shapes.

To ensure its health it is essential to select the right one for your area.

The majority of maples prefer a cool climate, so regions of the US with zones of hardiness between 5 and 9 (find out the zone in which you’re here) will be ideal but the cold-hardy varieties of maples are able to tolerate lower zones.

Which Maple Trees Do Well in Pots?

• Red Dragon –compact slow-growing plants that can grow up to 5 feet in height and width in areas of 5-8. They like direct sunlight, and they are not averse to frost.
• Velvet Viking –hardy and compact shrubs that mature at four feet tall and five feet wide. It’s capable of surviving full shade and full sun throughout zones 4-9.
• Ribbon-Leaf is a tall, dense tree best suited for zones 6-9. It can reach 10 feet and is great for container pots and the bonsai tree.

Step 2 – Potting an Indoor Maple Tree

Japanese experts on maple John Heider of Wilson Bros Gardens suggests mixing this soil recipe using either a small or coffee can bucket according to the pot’s size:

• 3 parts of q high-quality pot soil – “aim higher than $1-a bag low-grade soils found at box stores.”
• 2-part bark chips 2 parts bark chips “use orchid bark or pine chips to keep the soil slightly acidic as this aids in aerating the soil for better drainage and helps it to retain nutrients over an extended period.”
• 1 part perlite/pumice It is a lightweight volcanic rock with a plethora of minerals that “provides excellent water, air, and nutrient-retaining capabilities.” The best pumice for agriculture is grade A to wash the material before use to get rid of any particles.

Wearing gloves that protect your hands, plant your sapling maple in a pot that is twice the size of its present pot. Three-gallon pots are typically suitable for saplings of dwarf maple.

Remove the maple sapling from its container and then gently lift the soil from its root.

Make sure you fill your pot with soil, then dig a hole in the middle for your sapling. Set it in the soil so that its root ball is about 1 inch lower than the edge.

Continue adding fertilizer until it is full up to the highest point of the ball.

Step 3 – Watering and Fertilizing an Indoor Maple Tree

Utilizing water that is room temperature you can water your tree every week throughout the year, and every day in the summer season, keeping out the leaves.

Morning watering is the best to avoid letting the soil become wet all night and risk the roots becoming suffocated and then make sure to water the soil until it is damp but not completely soaked.

John B. of the Sky Nursery located in Washington State, recommends slow-release organic fertilizer that “contains beneficial bacteria to help your maple absorb more water and nutrients.”

Apply this treatment to the tree “once in mid-March and again in early July,” however, don’t fertilize until later in the year in order to protect the roots from damage.

Step 4 – Replicating Natural Conditions

Green-leafed maples are tolerant of direct sunlight, whereas lacey/variegated varieties prefer part shade to keep from scorching.

Conservatories and rooms with big south-facing windows are the ideal locations, however, gardeners on the Botanical Garden forum recommend “HID (High-intensity Discharge) lights to control sunlight intensity.”

Most maples like cooler temperatures. You’ll need to imitate their natural seasonal patterns by putting them outdoors for a couple of hours every evening during the spring and summer months (keep them in a plant stand with wheels to make it easier).

It is also necessary to assist your maple in its pot beginning its natural dormant period (around the time of the month of October) and also protect the roots from damage from frost through or…

1. Insulate the pot. Create enclosed fencing around your potted maple tree with chicken wire. Drop mulch and hay in the gap until you protect the tree from the soil all the way to the point where the plant is at its highest.
2. Storing your storage in your garage. Install the microclimate inside your unheated garage in wintertime in accordance with the zone of hardiness for your particular maple variety.
3. The idea of planting it in your backyard. If you have enough space, the most effective way to ensure the roots are protected and mimic the natural cycle of dormancy is to plant the plant maple (pot comprised) in the soil and then cover the top with mulch to add insulation.

Step 5 – Controlling Growth on a Maple Tree Grown Indoors

Utilizing clean and sturdy pruning shears, trim branches that look damaged or broken (soft or discolored bark) and cut back the decaying leaves in summer, when you can clearly see the form.

In time the roots will begin to press into the side and the bottom of the pot, pushing it over those drainage holes.

If you’re content with your maple tree getting larger, you should prune the roots once every two years with high-quality root-pruning shears.

Maple Tree Bonsai

Although they need outdoor growth to flourish, bonsai maple trees are immensely popular for helping beginners learn how to control the growth of potted Japanese maple trees and to keep the gorgeous leaf of maple trees, in miniature.

Houseplant lover Cori Sears from The Spruce suggests the Japanese bonsai made of maple, particularly for its beginner-friendly maintenance that has “low sunlight needs and flexible branches that are easy to shape and prune.”

Can You Keep a Japanese Bonsai Made of Maple Indoors?

Japanese maple bonsai indoors don’t require a greenhouse since they’re best suited to growing outdoors. However, they can be grown indoors provided that the humidity and temperature remain at a moderate level.

Pruning and watering Japanese maples require frequent pruning and watering to ensure they look their best. The watering process should be performed every week, or at least once and not more than twice a month.

In the event that the soil becomes dry or too moist the tree won’t be able to absorb the water and leaves become yellow and drop off.

To avoid this occurring, it is recommended to water your maple trees early in the morning or later in the afternoon as the sun is at its most high level. It is also essential to trim the branches when they have reached the peak of their growing season.

This will stop them from growing excessively long. It will also reduce the number of leaves falling off the tree. The branches must also be cut back to the length that allows them to develop to the shape you want them to. If you have a massive tree, you might need to trim some branches to create space for new growth.

Which Is The Most Compact Japanese Maple?

A small Japanese maple with tiny leaves is known as Acer palmatum ‘Beni Hime’. They’re mostly red but there are green hues too. The fall color is intense red and in winter, it’s deep red. The leaves measure about 1/2 inch long and one inch wide at their base.

Leaves of the tree are utilized for a variety of reasons, but their most commonly used use is as an ornamental tree or shrub. It is also able to be planted as a tiny tree in a pot in the backyard.

Which Kind Of Pot Mix Will the Japanese Maple Tree Require?

The best soil mix to use for maple that can be used in a container includes one-half EB Stone Azalea Mix blended with one-half Edna’s best Potting Soil. Straight potting soil may be used in the event that you aren’t able to mix. The maple tree can be planted with cuttings, seeds, or even transplants.

The most effective method to cultivate to grow maple trees can be to put them into the ground and allow them to develop until they attain a height of a minimum of 10 feet. After reaching the desired height, they’ll require pruning to a height that allows them to thrive in the new surroundings.

For pruning on your tree of maple, you’ll require pruning shears that cut off the branches that are more than two inches. It is also possible to cut branches off at the bottom of the tree, making it easier to take them down later.

It’s also a great idea to cover your new tree with mulch to prevent the tree from getting wet.

Are You Able to Keep Japanese Maple Tiny?

Japanese maples can grow up to 30-60 centimeters per year. However, they can be kept small by trimming them annually or doing so.

The most effective method to accomplish this is to cut off branches that are sprouting out from the ground.

You can make use of either a knife or a set of shears to cut off the branches. In the event that you do not have a pruning shear or knife then you might have hand-held tools to prune the tree.

After you’ve taken out the branch(s) you would like to keep, put them in an airtight bag and put it in the fridge for a few days in order for the sap to disperse. Once you are ready to plant them again cut them back to the size they were original.

Look also — 9 Most Profitable Plants To Grow Hydroponically

Final Words

Overall, Japanese Maples are not difficult to maintain indoors. If you’re able to persevere and have a restful winter They can be your next garden companion. Happy gardening!

How To Grow Japanese Maple Indoors FAQ